Where’s Ward? On the Road with Loralee (4)

I ended my last travel blog with where I planned to compete next. The Witchfest in Cedar City, Utah, has passed. Per usual, I wished that I could’ve done better, but I learned lots (and won a little too)! 

We left Thursday morning (9/20) with five horses. My friend and mentor, Shea Hill, allowed me to jockey one of her futurity horses (Fireball), which is one of my biggest honors to-date. After leaving the driveway, my head did not leave the pillow unless we were stopped for fuel. Turns out I have a tendency to “send it” too hard. With some Advil, Tylenol, and IV fluids, I am feeling better. 

On Friday morning, I worked horses in the morning and ran Dupree that night. We finished third overall. The first round of the futurity and derby began Saturday morning. I ran five horses within two hours. For non-barrel racers, this is a feat in and of itself. Fortunately my dad helped me so that I stepped off my one horse and onto another. Round one left me penny less. Dupree carried the team, however, and won money in the open and high stakes race. 

I woke up Sunday morning to snow and frigid temperatures. Prior to showing, it rained enough to flood the stalls and warm up arena. I warmed up horses in the parking lot. By my last horse, it was snowing. The visibility was slim to none. While the conditions were not ideal, round two was far more favorable. I won money in both the 2D futurity and derby average. Overall, I grossed over $3,100. 

That dollar amount sounds relatively high. This game is so expensive. After entry fees, hotel, and other expenses, I maybe scrapped together a few hundred dollars. On paper, this does not pencil well with my parents taking so much time off of work. The lessons are invaluable. Learning to embrace all parts of the process continues to challenge me. I am too stubborn to throw in the towel. 

I fly out to Canada to do some truck driving on Tuesday night. From there, I go elk hunting. I plan to stay close to home until December then my schedule looks pretty chaotic until further notice.