Monday Blog: After the Rodeo Weekend

It’s Monday. First day back after a long but promising weekend.

We were gone Friday through Sunday at the Central IN Little Britches Rodeo. About two hours away from home—and honestly, it felt like two hours away from reality. A break I needed from spreadsheets, emails, and the dreaded Teams dings.

We hauled three horses and three riders. Loretta sat this one out, but BB and E saddled up with Bonnie. Rodeo kicked off Saturday morning at 9am, and we knew it was going to be a marathon. That association doubles up—so rodeo one in the morning, rodeo two starting again at 3 pm. A long day doesn’t even cover it.

Morning runs? They were…fine. Not terrible, not spectacular. BB felt slow, Bonnie was steady, and poor E took a tumble. Nothing broken, thank God—just some bruised muscles and a bruised ego. Our whole mindset turned into, “The afternoon will be better. It has to be better.”

And it was. E snagged a top spot in barrels, BB shaved off some time, and Bonnie held her own. By the time we rolled out of the arena that night, everyone was exhausted but smiling.

Then came Sunday. That’s when the switch flipped.

• E came back swinging.

• BB cut even more time—told her to run Gemma like she stole her, and she did.

• And Bonnie? She won her barrel class and took reserve all-around in her age division.

  
  

She’s six years old. Six. She’s the one who’s been teaching Dixie how to be a barrel and pole horse. That horse was bound for dog food before Bonnie got her little hands on her. If this is where she’s at now, I can’t even imagine where she’ll be in a year or two.

But it wasn’t just about the wins. BB’s dad, E’s mom, the teen riders—they all showed up huge. Those teens are the real mentors for my girls. They had their own rough runs, but they pushed through, showed grit, and reminded my littles what sportsmanship actually looks like.

And then there’s the Little Wrangler girl crew. We added three more to the clan this weekend. I swear, those girls cheering for each other, helping their friends, even running their own little “business” selling bracelets and rings—that’s the part I’ll never forget. The cutest thing ever.

By the way, I had my first Mocha Monster before 11 am on Saturday, after two cups of coffee. Screw my gut—I couldn’t even look at food without feeling like I’d be sick. I probably need to get myself checked. Maybe Crohn’s is rearing its ugly head again.

So yeah. It was a good weekend. Progress. Growth. Community.

And we’re not slowing down. This coming weekend, we’ll be heading to the Indiana Junior Rodeo Association. Our rodeo home - our "IJ". Whole different rodeo family. The girls are already buzzing about running up that alley again.