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| The Famous "Strawberry Days" Snack |
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| Breely enjoying some Strawberries & Cream |
We stopped the rig the night before in the nearby town of
Heber City, UT for the horses to have good, safe pens to spend the night. The
guys were up early Friday morning for the slack, running both rounds that
morning, and I was up during the performance that night. So it was forecasted
to be a LONG HOT day in Pleasant Grove! Luckily we had PLENTY of cold
Strawberries and cream to keep us cool. One thing is for sure… it gets HOT in
Utah! The cool morning quickly faded and the heat wave and sunburns set in. The
kids found some shade under the old wooden grandstands and of course made
friends quickly. As I watched the ever slow slack, I periodically checked on
them underneath as I heard lots of chatter and busy bodies. I was AMAZED to
find the kids working together intently, bringing all of their toys together to
build a tiny town with so much detail I couldn’t believe my eyes. Once again..
Amazed by the ways of kids and thankful my children were learning such life
lessons on the road as working together and creativity with tools at hand.  |
| Beautiful View from the stands during the Steer Wrestling Slack |
Ote carried Beau to a first place tie in the first round and
Casey aboard Tucson pulled a check in the second round and finished 2nd
in the average. Bray didn’t have any luck this stop with a “ride by” in the
first round and a broken barrier in the second round.
We found a cool shade tree for the horses to catch an
afternoon nap and we stayed in the cool air conditioner of the RV during the
hot afternoon hours waiting for the 8pm performance that night so Noah and I
could run barrels. By 7pm people were pouring in by the dozens. It’s so neat to
see the spirit of rodeo alive and well amongst the fans up here in the north. One
would have thought that a top football team was getting ready to play during
the Friday night lights with the number of fans that where lining up for the
show. But, these fans weren’t here to see football, they were here to see one
of the oldest, long standing sports in history with tradition as deep red as
the strawberries that were flowing through the wooden bleachers.
I warmed Noah up in the warm up pen before the barrels and
noticed he had a sporadic dry cough. I didn’t think much about it as the dry
air and dust up here can bring a small cough about, even in us humans. The
barrel race started and we made our run. Once again, having a disappointing run
and a run that was very out of character for Noah. I went back to the trailer
to unsaddle, trying to keep my head up. I knew Bray and the kids stayed in the
stands to watch the dirt bike act that Drake had been waiting all day to watch.
Beau met me at the trailer to help me put my horse up.. once again team work.
(I’m pretty blessed to have the hauling partners I do.) As we unsaddled and watered
Noah, we both noticed Noah’s breathing sounding very labored and congested. I
immediately knew something was wrong as I remembered his dry cough earlier. I
quickly sought the advice of some nearby veteran barrel racers that were
preparing to leave. They gave me some respiratory meds to help him breath more
comfortably and referred me to a nearby vet that they highly recommended. I
administered the meds to Noah and watched him closely as I waited for the rest
of our crew to return from watching the performance. My concern quickly turned
into worry and my worry quickly turned into fear as I know how serious lung
issues can be in our equine partners. I layed my hands on his neck and prayed
over him, handing all of my emotions and Noah’s ailment up to God and giving
thanks to the Lord for my barrel racer friends and their willingness to help
me. My family made it back to the rig.. Drake full of excitement and adrenaline
from the dirt bike tricks he just witnessed. Breely proceeded to tell me that
my “barrel run wasn’t good and daddy said it looked slow”. God love her brutal
honesty haha. We loaded up and headed to nearby Spanish Fork, UT, a common
layover location for the athletes. I informed Bray of Noah’s condition and my
urgency to get him into the vet the next morning. We had a long drive ahead of
us to Santa Fe, NM the next day, so the thought of spending more time in Utah
was not desirable to Bray… UNTIL he heard my tone and the seriousness of my
voice.
The next morning, I made the early phone call and prayed the
vet clinic could get us in on a Saturday morning. Sure enough, prayers were answered and we
were headed that direction for a 10am appointment. I made a phone call to my
trusted vet at home to get his opinion and instruction and headed into South
Valley Large Animal Clinic. After a long wait, Noah’s blood was drawn, tests
were run and exams were done. Tests revealed that prayers were answered and his
ailment was not near as bad as feared and was only at the early stages of a
respiratory infection. A good dose of antibiotics and a little rest would knock
it right out. Luckily I did not have a run planned until Prineville, OR ten
days away, more than enough time from the prescribed 7 days of rest. The vet
said we were lucky to catch his sickness so early, otherwise it would have
turned into a more serious condition in just a matter of days and my summer
rodeos would have come to a quick halt. Once again, I looked up to the heavens
and gave a big THANK YOU and knew the chain events leading up to that moment
were not coincidental. We paid our bill, said our thank-you’s and good-bye’s
and started making our way south to Santa Fe, NM… counting our blessings.
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| The Rig rolling south through the mountains headed to Santa Fe, NM |
Lessons Learned on the Rodeo Road..
*The Rodeo Road is tough.. mentally and physically
*Strawberries and Cream are the ultimate snack
*When it comes to your horses, trust your insticts
*Utilize the experience and expertise of the rodeo veterans
*God is ALWAYS listening….
Have a blessed day! It’s a CHOICE! ~N.
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