Rodeo Road: Give credit where credit's due

I'm sure the comment is meant as a compliment. But it irks me just the same.

"Boy, that horse just never takes a wrong step. You're so lucky to have found such an automatic horse for her. You can tell that he's been running barrels all his life."

Um, not exactly. My kids have amazing horses. Both are "million-dollar horses" to our family. I honestly believe I was blessed enough to find the perfect horse for both Sissy and Bubby. Their personalities fit together like puzzle pieces, and those horses are fabulous teachers. Both Sparkplug (Sissy's mount) and Beavis (Bubby's horse) are incredibly well broke, safe horses. I wouldn't put my kids on anything else. Like Cris over @ Goodness Gracious says, I've got too much time invested in those kids to start over now.  Absolutely a ton of the credit for my kids' success in the rodeo arena goes to those two horses. But neither of them is an "automatic" horse for them to ride; they are working rope horses that my kids have used to compete in barrel racing, pole bending and down and back.

Both horses started their careers as calf roping horses. Sparkplug was purchased sight unseen on a family friend's recommendation from Oklahoma when my brother and I were in high school. My brother calf roped on him, I did breakaway roping on hit. My brother also used him for heeling in team roping and as a "hazing" horse in the steer wrestling. He even went to college with my brother and competed on the college rodeo team. He had been around the barrels a few times, but pretty much just when my brother was intent on showing me how vastly superior he and his rope horse were to me and my barrel horse. When Sissy started to ride, we talked about her riding some different horses we had or even buying a barrel horse for her, but it was my brother's suggestion that she ride Sparkplug. He said she'd learn more from riding a well-broke horse and doing the work herself that riding a horse that already knew barrels and was "automatic." I hate to admit it, but he was right. And Sparkplug's favorite part? Sissy sings to him...and you can just see his body relax like melting butter.

Beavis went to college on a rodeo team, too, with a family friend who was in high school rodeo at the same time as my brother and I. He was an exceptional calf roping horse, but he was injured several years ago after our friend sold him. He recuperation, but not back to his "pre-injury" state, and our friend bought him back. We were again blessed when our friend called this past winter to tell me about Beavis when he heard I was looking for a horse for Bubby. Beavis and Bubby go together like peanut butter and jelly, and he has been such a confidence builder for Bubby.

My point? Yes, these are fabulous horses. Yes, some of the credit goes to them. But you know what? The rest of the credit goes to the kids. Those horses didn't know squat-diddly about barrel racing, pole bending, etc. before. They go where those kids put them; they don't do it on their own. They are both incredibly broke...and that certainly helps. But the ones doing the steering and thinking are the kids. They are the ones who work hard almost every nigh, whether they "feel like it" or not...who go out, ride and work with their horses. On nights they don't ride, Sissy practices her roping.

'Cause that's what this is really about. It's not about winning...although I'm competitive, so  love that, too. It's about teaching them things. Not just how to ride, but that hard work pays off. That with privilege comes responsibility. It's about patience and not giving up. It's about setting goals and working to accomplish those goals. It's about instilling good sportsmanship. And it's about having fun and making memories together as a family. That's why we rodeo.