Tip

How to Remove Red Clay Stains

Remove dried clay with a dull knife or a spoon (or go outside and give the garment a shake). Apply liquid dish soap to the stain and let it sit overnight. Machine wash. If any stain remains, apply a color-safe bleach directly on the fabric or flush with rubbing alcohol, then machine wash again.

Horse Care Quick Tip

During the summer, we think about keeping salt and minerals in front of our horses so they will drink. In the winter, it is equally important to keep these same things out so they will drink.

We also try and keep deicers in our water so that the water is not frozen. Our horses tend to drink more when it is not frozen. This will help minimize the risk of a horse getting colic.

Goat Training Tip

A couple of ideas on getting your goat horse to run past the goat.

1) Put a bucket of grain at the bottom of the arena or tie a buddy horse at that end.
2) Practice running and getting off in the direction of the gate where the horse naturally wants to go. 

Steer Wrestling Quick Tip

It is important in Steer Wrestling to keep your feet in front of you.  As you lean down off your horse onto the steer, be sure to let your horse continue to run by.  This pulls your feet forward and puts them in the right position.  If you pull your feet off, they will be behind you and you risk the possibility of you and the steer going end over end. 

Ground or Dummy Roping Quick Tip

by Edna Hancock

A lot of us have our kids "ground or dummy rope." Most of the time it works out really well. The main thing to remember when they ground rope is that they need to be standing on a bucket, a cooler, a bale of hay, or anything that elevates them. The angle of the loop is closer to that of roping off a horse. If they rope standing on the ground, the angle of the rope is different and they won't be able to catch when they are on a horse.

Removing A Tick

The ticks will soon be showing their heads. Here is a good way to get them off you, your children, or your pets. Give it a try.

This is great, because it works in those places where it's some times difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me. Unless someone is allergic to soap!

Lose A Shoe - Quick Tip

When your horse pulls a shoe, use Duck Tape. Applying strips of tape to a barefoot will help to prevent the hoof wall from cracking and breaking away. To make a more substantial pad, wrap a rag around the hoof before applying the duck tape. Diapers are also great for temporary hoof protection. Again, secure the diaper with duck tape.

Saddle Fit - Quick Tip

A good way to check to see if your saddle fits is if after you ride there are dry places on your horse’s back. If so the saddle might be too tight to sweat. A good way to check is put a clean white pad on before riding. After riding, it should be uniformly wet/dirty everywhere under the saddle. Your horse will be greatful.

Barrel Tip - Keeping Your Stirrups

If you keep loosing your stirrups while running barrels and poles, you can use rubber bands to help hold your feet in the stirrup. Rubber bands will break if you need to get out of the stirrup quickly but they are strong enough to help keep your feet in the stirrup while you are running. You can see the bands across the top of the boot. It goes around the back and on top of the spur.

Horse Quick Tip

If you have a horse that tends to be a bit spooky,dabbing a little lavender oil in his nostrils before riding will help mask 'frightening' smells. Vicks vapor rub applyed to the nostrils will also mask the smell of mares if you are riding a stallion. 

Muscle Memory

Here is a great tip for calf and goat tying.   Every time you get off your horse; at the trailer, hitching post, or practicing get off just like you would for goat tying or calf roping.  This builds and reinforces muscle memory.  Remember it doesn't always have to be fast.  It just needs to be done correctly.

Forget the Hat - Rodeo Quick Tip

Think about speed events at a rodeo. They are usually done in 15 to 30 seconds. Anytime spent doing anything but running hard makes your time slower.

So, when running speed events forget about your hat. I have seen a lot of kids lose because they were concerned about their hat. If you are concerned about your had comming off wear a string to keep the hat on, however I do not recommend this. The hat can slide if you are turning a quick barrel and get stuck in front of your face. (True story! Ask me about it sometime.) The best thing to do is get a hat that fits properly and if it comes off, it comes off. It is better to get a squished hat than to lose because you tried to catch or adjust your hat.

Practice Tip

When you practice most kids want to go fast to make sure that they can perform well at a rodeo. That is totally the wrong thing to do.  We have come to the conclusion that if you practice slow and carefully you will perform better at the rodeos. 

 

When you practice slow and do it perfectly every time you build muscle memory and when you have to do it faster at the rodeo your "muscles will remember what you have practiced  and do it quickly."  I know it sounds really dumb but it works.  If it is goat tying, do it slowly. If you run barrels or poles, walk through the pattern and get in the correct positon as you enter the barrel/pole turn. If you rope, make sure that your elbow, wrists and hands are in the correct positions . PRACTICE PERFECT and the results will show.

Rodeo Quick Tip

"Don't look back."

I find that this often happens in barrels and poles.  The girls hits a barrel or pole or thinks that she has hit one and looks back to see if it is still up.  While she is looking back, she is either missing riding to the pocket of her next barrel or she is hitting the next pole.  Always, tell your kids to keep their heads up and focus on where they are going.  If they did knock over the barrel or pole, there is nothing they can do about it anyway. 

Practice Help

Always record your practice sessions. (If there isn't someone to record it for you, set up a tripod with the camera on it.)   That way you can go back and critique what you have been doing...Good or Bad.  You can fix the things that need changing and work on the good things that you are doing.  

Remember that if you "Practice Perfect" you will preform perfect when the time comes.

Rodeo Queen Quick Tip

What queen doesn't love a white felt hat but what do you do after it falls in the dirt a couple of times? Baby powder or cornstarch are a great way to get them sparkling white again.

Going to the Pin

by Teresa Fackrell

Another key point in roping is to not break the barrier. One of the best tips for not breaking the barrier is to always go to the pin. The pin is the place where the barrier is hooked to the chute. The pin is circled in the picture on the right.

If you point you horse to the pin, when the barrier is released it will move away from your horse. Also the diagonal from the back of the box to the pin is the longer than just coming straight out of the box. You have less chance of breaking it if you go the longest distance.

The big plus is this also puts your horse in a better position to rope the calf than if you come out straight. So always remember go to the pin.

Tackling Everything

"Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs." -Henry Ford

By Lisa Woodland

This quote applies to everything wether we are talking work, house work, practice, everything. So when tackling anything, break it into small steps and check them off one by one. You will be accomplishing something this always makes a person feel good and makes you want to continue.

Get Your Rope Going

by Teresa Fackrell

In roping, kids have a tendency to come out of the box and wait till they get close to the cow before they start to swing their rope. They may lope halfway down the arena before they ever start to swing.

The kids that have the quickest times in the 2 to 3 second range have one thing in common, they get their rope going. The only way to be really fast is to start to swing your rope as soon as you nod. Your rope should be going before you leave the rope box.

See the picture on the right. Before the barrier has completely broken or the calf has completely left the chute she is swinging her rope. So get your roping going.

Tip For Tracking Entries

by Lisa Woodland

Remembering when entries and rodeos are can be hard. When I first started I missed an entry deadline and it was devastating.

So when I get the schedules for rodeos I take the calendar and I highlight each day for entries in one color and then I use a different color for actual rodeos. Now that we are trying to get points for Nationals and All-arounds, it is even more important to make sure we are entered on time and show up on the right dates.