We are in Clovis, California, at the rodeo. Late April is a beautiful time to be in California and an even better time to be out of Texas. Sister and I are getting ready for our second-round run. We won the first round the day before and now if we can make a solid, clean run, we will make the short round in a good spot.

I am trying to be smart with my rodeo selection. Efficiency is my goal, and that includes capitalizing on those big-money runs, like this one in Clovis. I don’t want to run Sister as much this year — she’s 7 years old. We had a very good winter run, so I won’t have to rodeo as hard to make the finals. The more rodeos I enter, the more chances there are to win, but that’s not my strategy right now with just a few horses. TJ, my older gelding, will get most of the smaller circuit rodeos, and Sister will get the bigger rodeos.

Here in Clovis, we drew up at the bottom of the ground on this run, so I’ll need to keep her driving around the turn through the dirt. We get a step by the first barrel. I bend my knees more, push into my stirrups, and sit deep. She snaps around under me.

Sister is quick, and to get even a step behind her would be costly. It’s important to be in my best shape physically so I can adjust quickly and not get behind my horse.

She is tighter going across to the second barrel, running toward the bucking chutes. I anticipated that she would be, having made a run in that arena already, so I’m prepared. I have analyzed every run down to the step so that a mistake in one run doesn’t hurt me worse in the next. I tighten my abs and shove my hand “through her ears,” like Liz Pinkston once told me. Sister smoked it and ran out of there hard.

I felt her set early going into the third. I sat up and zoned in on my turning spot, thinking, “Just get to that point and you’re good.” We did. And we were. It wasn’t the prettiest turn, but it was fast.

We placed in the round at Clovis and ran the fastest run of our performance with the least favorable draw. The next day would be the short round, and it would be a new day with a new draw and a new plan to make.

I’m 23 years old with a degree from Texas A&M University and I choose to rodeo for a living. This rodeo thing — these barrel horses, the strategy, the precision, the risk — that is what I am passionate about. I truly believe I can keep myself successful in this industry if I use the brains I have, feed my obsession for accuracy, and continue to be the smartest manager of my horses and my plans as I can be. 

We were blessed to go on to win the short round and the aggregate at Clovis.