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Veteran
Posts: 150
 
Location: Okla | Just wondering how many people on here made it to the top 5 in whatever division, and what barrel races did you win them in..just something I have been wondering about. Also, did the money won justify the expense in doing it? Stay happy happy and enjoy the journey... | |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| This is a really general question, and hard to answer without being general!
I WILL say, that every penny I've won added together doesn't come close to the financial output of one year. I also think that absolutely every penny I've won has been absolutely, 100% worth it!
"Pulls a 50 footer just to haul one horse,
Won a hundred dollars, all profit of course...
...It's another great day in Barrel Racer Land..."
These are the lyrics of a pretty inappropriate song about no one in particular, but it always makes me die laughing, because there's a lot of things in it that are right on the money! | |
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Veteran
Posts: 150
Location: Okla | Yes I knew it would be a hard question and I didnt want to offend anyone or get in their business, but know for myself and grand daughter, neither of us gets even close lol, but we sure do have a great time anyway. Guess that is the most important thing for sure .
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
 
Location: PNW | Thanks to recent vet bills, it'll be a while until I turn a profit.lol.
Unless I win the American next year  | |
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Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| I really do love the horses, and I love the people at the barrel race, and I love putting good runs together, and honestly, I even love the struggle and the puzzles to solve. I really love that ridiculous high I get when I beat my own fast times in an arena. I love my barrel racing family (people I don't share blood with, but that I care about just like family, and all because I've met them because of the barrel horses). I've run in all the Ds, in no particular pattern, from the smallest company to the largest, on various assorted horses. I just always find myself loading horses on the trailer and heading to the next one, no matter what catastrophe or what great thing happened last time.
I admit it, I'm a barrel racing junkie. Can't. Get. Enough.
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I usually run GCBRA which is a local organization in TX that typically pulls 140-200 at each jackpot. For the end of the year my younger sister won year end reserve champion in the open 1D, and won the youth 1d saddle. I won 3rd for the year end in the open 1D and reserve champion in the adult 1D.
But honestly, I usually don't have a consistent enough year to end up in the top 5 in the 1D for anything at the end of the year. Between horses getting hurt, young horses coming into themselves and then catching a slump.. I usually have great runs followed by bad runs...then another couple good ones.
I've actually had a lot of bad luck when you look back. Every really nice promising horse I have had up until recently has ended up retired for one reason or another. In Oct 2011 I won a PRCA rodeo, filled my permit, and faxed my membership for my rookie year with the WPRA. The next week, my horse strained her suspensory doing something stupid in her stall. We were out 6 months, totally shot our chances at winning anything as far as the rookie title was concerned. After I brought her back from that injury she tested positive for EPM so we fought with that for a while.. I ended up giving her a year off to have a baby and that was the best thing I did for her. She is now back running and we are actually making the best runs as a team that we ever have.
Before her I had a gray gelding that I trained myself. He was supposed to be my mom's horse and we would have been happy if he never got out of the 3D. Well, he was super talented and mid year of his first year of competition, he cracks into the 1D and we were winning 1D checks, and placing .5 off at open rodeos. He ruptured his inferior check ligament and had an excellent prognosis from the vet with surgery. I mean, the way they pushed it, it should be no problem at all. Well, he never got over it mentally so I retired him.
After Lucy, I had a promising 4YO filly who again I trained myself. Halfway through her first year of hauling she started running in the 1D and we were looking pretty good. as a 5YO she won a derby and locally was clocking 1D/2D.. as the year went on she fell apart. Vet visit after vet visit we finally found an OCD chip in her stifle. We did surgery on her and followed the rehab protocol but she too did not come back in the way we were hoping. I think she could have benefited from a year off. She's now owned by RockinAS and is due to foal this month.
so to answer your question... we track earnings just for our horse's own merits. We don't make a profit from the barrel racing and spend a ton of money in vet bills every year when you add it all up. We just do it because we love it. | |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| The horse in my avatar was Reserve World Champion in poles and Top Ten in Barrels at the 2013 APHA World Show. I was the Sr 1D Champion for the year NBHA TX 22 several years ago. I have some really nice horses, I'm just too old to ride them right anymore. I think it is worth whatever the cost because I enjoy it. | |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | classicpotatochip - 2015-03-06 7:17 PM This is a really general question, and hard to answer without being general! I WILL say, that every penny I've won added together doesn't come close to the financial output of one year. I also think that absolutely every penny I've won has been absolutely, 100% worth it! "Pulls a 50 footer just to haul one horse, Won a hundred dollars, all profit of course... ...It's another great day in Barrel Racer Land..." These are the lyrics of a pretty inappropriate song about no one in particular, but it always makes me die laughing, because there's a lot of things in it that are right on the money! I'd love to have you share what song that is...if it is too inappropriate, feel free to PM and I'm glad to look it up myself.
But, back on topic, I haven't been barrel racing long enough to get much out of the 3D/4D, but every check or time I get faster it makes me SOOO happy! Sometimes I almost cry...as silly as that sounds, but when my horse and I are working together and we are getting better together, I don't have to win a check to know we did a good job and we are getting better, and that really makes me so happy I could about cry because I'm proud of my horse because she is working and trying and doing as well as she knows how, no matter what I do wrong.
Edited by mtcanchazer 2015-03-06 10:30 PM
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | mtcanchazer - 2015-03-06 10:26 PM classicpotatochip - 2015-03-06 7:17 PM This is a really general question, and hard to answer without being general! I WILL say, that every penny I've won added together doesn't come close to the financial output of one year. I also think that absolutely every penny I've won has been absolutely, 100% worth it! "Pulls a 50 footer just to haul one horse, Won a hundred dollars, all profit of course... ...It's another great day in Barrel Racer Land..." These are the lyrics of a pretty inappropriate song about no one in particular, but it always makes me die laughing, because there's a lot of things in it that are right on the money! I'd love to have you share what song that is...if it is too inappropriate, feel free to PM and I'm glad to look it up myself.
But, back on topic, I haven't been barrel racing long enough to get much out of the 3D/4D, but every check or time I get faster it makes me SOOO happy! Sometimes I almost cry...as silly as that sounds, but when my horse and I are working together and we are getting better together, I don't have to win a check to know we did a good job and we are getting better, and that really makes me so happy I could about cry because I'm proud of my horse because she is working and trying and doing as well as she knows how, no matter what I do wrong.
Just get on Youtube and search "Barrel Racer Land". It's got some language but it's hilarious. If you're able to laugh at yourself and this crazy sport we love! My fiance plays it all the time and thinks the line, "She's got a roper for his money, buys her lots of s$%&>" is the best one. He does spend a LOT of $$ on MY habit haha. Now the next line, definitely NOT true!! Ha!
A guy on Vine redid it as "Team Roper Land", so all is well LOL.
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| My girls did well, placed at the top, even at big shows with 400 + entries. Did we pay our way- not even close but we considered it an investment in our girls, in our family. We were together every weekend having fun (most of the time :0) and I don't regret any of it. A non horsey friend commented that the horses could get my one daughter a scholarship- I told her it would have been cheaper to not have horses and just pay for school, but a life without horses, no thanks.
Edited by rodeomom3 2015-03-07 7:17 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 150
Location: Okla |  Thank you all for sharing (and I sure hope I didn't offend any one asking this). For us, like it's been said many times already, it all makes life SO much sweeter whatever the outcome is after the ride, and the great people we all meet, times with our families, our horses, it's priceless! | |
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Miracle in the Making
Posts: 4013
| thats a terrible song double youck | |
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Veteran
Posts: 150
Location: Okla | Excuse me ! Didn't know it was a song so it was not meant to be.. | |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I giggled pretty hard at song, can't lie.
It's worth what you value it at. I could find a lot of other ways to spend the money, but spending it on this doesn't jepardize the roof over my head and a full belly and it makes me happy. | |
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