fatchance - 2015-09-30 5:58 PM


ALL I was trying to say is go run barrels and enjoy yourself and your life.
Sorry that I have upset you, not my intent.
 

doglady - 2015-09-30 8:50 PM I lost 20lbs this summer and I feel better.   I have had so many wrecks I just hurt all over.   Losing some weight has seemed to help my back.  But,  My horses are running the same as before.   So 20lbs has made no difference to them.   I will never be small like a Lisa Lockart type and I am just fine with that.   Whatever weight you are if you are happy and love to run barrels -then do it.   That is why we all do this-we love running barrels.   I do know one time I was probably the heaviest I had been and we were still rodeoing.  A woman asked me if I was pregant-I said no, just fat.   You know what-I won the barrel race that night and then went out for ice cream!   I hate these posts- a skinny minny should not be able to make a heavier girl feel bad-and that is what these do!

rachellyn80 - 2015-09-30 4:14 PM Don't even get me started on you and your sister!  I am SO jealous of the gorgeous scenery you have to make your runs more enjoyable.  I've always liked cardio, but Greg is determined to get me to start lifting a little  

Tdove - 2015-10-02 4:39 PM Personally, I bet there is more that just weight that affects this. I wouldn't worry about it much either way. How good you ride and are in time with the horse has much to do with it as anything. Look at it this way. 50 lbs more or less is only a 5% change for a horse. That is not very much. Here is a story from my vet. It is in his book. It's just a funny story. Ass Spavin There are just some things that you cannot learn in school. Some situations cry out for more than learning and science. This was one of them. All I knew about the woman was that she was from San Angelo, and she had a barrel-racing horse that was lame. I had no idea that the episode that was about to occur was going to require every ounce of tact I could muster up and actually leave me at a loss for words. Unbelievable. Six people crawled out of the bowels of the giant dually pickup that pulled the brand-new three-horse slant. I was guessing that the entire rig had cost about $70,000. Wow. Here they were, the woman who was the barrel-racer, her husband, her sister, her sister’s husband, and both of her parents. As I watched the unloading process from the back door of the clinic, it became painfully obvious that this woman was bossy. She had brought all of these people and had a job for each of them. It was like a military drill as she assigned each one a task and saw to it that those tasks were done to the very last detail. As I entered the scene with a handshake and introduction, she gave me a slight smile and then went directly into a detailed description of what was “ailing” the horse. It seemed that the only complaint was that the horse was not running as fast as it had last year. In other words, it was about a half of a second slower this year than it was at the same races last year. Her “crew” had saddled the horse, and she was promptly on board, still talking as she trotted off. No one else in the entire group had uttered a word up to this point. They gathered around and looked closely at me while I looked at the horse. It was as if they were watching my face for any change in emotion or expression. It was making me a little nervous. They were so focused on me that I was startin’ to wonder if I had a booger or something stuck to a tooth.“How long has this critter been lame?” I asked as I wiped my arm across my nose and sniffed. The spokesman of the group seemed to be the brother-in-law. He replied, “Ha, that’s what we wonder.” I had no idea what that meant. The pressure of the situation was rising as I discovered that I couldn’t see anything wrong with the horse. I had watched the woman trot around the parking lot for what seemed like ten minutes, and that horse had not taken a lame step. The pressure went up even more when the brother-in-law informed me that I was the fourth vet she had brought the horse to. I was hoping they would give me some kind of hint as to what the other vets had said was wrong with the horse, but they just stood there and stared at me as I watched the horse. Not wanting to disappoint them, I finally stated, “Well, he sure might have a little bone spavin.” I figured this was a safe guess; nearly every barrel horse in the world has some degree of it. It is an arthritis that develops in the hock. As these words left my lips, I began returning their stares to see if my statement stirred any emotions. To my surprise, it seemed to rustle up a disgusted look on each of their faces. The spokesman brother-in-law said, “That horse ain’t got no bone spavin. If he has any kind of spavin, it’s ass spavin.” Once again, I had no idea what that was. Nine years of being a veterinarian and I had never heard of that one or read about it in any of the literature. Not wanting to look stupid, I continued to watch the horse trot endlessly around the parking lot. I began thinking perhaps it was something the horse had caught from a donkey. After all, ass spavin sounded a little mulish or even a touch anal. I was wondering if I had missed that lecture in vet school. The brother-in-law had said it so confidently that it must have been a term that the family had heard somewhere. I was digging for some way to ask questions and gather clues without appearing uninformed. Finally, I asked, “Which leg is it in?” To this, the brother-in-law stated, “It ain’t in no leg. Tell him what the deal is, Robby.” Everyone gathered in even closer as Robby, the husband, began to explain the situation. “You see, Dr. Brock, my wife has gained about twenty pounds in the last year or so. We know that there is nothing wrong with that horse; it just can’t carry the extra weight as fast. We heard that you were good at explaining things and hoped that you could tell her; none of us has the guts to.” All I could do now was look at her pronounced muffin top as she trotted the horse in circles. What page of my notes from vet school should I turn to for the answer to this dilemma? My mind became numb as my face became red. Two hours these people drove just to put me in this situation. They were all afraid of her, and I was finding myself scared to death of her also. What in the world was this bossy momma going to do when I told her the horse was fine; she was just too thick? “That’s right, bigun, you lose some tons, and this critter will be at least a half a second faster.” Two hours these people drove, and now there I stood, sweating. What would you have done? Get the gift that will make them smile Crowded in the middle of Nowhere. By Bo Brock Amazon.com

FLITASTIC - 2015-09-30 12:32 AM

I recently Lost 60 pounds, because I wanted to. My good horse clocks the same as before but my 4 year old colt really has clocked faster. I'm a guy and I was well over 250 when I started.

3turns - 2015-09-30 3:17 PM

And this post... Is why I have such a hard time going to barrel races. This post just proved to me that people do look at you and wonder what you are doing there!!! I have put on some weight, I didnt ride for over 7 years because I was hauling my kids to high school rodeos. When I started back, it felt terrible so I quit. A year later I decided that I really wanted to run again. I have lost some, but not enough by any means. And each and every time I go to a barrel race I wonder how many people are looking at me wondering why I am there! Thank you for the confirmation of what I have been thinking. So very sad!!!!! 

RodeoCowgirl4u - 2015-10-05 2:56 PM ...also, in Brazil you CAN'T race unless you weigh 165 or more or I think they handicap you like they do flat racers. So most of the barrel racers there are guys.