NFR was great watching this year. We have worked with Ivy for quite a while. Just a great person in general, and a delight to work with. Talk about consistent. She came in in the 11th spot, won the most of any Barrel racer at the finals, $171,000, placed in eight rounds, won the average, and moved all the way up to second in the world standings. Couldn’t happen to a nicer person. 

I agree, I LOVED watching her. She really rode that mare so consistently and so well. I don't know what changed but she seemed to have upped her game this year. She has always been one of my favorites. 

YES! She was. She's got one heck of a team behind her. Her riding was spot on. Congrats Ivy!

That mare is something and Ivy rode her smart and that mare listened to her when she asked her to take an extra step around the barrels in that tiny set up! That team is one of my favorites to follow all year long!

If only all horses could work like JLo.   Absolutely NO cheat in that mare at all!  

If you didn't watch National Finals Tonight after the rodeo each night, you missed something. Think it came on the Cowboy channel. Ivy was on there the last night and is quite a character. She said that when she got JLo that she had to teach her the basics that barrel horses need to know like moving off your leg. OK folks she is telling you something here. Your horse better be broke if you want to win. She certainly earned everything she got. 

I have seen a lot of 1D and top rodeo horses that are broke to ride and run barrels, but aren't broke enough to work cattle or other events. I am NOT saying that is the case with JLo, BUT that mare worked very differently this year at the finals. Noticeably different. Ivy was in total control, she could put that mare anywhere she wanted to on the pattern. Ivy herself was riding better too. More relaxed and in total control of herself. Something changed with both of them. The change wasn't apparent until she had worked with Billy Jack Sabens. 

SHAME on you to register an account on here just to talk smack.Jealous much?

I kinda thought it took away from the spirit of this thread too. . . . 

Lots of special horses were at NFR this year. Great runs and great pilots. Only one won the average. Ivy kept all the barrels up, and won money in eight rounds. Nice horse, but pretty **** nice rider too. I don’t know the details of the horses history, but Ivy rides her perfectly. She is a class act. 

what if it's not jealousy but truth? 

you're right,it could be truth,but to purposely register on here,certainly shows distaste and jealousy to ME.

In my view (and I don't know any of these people personally, just a fan of JLo) Ivy has always been quick to recognize Kelsey Lutjen for her role with JLo.  If there was something that happened between Kelsey and JLo's owners involving a partnership I don't see how that is relevent to the topic of this post.  Why someone would create a screen name just to log in and be a sh**ty human is beyond me.

She has always worked like that! Ivy even said a while ago the mare goes exactly where she puts her. Ivy has always ridden well and the mare has always been honest. Kelsey won a ton on her. That mare is special and both Ivy and Kelsey have done an outstanding job with her.

Hey .... at least, she used her real name in her profile ..... LOL  

Gotta disagree here. This year I read a quote from her that said she and Billy Jack went back and changed her foundation to a more working cow horse handle. She and JLo have always been good together and she always credits Lutjen for her success on the mare, but this year they were exceptional. 

If you would like to see Ivy's interview on NATIONAL FINALS TONIGHT and see what she had to say about the horse it is on youtube. Search NATIONAL FINALS TONIGHT SEASON 13 ep 10. Lasts about an hour. Worth watching the whole thing but Ivy is on there about halfway through. That is where I got the information that I posted. Hey, I was trying to be complimentary.  

I personally haven't heard Ivy mention Kelsey in quite some time. But I also am not glued to the rodeo world all day everyday. Maybe Ivy and Her husband have tuned on JLO, but who doesn't tune on one they ride here and there?  Let's  Look at the facts and the bigger picture of where this mare came from and who deserves the credit.

Kelsey is a phenomenal trainer. JLO won a ton of money under Kelsey and would have won more had she not injured herself before I think it would have been her Derby year. Amazing vets and Kelseys patience is why that mare is running today. 

But, who else has won on JLO? ..... Ivy jump rode JLO at a jackpot in AZ before she entered on her to get qualified for the American Semis....   First ride.. runs a 16.9 on a standard... And thats where Ivy got her foot in the door to ride JLO down the road.  And months Later when Ivy wasn't winning and her mares were hurt,  is when Kelseys mare she  owned/had a partnership was unfairly kicked out of the deal. 

Kelseys mom rode JLO in Vegas at the All in, ran the fastest time of the weekend, to get qualified for the American Semis. 

Kelsey won the shootout and ran JLO at the American. 

The mare had a foundation before Ivy, because of Kelsey.. not many horses have been top dog winners with multiple People. It takes a special horse and JLO is just that.    

Yes Ivy rode her great, I wont take that away from her,  JLO has always been an average horse and she proved it. But, if I were a gambling person, I bet anyone could step on that mare and be a winner Because of her foundation that Kelsey put  blood sweat and tears into.... She wasn't easy, just like Hailey's Sister wasn't.. but Kelsey stuck it out.... And that's why JLO is the mare she is today. 

I wouldn't doubt that we see another Kelsey Lutjen trained horse run down the Thomas and Mack.