I AM being nice
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Location: MD | I apologize for being even more behind than I had planned in getting this up. Nevertheless, I will get caught up on Rounds 3 and 4 today and be back up to speed for what I'm sure will be an exciting Round 5!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pO8hoUyqaE
Michelle- I felt like Michelle rode a great line to the first, Slick just didn't get down in the ground like he had in Round 2 and ended up carrying by it a bit. As a result, his momentum caused him to loop back into a bit on the backside, causing them to catch it leaving. This horse has such an explosive move that it can create problems when things get off course. A nice len across the pen set them up for a very nice second barrel. I love how Michelle just keeps that inside up high on his neck and leads him through the turn. Her energy is always "up and out" encouraging forward motion the entire time. They maybe got in a bit at the third, having to step off just a tad, but all in all, a nice third barrel.
Carley- I love how honest this horse is to the first barrel! Note how she rides right up the right side of the alley, taking much less pocket to the first than most. That little bit of a less in forward momentum that we saw in the first round showed up a bit in the finish here again. That caused her horse's hind end to almost not clear the barrel. As a result, they didn't finish super straight, but Carley kept moving forward and found a nice line across the pen. Another nice second barrel for this team. I noted in the 2nd Round that Carley didn't hit Radio on the way to the third and that lack of momentum caused them to hit. She reached back and hit him tonight and the third worked just as well as the other two.
Taylor- Bo's line to the first barrel is great. Even with his stiffer, rollback style, he finished nicely and left on a great line. Taylor made sure and got those hind feet all of the way across the backside at the second tonight and what a nice turn it was. I have been very pleased to see both she and Bo staying so square to the third barrel this year. Taylor does a great job of using her seat and core to keep him moving forward through the backside here that as long as her shoulders stay where they have been, we could see him make this same turn 10 nights in a row.
Cassidy- JJ is running hard and true. Cassidy gave a great ride, bumping her inside rein onn the way to the first to get him dialed in while never interrupting their forward motion. They left the first running just as hard and Cassidy just used that leading rein to allow the outside rein to touch his neck on the exit from the 2nd beautifully. The line to the third got a bit short again here tonight. Cassidy looked in at a bit when I might have wanted to see her sit up and hold her upper body onto a line a bit more square, but it worked out and they had yet another great run.
Fallon- Again, I would love to see Fallon get just a foot, or two more pocket at the first to make up for BabyFlo's flatter style of turning. Even with having cut off the pocket and letting go of her inside rein, they had a very nice finish to the first barrel. Fallon opened that left rein and guided BabyFlo across the pen well. While the pocket was a bit squeaky again, Fallon did a great job of staying calm, not overriding and allowing for a very nice second barrel. The third barrel was a tad squeaky on the backside and Fallon did drop her inside hip toward it a bit. One thing to note though is that on a mare this small, who turns as hard as she does, given Fallon's height, she will sometimes have to follow the mare's body in order to stay in the middle. I look to see her get a bit more depth in Round 4.
Nancy- Ole Fuzz just lays down the same three turns every time. Nancy maintained a more forward ride with her hands tonight than she did in the second round and it totally worked. It does appear as though she might want just a bit more hustle from Fuzz so that she gets just a bit more room at the third, but a very nice run from this pair.
Sherry= An absolute master at knowing what will be needed from one run to the next, Sherry opened and bumped her outside rein on the way to the first tonight, ensuring that they not close in at it, as they had in Round 2. That may have caused for Stingray to get just a touch flat in the turn, but it worked just as Sherry had planned. A great second barrel for this team, with Sherry quietly hustling her horse through the turn and allowing Stingray the freedom to do her job unimpeded. They had a bit of a stall in momentum on the backside of the third causing the turn to be a bit less snappy than normal, but it worked out well enough.
Mary= She does such a great line of setting the line to the first before she ever leaves the alley! Once that line is set, she goes to the horn and allows Latte to complete the plan that she has set into motion. Latte seemed to get a bit buried up on the backside of the second, but Mary kept him moving forward, which helped him to right himself and leave there as though it had never happened. He might have gotten just a bit short around the turn with his hind feet at the third, causing them to have to leave on a bit of an open line, but she rode him forward and got him on a nice, straight line running out.
Sarah= Watch out y'all! They finally got a good first barrel and it worked. Bling typically takes just a bit more room behind the first before coming back than she does at the second and third and tonight, she got just the room that she wanted. Bling was really hunting the turn at the second! Sarah rode into it as strongly as ever. Even still, watch on the backside as Sarah's inside rein goes to the outside of Bling's neck by at least 8". Sarah rides this mare so free and really over emphasizes where she wants her to go and it is still just enough to get them by. Another strong, positive ride from Sarah at the third allowed Bling to lay down another phenomenal turn. When everyone else was finding it hard to clock this far down on the ground, Bling handled it quite well.
Lisa- Louie bounced just a bit on the ground setting up for the first, causing his momentum to be interrupted just a touch. Lisa did a great job of staying square, sending him forward and lifting her leg to get them by. From there on, it was smooth sailing, which allowed them to clock well on less than fast ground.
Callie- Callie does a tremendous job of staying super square and keeping Dillon moving forward all the way up into the hole and then just allowing him to move her body through the finish. This requires such a cool head and a ton of patience on Callie's behalf. Even as she lifts and opens her outside rein in the left turns, she doesn't allow that movement from her outside shoulder to distort the rest of her body. That is such a display of being able to isolate each piece of her body and once again, it serves her well.
Deb- Deb did a great job of opening her outside rein to the first barrel and setting her horse onto a very nice line for the approach. Again, her horse bounced out of the ground a bit, rather than being able to maintain forward motion through the turn. That created a squeaky moment, but Deb continued to give a positive ride and they made it work. A nice approach and entry allowed for a nice turn at the second barrel. I felt like the approach to the third was quite good. That slip of the front end as they initiated the turn threw everything out of whack though. You certainly can't fault a horse for trying to make up for a bobble and this one sure did. Unfortunately, they just ended up coming back way to hard as a result.
Jana- Hammer seems to be getting just a bit stronger in the bridle. Even though he turned a nicer first than he has in the first two rounds, watch as Jana pulls her inside rein to finish. Hammer's head and neck finish the turn well, but his body does not follow the same trajectory. Running across their strongly, Jana tried to pick him off with that outside rein and get him to stand back up square, but as it so often does, it just caused him to brace his jaw and drop his inside shoulder. I actually really liked this team's third barrel here. A little support from the outside rein to help him to sit down allowed Jana, to then just move him through the turn with her inside rein.
Vickie- I like the fit of Vickie and this horse. Without the little stumble, this would have been a very nice first barrel. Vickie rode super well and allowed her horse the freedom to right itself and have a nice finish. She got two handed and rode across the pen to a great spot at the second. Having got there so well, she was able to just allow for the turn to happen and support her horse with a very balanced ride. A great, forward ride to the third allowed her to get the sort of depth behind it that this horse needed to make a phenomenal turn.
Jackie- Jet still wanted to carry passed the first barrel a bit, but Jackie handled it well, picked up her inside leg and had a great finish. That solid finish allowed for a great line across the pen, setting them up for the best second barrel we have seen from this team to this point. Jackie hustled up and rode hard to the third, which worked rather well. It appears that they have both found their way around the T&M now and I expect their runs to look much more like this from now on. Talk about consistency! 14.09, 14.09, 14.10 over the first three rounds!
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