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Cowgirl Heart

Always Have Something To Look Forward To…

August 1, 2023 By Cowgirl Heart

Life can be hard!  We are only human.  We experience ups and downs.  I wish I could be more accepting of my frailty in this area and sometimes am so hard on myself if everything isn’t going my way.  Like the lulls in life.  The slow parts of the journey. 

A dear friend of mine once gave me some great “life advice”.  She told me to always have something to look forward to. 

She would matter-of-factly ask “so, what are you looking forward to this week?” and then we would both discuss things that were in line for future happiness.  Even if the day had started out negatively, the conversations always ended on a high note, along with anticipation of the future.  I now ask this question to people who I sense are feeling down; then we talk. 

Me and Madi-Mae

I discovered for me, my “something to look forward to” doesn’t need to be a big thing like a vacation or event far into the future.  Small things make me happy, like remembering that I’ve bought a new eyeliner or perhaps something to wear.  I became happy and excited when I “remember” what I had put into place for myself.  Recently, I was getting dressed for a networking meeting and suddenly remembered that I had new sandals to wear (I usually only wear cowboy boots, so this was different!).  Whoo-hoo!  You’d think I hit the lottery! 

It doesn’t have to be about spending money (and in many cases, isn’t about that).  A facetime video call from one of my daughters that lets me feel closer to them and my grandchildren.  Ride your horse.  Plan a trip to the local Farmer’s Market and go even if your girlfriend changes her plans at the last minute (because that’s how girlfriends sometimes roll!).  Crack open your favorite cookbook and cook something yummy for yourself!  I’m looking forward to Church on Sunday. The next rodeo.  My son’s wedding.  The upcoming birth of a grandchild.  Holidays.  A rainy day.  Cooler weather. 

My favorite source of recipes…ThePioneerWoman.com!

What I’m saying is that if you are despondent or feeling low, take a minute and ask yourself “What am I looking forward to?”.  If you can’t really think of anything, then it is time to put something in place!  If I may go so far as to say this, take responsibility for yourself and do something about it!  Call someone you’ve not heard from in a while and make their day.  Make plans for an event in the not-too-distant future.  I guarantee you’ll end up feeling better!

I hope you know you are loved and recognize how far you’ve come in life.  Have a beautiful day!

Love ya! Kathleen

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cowgirl, gratitude, loving life, rodeo

In the Arena with Thomas C. Duncan, Professional Rodeo Photographer

March 4, 2023 By Cowgirl Heart

Thomas C. Duncan is first and foremost a professional Rodeo Photographer.  Just name your favorite rodeo, and chances are he’s been to that arena photographing the action.

Based in Idaho for around 20 years, Duncan has been covering rodeo through his photography, podcast and through his book, Beyond the Tiara (www.tduncanphoto.com)

Being a rodeo photographer, Thomas Duncan photographs a lot of rodeos, from little bitty ranch rodeos all the way to major professional rodeos.  People know him on rodeo grounds even when he’s not carrying his camera.

Rodeo Queens

Rodeo Queen Hannah Rinehart and (background) Princess Hailey Rae

Photos: Princess Hailey Rae and 2018 War Bonnet RoundUp Queen Allie Marie Ward

The Rodeo Queen aspect of his photography is unique.  He has become the unofficially adopted “Big Brother” to just about every rodeo queen.  As a father to daughters of his own, Thomas Duncan understands these rodeo queens.  Because of their titles, they are exposed to the public; moving through crowds and signing autographs, and when around, Thomas is one of their guardians.  All of the girls in the book are people he knows.  He took the opportunity to learn what they would like people to know about them.  The subtitle to the book is “Real Life Rodeo Queens”  The intention of the book was to show the human behind the hair, makeup, sash, crown, sequins and fancy clothes.  

“Beyond the Tiara”  is a compilation of photos and stories of rodeo queens.  According to Duncan, “Most people see rodeo queens only during the most festive moments of events.  What they all share is a love for their sport and their heritage, and they wear it as proudly as their shiny gold buckles.”

Chute Talk – The Podcast

Everything is planned, and yet rodeo is a highly unpredictable sport.  Everybody working in the sport puts so much heart into what they have.  This is a “pay to play” sport.  It costs a lot of money for all of us to do our jobs.  The amount of money that I spend on credentials, gear, travel expenses, lost time at other jobs, all these things.  It is very expensive.  And I’m the least important person at the rodeo.  I’m at the bottom rung, so for me, to put my heart and soul and my money into this, it is a small fraction of what all these other people (stock contractors, volunteers), it’s a fraction of what they’re putting into it.  Rodeo doesn’t just happen.  It is a product of blood, sweat, and tears.  It is a product of love and I wish that people could see just how much goes into this and how much of our heart goes into it.  We love the stock.  We love our rodeos.  We love our community.  We love our fellow contestants and we love our fellow contract acts.  We put our all into making sure that this (sport of rodeo) survives and continues and we want it to look easy because you pay your $20 bucks plus a beer and we want you to see the very best performance that you can see.  

 When Covid struck the nation, quarantine made rodeo impossible.  People couldn’t get to the rodeo, so Thomas Duncan took the rodeo to the people.  The Chute Talk podcast was born and people had something to look forward to.  Because of his relationship with local rodeo queens it was only natural to include their stories – beyond the sash.  It was very natural to include rodeo queens to tell their stories and provide a platform for them to be able to show the world their hearts and not just their crowns!  It is remarkable to learn that amongst these talented rodeo queens are brilliant artists, attorneys, and lobbyists.  

The guests who have been on the podcast are the who’s who of rodeo.  Interviews include Barrel Racing Champions Hailey Kinsel and Bekkie Bowerman,  World Champion Bareback Riders Tim O’Connell and Chad Rutherford, Professional Tie-Down Ropers Kyle Lucas and Haven Meged,  Pro Rodeo Announcers Marty Campbell and Scott Allen, and Rodeo Queens Jordan Tierney and Taylor McNair.  Also included are episodes on photography tips and techniques.  

Q&A with Thomas Duncan

What are some of your favorite rodeos?

Duncan:   “Nampa and Caldwell.  Those are both top-level professional rodeos”.  

At both of these rodeos, Duncan has photographed almost every single (NFR) finals contestant and nearly every single finals qualifier.  Duncan is aiming to shoot the WNFR this year and has submitted his work and credentials to the highly selective committee.

Whether it is with words or images, Thomas C. Duncan is a storyteller.  Whether in the arena with the cameras, editing photos, or when he’s posting, he considers his job a responsibility and a privilege to help whoever is in front of his lens and tell their stories and the stories of rodeo.  

“If I shoot photographs of Tim O’Connell going 89.5 points on Two Buck Chuck at Caldwell, or Ben Anderson going 92.5 on Womanizer of Cervi at the Snake River Stampede; that’s not my story to tell…that’s Tim’s Story.  That’s Two Buck Chuck’s story.  I’m just the one who gets to provide the platform. When I post a photo of stock, I want those animal athletes to be seen at their very best because they don’t get to use words to tell us how awesome they are.  I get to provide that platform.   When people look at my photos, I don’t care if they know who took it.  I put my watermark on it only to prevent it from being stolen”.

Of course it is dangerous to be in the arena.  Period.  Dangerous for everybody.  It’s part of the appeal of rodeo.  “If you know how to do your job, you can mitigate that as much as possible.  You don’t get the good shots if you don’t risk it.”  He captures the action, power, and athleticism of the animals.   “If nobody knows who took that photo, that’s actually OK with me.  If you know the story, if you can hear and feel what’s happening, if I can provide a sensory experience that says here what that moment was”

When I see your photos, I feel like I am right next to the action going on.  Do you have a special technique that you use?  

Amberly Snyder
Donna Kay Rule

Duncan – I actually don’t shoot bursts.  If I’m shooting bucking animals I’m shooting jump for jump – single frame at a time.  With rough stock, it’s the rider’s job to time and it’s also my job to time them out and If I use a burst, I’m not in time with what’s happening.  We all have our individual unique styles.  You can talk to another rodeo photographer and their approach is going to be different.  The technical and artistic differences that each of us make on an individual basis to do our jobs.

When it comes down to the tie-down roping, there’s a very specific fraction of a second that I’m looking for, when the bulldogging comes around; I’m waiting for that horse to go by and looking for that turn down in the dirt.  For each event there are very, very specific things that I’m looking for, and then I go frame by frame, trying to capture that specific thing. 

My artistic approach comes from the mind of an autistic synesthete (tactile sensations without the individual being physically touched).  So, when I pull that photo up on my laptop of what I’ve taken from that night, I remember those moments as they just happened, and I want you to be back  in that moment.  I don’t want you to just see what I saw; I want you to hear what I heard, I want you to smell what I smelled  I want you to experience what I experienced, whether that’s just the smell of arena dirt getting kicked up around you, the sound of the hooves, the snorting, the guys off the back of the chutes yelling “go on!”  Whatever it is, I want those all to be compiled into one file (if you will) that’s going to bring to that same experience that I had in the moment, including the sensory input.  My goal is to not to just bring you an image, but an experience. 

Ryder Wright

At most rodeos, my average shutter speed is 1/800 of a second.  It will be much shorter if the sun is out, and it will be a little slower for indoor shows or outdoor night shows.  I average roughly 800 photos in a performance, which means at the end of the night, I have one second of information!  I’m in the arena for two to three hours.  I will spend double that time just going through the photo files, making sure that everything is properly tagged, edited, set up and ready to go before I go through my equipment again and make sure everything’s ready for the next night.  A lot of times I’m not done with the work from the night before.  It takes that much time in processing and making sure only the best imagery is being put out there. 

Question for Thomas – If there is one thing you wish people knew about rodeo and might not know, what would that be? (This is the question Thomas asks all of the people he interviews on his podcast)

Duncan – My podcast guests know the question ahead of time so they can think about their answer.  Everyone says the same thing…There are so many things!

Many people who are not in rodeo don’t understand how much goes into putting on a rodeo.  It’s easy to buy a $20 ticket, show up, grab a beer, sit in the seats and watch something unfold in front of you.  It looks like it is just happening.  But when that rodeo is over for the week, that committee is already sitting down, often the next day, talking about what can we do next year to make this even better?.  And the next year’s rodeo begins the next day.  It’s a massive amount of work, the heart that goes into every single aspect of rodeo.    For example, when a sound engineer shows up, they are bringing trailers full of equipment that has to be put into place.  Your announcer is researching on a constant basis; talking to contestants, looking up stats, finding information.  The secretaries are working to make sure everybody has what they need behind the scenes so that they are taken care of.  You have people working the ground constantly making sure that it is absolutely set and perfect for that rodeo.  From the time you get up in the morning on the rodeo grounds people are already working for the next performance.  The contestants roll in; they’ve probably just come in from the next town and barely gotten enough sleep.  Sometimes they arrive barely before their name is called.  They make their ride or their run and sometimes they’re out just that quickly.  

Shelli Scrivner

The fans see the pickup man coming in for the barebacks (and leave), come in for the broncs (and leave), come in for the bulls.  Those guys are up at the crack of dawn feeding stock.  When that’s done, they’re taking care of their own equipment, shoeing their horses, repairing their gear, they are running the stock through.  They spend all day working, getting ready for the performance.  Then after the performance, they are back out feeding, taking care of their tack.  A pickup man’s job is so much more than just riding your horse in and helping the guy get safely off his horse.  That’s all the fans see, but that’s alright!

All of us who work this job, no matter what our role in rodeo is; it’s just so much more than what is generally seen and understood.  You have to have an utter passion for this or it’s not worth the time, the energy, or the money.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

A Cowgirl’s Boots

January 29, 2023 By Cowgirl Heart

I miss my boots!

Everyone has a favorite pair of boots, right?  You know…your go-to every-day pair.  Reliable.  Comfortable.  A little worn down.  Well, mine were getting a little too worn down, so I brought them to the boot repair for some new rubber on the heels.  Not a big repair job, right? 

I’m relatively new in this town, and asked around for a reliable boot repair shop.  Everyone told me the name of the same place.  So on my day off, I reluctantly slipped on my #2 favorite boots (still, really great boots…, but you know…not the favorites) and carried the #1 pair to the car and drove to check out this shoe repair.

Now, this normally wouldn’t be worth writing about.  I went into the shoe repair, where the elderly craftsman carefully examined my precious, well-worn Ariats.  He calmly told me that he would have them ready IN 4 WEEKS!  WHAT???  Heck!  That’s a long time!  I didn’t stop to consider the consequences of being separated from my boots for an entire month.  I rationalized that he must be very good at what he does to be so busy.  He didn’t even quote me a price…and I walked out of there without my boots. 

Separation anxiety…

It was kind of like leaving my toddler at day care for the first time.  Don’t laugh!  But I didn’t linger.  I distracted myself and drove home and didn’t think about the boots.  Until I got home. 

If you are like me, you have a few pair of boots. (http://www.justinboots.com, http://www.oldgringoboots.com, http://www.laneboots.com).  I’m not going to ask you how many pairs of boots you have (what a rookie question!), but I will let you know that they are lined up along two walls of my walk-in closet. So I have quite a selection. But there was a sad space in the boot lineup where my precious boots used to be – while they are away at the boot hospital. I’m so sad.
As much as I love my other boots, there was a little hole in my heart for the missing Ariats. www.ariat.com Every day, I had to decide which pair of other boots to wear. Maybe those other boots were happy that I was wearing them more often. Maybe they were a little secretly jealous of that particular pair of Ariats. Sibling rivalry?

Love Your Lanes

Reunited!

After three weeks, (one whole week early) I got the phone from the boot repair telling me that my boots were ready! Woot! Woot! Happy ending. I picked up my boots and am once again a very happy cowgirl. I know you get it.

Love Your Lanes

Filed Under: Uncategorized

So You Think You’re A Cowgirl?

October 15, 2022 By Cowgirl Heart

So You Think You’re A Cowgirl?
Yesterday I had the day off, so I headed out to Caldwell, Idaho to see an event that caught my attention on Facebook, So You Think You’re A Cowgirl? (gotta love that name, right?) I absolutely love local events, and this one did not disappoint!

So You Think You’re A Cowgirl”

So You Think You’re a Cowgirl is a three-day competitive event of women and their horses. Or, I should say ONE horse – no switching out and using multiple horses! There are five timed events: Barrel Racing, Heading, Heeling, Goat Tying, and Breakaway Roping. Five rounds of each over three days; all on one horse. The event was started several years ago by Michelle (Shelli) Scrivner in New Plymouth, Idaho. Recently it has been managed by Lisa Cunningham, who I met and snagged for a few questions.

Director Lisa Cunningham and grandsons

The roster showed 35 contestants. On day one and two of the event, contestants went through two rounds of all five events. On the third day, the winners are announced after one more round of the 5 events. (Are you still with me?)

Getting ready

Contestants gathered in the arena off to the side of the gates, waiting for their turn. Many cowboys were also on the field, as they were the partners for the Heading and Heeling events. No shortage of beautiful horses, handsome cowboys, and determined cowgirls on the field!

Waiting in the arena

I sat in the stands with the mother and grandmothers of four of the contestants. They were happy to share their daughter’s and granddaughter’s accomplishments and a little background of the event. The weather was perfect!

This is growing yearly; gathering sponsors, contestants, and publicity. Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Soyouthinkyouareacowgirl to see the results and ranking of all who participated this year!
Well done, ladies!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: breakaway, cowgirl, cowgirl rodeo

The Pursuit of HAPPINESS!

August 18, 2022 By Cowgirl Heart

Today, I opened an email that took my breath away. Literally.
My daily routine (is yours similar?) is to casually stroll through my phone as I start my day. Facebook – check. A few rounds losing at Candy Crush – check. Yahoo email – nothing here, – check. Daily calendar – check. Business email (cowgirlheartandsoul@yahoo.com) – HOLD ON A MINUTE! WHAAAT???? After a year of submitting my application, I have finally received email confirmation that my business name, COWGIRL HEART, has been approved by the UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE. (Queue the fireworks!)
COWGIRL HEART is my business, my passion, and my purpose. The timing of this notice is the icing on the cake; like planting the American flag on the moon (in my mind!). I have just relocated to a new home in a new state. Starting over. All for the better, but what a lot of physical and emotional work. And, happy is a feeling that has been hard for me to reach in the past couple of years.
The email from the United States Patent and Trademark Office signifies and confirms my mission, forever in my heart. As stated in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain, unalienable Rights, that among those are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
HAPPINESS. Exactly!
My eyes watered at the sight of this long-awaited email, and I had an “ah-ha” moment (you ever get one of those?). All of this hard work with my transition in life has been totally worth it. The trademark confirmation of my name, COWGIRL HEART, is my green light to continue working on my dream. Now I understand my emotional reaction to reading the email; I’ve made it through the dark tunnel of the past several years. I’m a warrior and I survived the journey. I’m in a better place. And I’m definitely happy!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cowgirlheartandsouil followyourdreams, horses, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, life, pursuit of happiness, rodeo, weestern cowgirls cowgirlheart

Snake River Stampede Rodeo, Anyone?

July 22, 2022 By Cowgirl Heart

This week is the 107th Snake River Stampede Rodeo in Nampa, ID. The promoters call it “The Wildest Fastest Show On Earth”, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! Now that I’ve relocated to Idaho, I am genuinely surprised and delighted and the number and caliber of local rodeos. I guess you can say I’ve found my happy place! I didn’t have anyone to go with me but found plenty of friendly people once I got there. So, put yourself out there, girl!

Last night’s theme was Patriot Night and focused on honoring those who are and have served in the military. The rodeo itself did not disappoint; there was the Pre competition mutton bustin’ and goat tie down featuring the kiddos, and the royal court of Rodeo Queens from far and wide including Miss Rodeo USA 2022, Hailey Frederiksen and Miss Rodeo Idaho 2022, Taylor Grace Hymas. (At this point, I must admit that I have an inner wish to be a rodeo queen, even at my age!)

Then came the Cowboys and Cowgirls and all of the wonderful horses! I am no stranger to the sport of Rodeo, but I wish I had taken a pen to keep score and record some of the times and scores of the contestants. This was not a small-time rodeo; there is a purse of $445,180 to be distributed and a total of 744 entries for 2022.

We all have our favorite events, but this was the first time I watched Breakaway Roping at a live event. Two of my favorites were there, Jackie Crawford and Lari Dee Guy.

Everyone performed well, and it was a thrill to watch the entire competition. I especially enjoyed the Snake River Stampeders Night Light Drill Team, who performed flawlessly in the dark with their lighted costumes and flawless formations to upbeat music.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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