Outside Circle by Jan Swan Wood: Pony Baroni to greener pastures, stock dog clinic, Sturgis H.S. Rodeo club smoker, bull riding, barrels
We had a breeze and some almost warm days and it took some of our snow off. I’m sure glad. Our cows were still grazing just fine but when there’s that much snow on the ground it doesn’t take much more to have to start feeding hay. I don’t like to have to do that, so am glad for the chinook.
I got a call from Duane Reichart the other evening and he shared the news that his great little Horse Pony Baroni had passed on to greener pastures. His rodeo act partner was 31 and had had quite a life with Duane. They had worked 44 states and four western Canadian provinces together over those years and brought smiles to thousands and thousands of faces. When Duane got him he was a wild little 3-year-old that hadn’t been handled and didn’t think he needed to be. Duane had his neighbor girls, who were teenagers, take him and start riding him. He bucked them off over and over but they persevered. After only a few weeks, Duane was forced to take Pony Baroni on the road with him and that was quite a shock for the pony! Duane said he just shook for days on end with the crowds and the noise, but then he got over it. Something most of us didn’t know, though, was that until his dying day, Pony Baroni still had his broncy side and Duane was bucked off in many a grand entry by his little partner. Pony Baroni was named Animal Athlete of the Year in 2014 at the Casey Tibbs South Dakota Rodeo Hall of Fame at Ft. Pierre, S.D. Pony Baroni died on Dec. 30 at New Underwood, S.D. He’ll never be forgotten.
There will be a stock dog clinic at the MTS Arena at Rozet, Wyoming, Feb. 5-7. Fred Todd will be the instructor and you will have a day of basic training, then cattle work and then pen work with cattle. For further information and signup, call Patricia at 307-696-1405 or Nick at 307-622-0441. Sounds like a good opportunity to get that good pup you have started the right way.
The Sturgis High School Rodeo Booster Club will be having its annual fundraising smoker at the Loud American Roadhouse, Sturgis, South Dakota Feb. 19. It starts at 5 and runs until about 9 p.m. There will be a steak tip dinner for $13/person and a live and silent auction. The proceeds to to help fun the Sturgis Regional High School Rodeo. For more information contact J.J. Hyman at 605-515-4169 or email jjhyman89@gmail.com.
The Top Performance Equine Sports Therapy School has it’s 2016 schedule laid out. Dates for the five day schools that run Monday through Friday at Piedmont, South Dakota, are: Feb. 8-12, March 14-18, April 11-15, May 9-13. It runs on through the year and you can get those dates at the website. Enrollment is limited and it’s a first come/first served deal with a waiting list as classes reach maximum enrollment. The course give all hands on work to prepare men and women for sports therapy/body work on equine athletes. For more information call 605-484-2288. The website is http://www.equinesportstherapy.com.
The Smoke’n Chutes Bullriding Challenge at Bloomfield, Nebraska, will be Feb. 27. Doors open at 4 p.m., calcutta at 5 and bullriding at 6. It’s being held at the Harm and Tulleys Event Center at the Knox County Fairgrounds. There’s $1,000 added to the event with 27 in the long go and only 6 in the short go. There’s also a dance to follow! Entries will be taken Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. CST at 402-640-3359 or 308-870-4568.
The Cloverleaf Classic Barrel Race will be March 4-6 at Miller’s Horse Palace, Laurel, Mont. March 4-6. On March 4 will be the Open 4D, March 5 PeeWee, Youth 3D and Open 4D, and March 6 Youth 3D and Open 4D. Open will have half second splits and youth 3/4 second splits. There will be NWBRA, NBHA AND UBRC sidepots too. Pre-entries must be postmarked by Feb. 5 and on-site entries will be accepted. You can get your entry form at http://www.millershorsepalace.com or call Valee Cooley at 406-672-3265.
Well, that winds up my circle for this week. Please send me your event information and other items that you’d like to see here. I’ll be glad to share them! Have a great week!
