Tag: barrel racing

Letting fear control you!

Facing fear is truly scary but the reward to overcoming fear is much greater!

I’m probably not the first to tell you how hard it is to overcome your fear. The biggest struggle for anyone is the mental game.

Facing fear is truly scary but the reward to overcoming fear is much greater!

With my wreck getting back to riding horses has been a challenge. So many emotions going through my head: fear of winning, fear of failure, fear of injuries to my hip again, fear of driving. All have their own reasonings but still too much fear can cripple your dreams!

Yes I put fear of winning- sometimes when people win it changes them. They lose sight on their journey and who they are as a person, it becomes about the glory. I am a very humble person and I dont ever want to lose where I came from. I don’t want to lose the precious moments with my kids and husband.

Fear of failure is a huge one for a lot of people and honestly not high on my list. But my reason is I don’t want to let my family down if I don’t win. I do want them to be proud of me and let my kids know it’s okay to dream big! If I take a leap of faith and just focus on one thing and it doesn’t work, I don’t want my family to suffer for it.

Same goes for fear of re-injury. That surgery was brutal & if I get hurt again that would mean another surgery. I don’t know if I really want to put my family through that again. So I have become overly cautious and with that I have lost some of my confidence.

The fear of driving is simple- I was injured driving so this is my greatest fear. If I get to riding good I will have to go places with my horse. Then I would be responsible for his life as well when driving and that is scary! I know it seems so easy and some will think it’s crazy. But this is my biggest hold up is the driving.

Now how must one overcome your fears you may ask? Baby steps- one step at a time and always keep moving forward! Figure out what you are fearful of and conquer your fear!

What are you afraid of? Start out small, for example loping a horse. Go in a small pen, after you are comfortable walking trot a few strides then return to walking. Do this til you are comfortable and extend the trotting time each time til you are trotting circles confident and comfortable. Then do the same for loping. This method can be used for anything.

See the biggest thing about fear is it is a liar! It tries to keep you from attaining your dreams and goals. Every small step is honestly a giant leap!

The devil will try to tell you that you can’t but God will give you the power to prove you can! When you are about to do something scary and those voices are telling you to be afraid and you can’t do it- Don’t Listen! Tell those doubting voices that your God is greater- your passion is greater- your purpose is greater!

You can overcome fear- you can accomplish your dreams!

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  Philippians 4:13

Such a Time as This

This a tribute to an amazing person who is now in heaven rejoicing and singing praises. We lost a truly amazing person May 3, 2019. She was a warrior, child of Christ, mother, fighter, and so much more!

She was the kind of person that Even though she went through a major fight with cancer and the devil; she never complained. She always had a beautiful smile on her face and put others first. She always took the time to help others in need.

There were times when quitting seemed easier with some of the things I went through but she inspired me, along with many others, to be a better person & always keep going. She had a heart of gold. I just can not say enough good about her.

I struggled a few times and she always knew what to say. Some of her key phrases I remember her telling me is:

Winning: If you are out there trying you may not win the gold buckle but you will be winning. Never giving up will pay off if you keep trying. Winning is not letting the devil take your faith away! Winning is overcoming fear and conquering your demons. Winning is the baby steps you take on your way to greatness.

I was struggling with things after my wreck and not riding horses yet; and at the time she wasn’t riding horses either. She sent me this message and it gave me hope. She never waivered in her faith and was truly inspirational!

The last thing I got was a text from her, as even in her toughest times she still sent out a positive texts on Fridays.

“If you don’t value yourself, don’t expect anyone else to value you. Be the best you God intended you to be and not who the devil hoped you were.” Rpotter

She loved helping others and loved showing what Faith can do. I know many people said at her celebration of life, how she didn’t want anyone to know how sick she truly was. She did it because she didn’t want anyone to lose faith.

I was struggling with sleep and kept having nightmares for almost a month. Then one night, I had a dream with her in it. I sent this to her the next day but never got to tell her the details of the Dream.

“I had a dream about you last night. It was strange. You were at my house and we were talking about life and God. It was actually a very peaceful dream. Which I haven’t been having lately. I really can’t describe it. ”

See in this dream it felt so real, like she was right there. We talked about our kids, husbands, and everything else good going on with our lives. We talked about how God puts people in our lives for certain times, just like Esther. We talked how he protects us and in the end we will be surrounded by a peaceful fog with a huge glorious light shining through from above and we would be lifted up by the hand of God to the golden gates of Heaven.

This dream brought me so much peace and not even sure how it came about.

I will never be able to thank her enough or her family enough for supporting her while she followed Gods dreams for her. She was an amazing person and I just hope I’m at least 1/2 that good of a person. I’ll miss her Sunday morning services before barrel racing, her mentorship, her positive texts, her unbelievable prayers, her faith, her compassion, and most of all her heart. She absolutely loved her family and was so proud of them. Never once did I hear her say anything negative. She will truly be missed but I know I will see her again.

So in honor of her, think positive, be positive, show others positivity; but most of all HAVE FAITH and NEVER GIVE UP! Your problems are all in God’s hands so give it to him and focus on what God wants you to do with your life. As Roxy would say the battle was already won, you just focus on God and doing the right thing and let God handle your problems. Because YOU, YES You, were made for such a time as this!

NFR GOALS

I’ve been blessed to meet and spend some time with a lot of the girls that are going to the NFR this year. They are truly amazing.

I have to say before everybody starts in on their couch jockeying, I want to ask you guys if you guys have ever heard of the verse, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”? Now I know the lady in the Bible did less than desirable things, but haven’t we all made mistakes? It is not our job to point out others faults.

These girls have worked their butts off! They have made it through blood, sweat, and tears. They have endured mental and physical exhaustion, pain, loss of loved ones, and broken bones just to be able to do what they love, what God called them for. See we’re all unique, each and everyone of us. We are all bound for greatness if we just trust God and follow his path. The girls I have met, their faith is strong and they honestly love to encourage others. They don’t like to tear people down, they work together although they’re competing for the same prize. They would love to get that gold buckle, but to get to heaven is so much more rewarding. They have put in miles upon miles, they have missed family gatherings, birthdays, loved ones. They have always tried to keep a smile on their face even in times of trouble because others are watching them.

What you don’t see is all the hard work that it takes to get where they are behind closed doors. So before you pass judgment realize that no one is perfect, every single person on this earth makes mistakes. I challenge each and every couch jockey out there that thinks that they can do such a better job riding these horses in that arena. I challenge you to get off your butt and do it. Sitting there is not going to accomplish anything, sitting there complaining is not going to make yourself feel better, sitting there will prevent you from accomplishing what God wants you to do. So instead of being that person who says the girl riding should’ve done this or she should’ve done that, or I could ride that horse better, STOP! I challenge you to start thinking of the positives. I guarantee that each one of those ladies that made it to the NFR don’t criticize others. They know that everybody starts at the bottom and has to work their way up to the top. They have a huge passion for the rodeo and to make the sport better not worse they encourage others and cheer each other on. They are not happy when someone has a bad run. They know at the end of the day gold buckles are just buckles, and true championships is not won here on earth. The true goal is to get to heaven, so instead of criticizing these girls performances, be a light! They are under so much stress and it’s not all fun going to Vegas, it’s a lot of hard work, it’s grueling and they don’t get sleep. They could definitely use some encouraging words during this time but if you’re still adamant that you can do better than any of these girls then what I challenge you is to get off your butt and do it because actions speak a whole lot more than words, talking is overrated.

Life as a barrel horse!

Imagine your life as a barrel race and not just any barrel race imagine your life as the horse in the race.

There are many kinds of horses, just like there are many kinds of people.

Horses range from very tall to really short, there is no perfect sized barrel horse!

Some of us fight the bit, we want to be in control, we don’t trust anybody to take over our life.

There are others that are more willing to trust. It doesn’t matter what kind of horse, or who we are, we are all set for the same goal in mind.

We have many trials we face that may turn us in different directions. We may stumble, we may throw a fit. In the end our main goal should be to get through those turns and make it home to the good Lord!

So remember, no matter what type of horse you are, let Jesus guide your reins. You may stumble because you take a wrong step, but he will help guide you through your journey of life!

Second week post op labral tear surgery

Well I can now get on and off the couch and the first part of week 2 I got in my bed and managed to sleep there. I had to take a pain killer as it hurt, when on the bed. But it was another step forward! I didn’t take any hydro-acet during the day, just at night

During the day I took the low dose aspirin still and Naproxen 2x a day to prevent bone ossification. My doctor was very adamant about taking the naproxen. To help with ulcer prevention, I also took medication to help that in the mornings.

I was awake enough to where I decided to work from home. It was not a lot of work, mainly computer work and talking on the phone at times. I didn’t really get off the couch much but did my “ankle pumps” and other exercises therapy recommended.

I noticed my ability to multi-task was non-existent and I forgot things easily. I had to do one thing at a time, which I am not used to. I also had to write stuff down to remind me to do something.

So I was scared that would continue and I would not get better. I was scared that I would be stuck being slow and could not do my job how it should be done.

My therapy went good this week, mainly just stretching exercises. I had a couple bad days but nothing to major. I was still on crutches and the brace. God was getting me through and giving me the strength I needed. I knew that this will pass and I was no longer impatient.

I have learned previously that no matter what, God will get me through threw bad times. I learned that we all have to go through trials to make us stronger. Each one of our journeys are different buy if we have Faith in God, our end result is the same. Yes I am ready to be free of this part of my life, but it is now part of me. I will keep on going.

Third week post op labral tear surgery

Monday I was not cleared to go back to work so just went to therapy and worked from home. I didn’t feel too bad, just sore and muscles tight.

Tuesday my husband drove me up the doctor, and I had a couple xrays. Everything looked good, and he said I could take off my brace and crutches next week. He also cleared me to drive as long as I felt okay. I was happy, and decided since I had my husband with me, I would try to drive, and if it didn’t work out then he could take over. Well when I was at the truck I was up on the curb, and I had my front door open. When I tried to get off the curb I lost my balance. I started to put pressure on my left leg, so I leaned forward and didn’t

catch myself. I ended up faceplanting into the truck. I caught my face on the steering wheel, but I didn’t hurt my hip thankfully. I went home and iced it.

Wednesday I went back to work, which that was a long day and definitely was sore that night. I was still on crutches and my brace so my muscles were pretty tight.

Thursday went to therapy and didn’t do too much as I was pretty sore from the day before. I started walking with my crutches as the doctor gave me 50% weight bearing status. I was slow and used the crutches but it made me feel like there was hope. When I got home I iced it. I still had a low grade fever and wasn’t able to multi-task.

Hip injection and Summer Time

I had my hip injected to see how long that would last as I was completing physical therapy and only other option was surgery. Which surgeon wanted to get me stronger and I was against surgery.

The injection hurt when they did it, and they used an ultrasound machine to guide the needle. They used a long needle and the pain was burning as the needle went through my muscles into my hip. Granted they also used lidocaine but it didn’t help deep down. Honestly that was the most painful experience I had with any needle, ever!

Afterwards it gave me instant relief, and for the first time the drive home was painfree! Normally I could not drive about 20-30 minutes before it hurt.

I was also cleared to do whatever as tolerated to see if I could handle it. So the first thing I thought of was riding horses.

I could not ride the first 2 days as it was raining and I needed to work my horse some. I was going to send him out but I couldn’t wait that long. I got on him in the round pen after lunging him a few minutes. To those who don’t ride are probably thinking, BAD idea!

He took care of me and did everything I asked. I buried my head onto his neck. I will be honest, I cried.

I cried because on the back of a horse, I feel close to God, and free. All my problems go away and my day becomes brighter! I cried because I finally seen light at the end of the tunnel and it gave me a newfound hope!

I knew I couldn’t barrel race but still rode him at a walk and sometimes for a brief trot. I did try a lope a couple times but that increased the pain I had.

I took him to a local playdays to ride in the arena around other people, and planned on just taking it slow around the patterns. But I ended up loading him in the trailer and going home. My discomfort level and fear of hurting myself worse took over. So I only rode my horse a handful of times.

Within 5 months the injection wore off. I was able to walk but I tried slowly to run. I finally made it a mile but then was so stoved up the next day it wasn’t worth it. We went to Branson on a family trip during the summer. Standing or walking around on concrete in Branson was awful but didn’t want to ruin it for the kids. It was their first trip to Branson.

Even with the increase of pain, I was still managing to walk a mile every day because it would make my back feel better if I did.

I came to the determination that I would just suck it up and live with the pain.

That was until hunting season came around again.