28/02/2026
Last year, we walked out of the Will Rogers with a title that changed my life. This year, we left earlier than planned. Thatโs the reality of an event like this. You can prepare for months. You can do everything in your power to be ready. And sometimes, in one run, it simply doesnโt go your way. Life does the same thing to us. We think we have it all planned out and then one moment changes everything.
This week brought a heavy reminder that some things will always mean more than any score we chase. Perspective has a way of finding you when you need it most. It humbles you. It reminds you why you do this, and who youโre really doing it for. ๐ฉท
The luck of the draw plays a bigger role than most people see. Itโs part of what makes this event. The steer stopping didnโt pan out for us, and we didnโt make the finals. It hurts, especially when you come back with expectations and the hope of proving you belong here again.
But that same unpredictability is the reason we all feel such a rush when we walk through those gates.
You never know whatโs about to happen. You canโt control it all. You just trust your preparation and trust your horse. That feeling is intoxicating. Itโs also unforgiving.
I could not be more proud of Skeeter. He deserved this moment. He keeps getting better every year, and he gives me everything he has, every single time. He doesnโt owe me a thing. Iโm just grateful for every chance that we get to walk into the show pen together.
These events can lift you higher than youโve ever been. It can also break your heart in a split second. But itโs that very uncertainty, that feeling of not knowing what will come, that keeps calling us back.
Thank you for standing with us, in the wins, in the losses, and in the moments that remind us what truly matters.
American Hat Company | Kimes Ranch Jeans | Platinum Performance | Martin Saddlery | Classic Equine | Bluebonnet | Serna Custom Boots | Hay Chix | CR RanchWear | Xact Rx | The Saddle House | Lucky Chuck |
๐ธ Carolyn Simancik Photography
