December is a month that many children dream about, their heads are filled with sweet dreams about Christmas and Santa Clause, but for the world of Rodeo Contestants and fans, something else is added to that list. December also brings the National Finals Rodeo (NFR)!
For Rodeo Contestants and Barrel Racers December brings dreams of running in the Thomas and Mack, Competing in the NFR, but how do you get there? Why, you go to learn from someone who has been there before!
This past weekend the Josey Ranch hosted 84 barrel racers for the Annual Year End Clinic. Students had the opportunity to learn from 11x National Finals Rodeo Contestant and 1980 Women's Professional Rodeo Association World Champion Martha Josey and her talented group of instructors.
Barrel Racers flooded the town of Marshall, TX just two days after Christmas eager to work on their barrel racing. Students learned about winning techniques, slow work drills, proper equipment, nutrition, video review, and more.
The clinic was filled with several talented horse and rider teams with many riders making their first trip to the Josey Ranch. After 2 days of training, the students set out to compete in their final runs on Sunday afternoon after attending Cowboy Church.
Sunday afternoon brought improvement across the board as students knocked multiple seconds off their runs. The race was run in a 4D format allowing students to take the chance to improve their original times from Tuesday night. Returning student, Myka Lynn Dawson, took the clinic championship with her partner Dewalt and a final run time of 17.197. The 2D winner was Cookie Myers, running a 17.832. Following in the 3D was Conner Cole with an 18.239 and Tabitha Booher won the 4D with a 19.218. You can find the full clinic results here.
With the conclusion of the Train To Win Clinic, the Josey staff is already starting preparations for their 2023 Clinic Season with 14 Clinics, four Week Long Schools, and three Big Barrel Races.
The 2023 Season will bring a new event to the Josey Ranch as The Josey Senior Gold Cup Barrel Race is Scheduled for October 13-15.
