I Want to Be A Rodeo Rider

Cowboy Up! Ride the Navajo Rodeo
by Nancy Bo Flood, Photography by Jan Sonnenmair
Picture book, Ages 8 and up
Boyds Mill Press/Wordsong, 2013
978-1-59078-893-6
Junior Library Guild Selection

Have you ever opened a book just because you’re curious? Maybe the title or the cover grabs your attention. Isn’t it often a question that makes you open to the first page? Hmmm…what’s this about?

That’s what happened to me with Cowboy Up!

I like the phrase: cowboy up. It’s one we sometimes use in our family to mean something on the order of: stand here and face the true moment. You can’t duck out, but you’re not alone.

When I first opened this picture book by Nancy Bo Flood and Jan Sonnenmair, I was thinking of my family and how we help each other to keep on keeping on. I didn’t expect but found a whole  universe inside that revolves around families and animals and how we can support and encourage each other to do our best.

Cowboy Up! weaves poetry, photography, documentary, and inspiration into a book that unfolds as a day in the life at the Navajo rodeo. From the night-before-nerves to first gathering to mutton busting,  from barrel racing to  midway eats to heading home, Cowboy Up!  is pure joy. – Gigi

Author Nancy Bo Flood on Cowboy Up!

Gigi: How did the idea for Cowboy Up! originate?
Nancy: I was standing along the railing of the “backyard” rodeo arena near our house on the Navajo Reservation watching young women practice racing and spinning around barrels. THAT’s what I wanted to do, gallop full-out and spin around those barrels. The lines of the first poem sang out: “I want to be a rodeo rider.” The words kept jingling in my head. What a fun challenge to write about rodeo, I thought, so each time I was at a rodeo, I tried to capture the rhythm and excitement of each event.

Gigi: All of the elements of the book combine beautifully to give a reading experience that makes you feel like you’re part of a Navajo rodeo: the poetry, the announcer’s dialogue, the prose about each event, and the intimate close-up photos. I really love the structure of the book. It gives kids a lot to explore. Did you know immediately that the book would take on this form?
Nancy: I had no idea what form this book would take. At first all I had was a handful of poems. I took an extra semester at Vermont College of Fine Arts to work with poet, Julie Larios, to learn about writing poetry and creating a collection with “story.” Here on the Reservation, I hung around every kind of local rodeo, arriving early to watch the families, horses and rough stock arrive. I loved roaming around the “getting ready” areas and watch the competitors brush down horses and especially the young bull riders (some are only 12 years old) oil their gear, wrap their wrists, stretch their muscles. Of course the most fun was climbing up on the fence rails with the little kids to watch the 3 and 4 year olds get ready to wooly ride. I talked with worried parents, old-time announcers, and excited young wranglers. Back in my office I searched the Internet for information and came across Jan Sonnenmair’s gallery site. Jan captured with her camera the images I imagined in the book – close-ups that showed the spirit of rodeo – from a little kid practicing lassoing his backyard practice bull, to the courage, excitement, the love of riding one’s horse. My amazing editor, Marcia Leonard, guided the creation of the flow and continuity. When she suggested we introduce each event with voice of the announcer just like at a rodeo, I went back the rodeo arena to capture that unique voice.

Gigi: My favorite spread in Cowboy Up! is pages 10-11. This section is all about the multiple generations that participate in Navajo rodeos. You open with the poem, “That’s My Grandpa.” This sentence, coming along after your moving poem, really choked me up: “Navajo rodeo is a family affair.” Can you tell me more about the family aspects of the rodeo, including how families bond with the horses and other rodeo animals? What roles does the rodeo play in Navajo families today?
Nancy: Many Navajo families are “rodeo” or ranching families – for generations. My favorite part of being at a rodeo is watching everyone arrive in a packed pick-up truck pulling a trailer full of horses and gear and then everyone gets busy helping. Kids hop out. Horses are unloaded. Grandma might begin braiding a granddaughter’s hair; an uncle helps brush down a horse; Dad starts adjusting bridle and reins or tighten up a cinch. Mom carefully checks over the entry cards. One wonderful example, a couple of years ago, 10-year old Faith Holyan stole the show at the 64th Navajo Nation Fair Rodeo. She became the champion women’s barrel racer in the very arena named after her grandfather.
Little ones begin riding even before they can walk, perched atop a horse, riding bare-back, snuggled in front of Mom, Dad or Grandma. The learning of “rodeo skills” isn’t necessarily for competing in rodeo, but learning how to handle and take care of horses, cattle, and other livestock. Navajo grandmothers still go out riding horseback into the canyons or up on the mesas to shepherd sheep or goats. It is a beautiful sight to look across an open mesa and see the lone figure of a grandma on her pinto slowly moving her herd from one grazing area to another. Rodeo is the celebration of showing off one’s skills in handling one’s horse, roping cattle, catching a run-away steer, or taking care of livestock. Rodeo is also the celebration of many values and traditions of the Navajo culture.

Gigi: Cowboy Up! also taught me that at the Navajo rodeo, kids of all ages compete. You even compare the rodeo to little league baseball. Are kids taught and coached in family settings or are there mutton riding and bronc riding lessons? [Is that a goofy question?]
Nancy: Not a goofy question at all! Ranch kids begin learning as soon as they begin walking – how to sit on a horse, balance, interact, not be afraid. By the time they are three they are lassoing each other, chasing after sheep, hopping a ride on a calf, falling off, trying again. But if you are not a ranch kid, there are families that say, “come on over, we’ll be practicing calf roping tonight.” Rob Taylor is one example of someone who understands the healing power of working with animals. Rob works at the Chinle Hospital during the day and then does an afterschool “rodeo school” at his ranch in the evening. He works with students with special needs as well as teens in legal trouble. There is a lot of “therapy” for anyone learning about one’s own strengths – facing fears and gaining self-confidence – while working with animals.

Gigi: What is your favorite event at the rodeo? Have you ever competed in a rodeo event?
Nancy: I have two favorite events: mutton-busting, wooly riding little ones holding on tight, trying to stay on top a bucking, dodging sheep. There is nothing like seeing that great big grin on the face of a successful rider. Second favorite event – two really, watching the skill of young cowgirl guide her racing horse around barrels; and then team roping, such timing and knowing your own horse while racing to rope a run-away steer, snagging the head or the heels, as part of a roping team. The teams are often father and son or a pair of brothers.
My dream as a kid was to have my own horse and be able to ride it bareback, jump over ditches and gallop across an open field. Finally after I was grown up I did just that. I love being around horses, even just give them a grooming or a rub behind their ears. I wish I were young enough, skilled and strong enough to do rodeo. Yep, “I want to be a rodeo rider.”

Gigi: I thought it was awesome how in the middle of the book you took an intermission along the Midway Walk for Midway Eats! Last summer driving through New Mexico, my daughter and I followed signs for frybread but didn’t end up finding any. It sounds scrumptious the way you describe it: “crisp, hot frybread, grease still popping, sweet honey oozing.” Do you remember the first time you ever ate frybread?
Nancy: Frybread – plucked hot from the popping oil – is delicious. The first time I tasted it was at a local rodeo. My favorite is frybread served at the Tsegi Canyon Restaurant, half-way between the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, near Kayenta and Tuba City. Their frybread is crisp and light. Add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream….oh my! Slides right down.

Gigi: Did you interview children and families to learn more about the rodeo tradition? What kind of research did you do for the book?
Nancy: I went to a hundred rodeos. Or more. Just ask my husband. He came to most of them and many of the backyard rodeos were a challenge to find – one has to take a lot of wrong turns on dusty gravel roads. Of course, we also had to sample a lot of fry bread as well as Navajo tacos, mutton stew, and in between, talk with the riders, the stock handlers, the grandmas, grandpas, and rodeo queens and often whomever I was standing next to. Seriously, I interviewed everyone I could who was part of rodeo. I watched competitors get ready and then circled around back to watch the broncos and bulls as they milled around in their corrals. Of course I also researched information available both in books and on the Internet. Sometimes information was hard to get, for example, there are contradictory statistics about Bodacious and just how dangerous a bull he was. For sure, he was one bad bull that hardly any wrangler – even the best – rode to the full eight-second count.

Gigi: The photography by Jan Sonnenmair is so striking and personal. I have to say, the endpaper, which is a collage of Navajo rodeo kids, framing your poem, “Rodeo Rider” is just incredible. The images capture the rodeo and deepen the experience of reading your poetry. Did you and Jan work together on shooting the rodeo images, selecting, and arranging them?
Nancy: The endpaper photo gallery was entirely Jan’s idea. She asked young competitors when they were practicing after school or at rodeos after their events for a “special photo opp.” Boyds Mills Press agreed to give the idea a try. The designer put the images together with the intro poem. I agree, I think the collage of faces invites the reader to step right in, get a close-up look, and see the pure excitement on those faces, every one so unique. You just have to smile right back and hopefully, turn the page and hear “cowboy up, ride the Navajo rodeo.”

Photography by Jan Sonnenmair. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Gigi: What are you working on now?
Nancy: One of my concerns is that many books for children about Navajo or other Native Americans show them as “history” rather than who they are as individuals, not stereotyped, and how they live and work today. Native Americans are leaders in every aspect of American life. I am compiling an anthology of biographies of outstanding Native Americans. The first two books in this project acquired by Fulcrum Publishers, Inc., will highlight artists, authors, athletes (including rodeo) and performers. Later books will include statesmen, activists, scientists (including the first Native astronaut), warrior-heroes, educators, and so on.

Thank you, Nancy! I really enjoyed your book and learning more about how you wrote Cowboy Up!

Nancy Bo Flood

Nancy Bo Flood lives and teaches on the Navajo Reservation where she hikes, rides her bike and attends local rodeos. She is the author of several award-winning books including Navajo Year, Walk Through Many Seasons and Warriors in the Crossfire. Recent titles are No-Name Baby and Cowboy Up, Ride the Navajo Rodeo. Visit Nancy: www.nancyboflood.com

Hay, here’s a great summer barn book!

Horse: The Essential Guide for Young Equestrians
by Rosie Stoddard and Phillip Marshall
2008, Candlewick Press
Ages 6-9 Grades 1-4
ISBN: 9780763635473

With the end of the school year well within sight, thoughts turn to summer – camp, road trips, and long days at the barn. Horse: The Essential Guide for Young Equestrians makes a perfect summer-kick-off gift for horse kids going on vacation, heading off to camp, or gearing up for first-time riding lessons. Full of lively illustrations, pull-out activities, and practical guides, Horse is a world unto itself. Here, kids get a guided exploration of the universe of horses.

The basics of horse care and horse breeds are explained, as well as markings, colors, and patterns. How-to sections are sprinkled throughout the book to show kids how to braid a tail, pick a hoof, take care of tack, and more.

When my daughter and her horsey friends were younger, they would have been as eager for this book as Albert is for supper when he hears the feed room door open at 430 p.m. And, they’d have devoured each page then started over. If you’re looking for an expertly researched, beautifully illustrated, and entertaining book for your young equestrian, you’ve found it, partner!

DIY Stall Bench for Your Older Equine

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All horses need to be able to rest their feet, take a load off occasionally. For Albert, this has become nearly impossible, because he can’t get up from the ground any longer. This must be hard on him and frustrating, too. He used to love to roll. Not a half-roll, but a full roll. He’s never been a horse that has reclined often, but now he hasn’t much of a choice.

With his recent leg and foot problems, the need to get some relief from his weight is key to his recovery. Recently, our vet suggested that we build him a stall stool, a place where he can sit down and rest his legs. One of her clients with an older horse built such a stool, and it’s been of great benefit.

This past weekend, my husband and I set out to build a chair of sorts for Albert. I searched the web for more detailed instructions but found nothing. Maybe there are other old horses who could use a stool, thus this long post describing exactly what we did and how.

We started with this:

Stall Corner BEFORE

and finished with this:

Ta-da! Tool tall for me to sit in there and read a book but just right for buddy.

Here’s how we got there.

Materials:
2 eight-foot 2 x10s (cut in half at Lowe’s and cut again at the barn)
2 1/2 inch exterior wood screws (1 box)
Wood glue
1 inch foam (cut to fit bench seat)
Foam spray glue
Fabric spray glue
Muslin fabric for inside cover of cushion
Indoor-outdoor fabric for outside cover of cushion
Staples

Tools
Circular saw
Cordless drill
Level
Square
Staple gun
Scissors

Total cost: less than $100 (my awesome mother-in-law gave us fabric and foam for the cushion.)

Total time: 7-10 hours

Description: This is a simple corner stool made with 2 x 10s. The purpose is to give our a horse a place to rest for short periods that allows him to easily transfer his weight up and down.

Step 1: Take Measurements. Select which corner of your horse’s stall to build the stool. Take two measurements to be sure the seat will fit into the corner.

The most important measurement you need is how high the stool should stand. Our vet suggested that the seat hit six inches below the end of Albert’s butt, where his hamstring muscles start. Measure from the ground to this point. That’s the height of the seat. Albert measured 37 inches from the ground to this muscle group. With the foam cushion his chair actually sits 39 inches high, but we’re expecting that his weight will compress the foam.

Step 2: Purchase and gather all of your materials for the bench and the cushion. Some questions to answer while you’re planning, before you purchase materials:
*Are there stalls on either side of your horse’s stall? Select screws that will hold your bench but won’t break through to the other side.
*Do you have a power source to plug into or enough battery-juice for your tools to complete the project?
*How will you cushion the bench?

Screws that are long enough to hold the boards and that won’t reach through to the next stall.

Adhesives to bind the foam and the fabric for the cushion.

Deron at Lowe’s helped us select the wood and make first cuts. He loves animals, too. Thanks for being part of TEAM ALBERT, Deron!! You’re awesome.

Step 3: Cut the boards for the seat and the sides. Dry fit the pieces into the stall.

Mark the cuts for making the seat part of the bench.

Marry a person who loves you soooo much that they’ll give up their weekend to make your horse a bench. ♥♥♥

When the battery runs out, give your horse a good grooming while it recharges. Next day bring a long extension cord.

Dry fit the board to be sure the cuts are right.

Step 4: Secure the boards in place. Each of the side boards is screwed to a corner wall with 3 rows of 3 2-inch screws. The seat is made from two boards cut to fit the corner then wood-glued and screwed together. There are two scrap pieces on top of the seat keep it stable.

Bench before the cushion.

Step 5: Add padding and cover. There are countless ways to cushion the bench. We chose to make a cushion with foam and indoor-outdoor fabric. We cut the foam pad to-fit using 1 inch foam, batting, and indoor-outdoor fabric. We made a cushion, then stapled the cushion to the bench, then added board scraps to strengthen the union between the cushion and bench AND to cover the staples. These photos show the progression of cutting, fitting, binding, and attaching the cushion. We had a little trouble getting the fabric perfectly smoothed out. Also, this is an indoor-outdoor fabric, so we can wipe it down no prob.

Before screwing the seat to the bench, trace the seat pattern onto the foam. A sharpie works well on foam.

Dry fitting the first piece of foam will show you where you need to trim and fit. It starts to get really exciting here!

We added 3 layers of foam to make the cushion even with the top of the reinforcement blocks.

Not done yet with the foam!! Then one layer fitted over top, and we’ll add a foam-lip to the front of the bench, too, and bind this up into a sweet little comfy package.

Upside down cushion innards: three cut layers, one top layer, and a little lip all bound together with foam spray.

We used a white muslin fabric to wrap up the foam before covering with pretty flower fabric. Then a last dry fit on top to be sure we got it right.

Ta-da! Tool tall for me to sit in there and read a book but just right for buddy.

The key question: Will Albert use the bench? I went out this morning to check on him, and when I got there Albert was already turned out in his recovery-paddock (aka the round pen). But looky here:

A clue! Maybe dirty bench = happy horse?!

Well, what do you think? Have you seen other stall stools? I’d love to hear about them. If you have pictures of a stool you’ve built or questions or suggestions or ideas, I’d love to hear them.

My awesome husband, Bubba, did all of the math, measuring, and making of this bench! I was his assistant and the official photographer. A great outcome of this project: not only does Albert now have a place to lean and rest, but I got to spend the entire weekend Friday – Sunday, every hour in there with my husband. That’s a rare and wonderful treat.! (Thank you, my baby.)

Ok, one last pic.

Albert and me.

The Long and Winding Road

This week’s follow up visit with the vet brought good news tempered with a reality-check. Albert’s doing better but he’s not all better. After seeing the good doc: Albert’s Lily pads came off of his feet. His front legs are still getting wrapped every day, and his RX regime is geared toward pain management and recovery from the laminitis and healing his two front tendons.

He has a ways to go yet.

His dietary change to a low-starch grain and Safe Starch cut forage is agreeing with him. TEAM ALBERT at the barn is outstanding. Everyone really cares for him and feels genuine affection for the old man. And, we’re putting his team to work: leg wraps, crushed pills, special food, and topical ointments.

More good stuff:
He’s drinking water. He’s curious and interested in what’s happening around him. He’s nickering at everybody he sees and standing right up at the front of his gate where he doesn’t miss a thing. He’s asking to turn out. So, after this week’s check up he’s cleared to graze alone in a small paddock.

Some challenges remain. One of the biggest ones: getting him off of his feet so he can rest.

To help him rest, here’s our weekend project:

Stall stool model

As recommended by Albert’s doctor. The goal? To give him a way to rest his feet, since he can’t get down to the ground or up any longer. [Don't worry, the actual bench will be padded. This picture was kindly shared by our vet via another family under her care.]

My baby is making the bench, and I’m his helper. We started tonight: measuring the stall corner, measuring Albert hamstring to ground, and discussing right-triangles over tacos and guac. Well, Bubba discussed the geometry of the whole thing. I nodded and reached for more chips. I’ll post pics and instructions for replicating after the bench is complete. Wish us luck and good angles!

Speaking of Ponies

Yesterday’s post about the brave-hearted Angel got me thinking about that superpony Theodore O’Connor, who departed this world in 2008. A 14.1 hand Thoroughbred, Arabian, Shetland cross, Teddy competed in eventing at elite levels.

I love watching this video of Karen O’Connor’s 2007 Rolex Kentucky cross country trip with Teddy. He became the first pony to compete there and earned the best conditioned horse award. Listen to how the crowd cheers them on with shouts of, “Go, Teddy!”

He had such a fan club and represented his sport so well, that Breyer created a model in his honor: Breyer #1330 Theodore O’Connor “Teddy” – Thoroughbred Sport Pony, released in 2008 & 2009.

Breyer 1330 Theodore O’Connor

Wonderponies: I’m a believer

Saved by An Angel

Look at this sweet mare reclining in the hay! Her whole name is Saved by an Angel, and last week on the trail she lived up to her name.

Four of us went out for a ride on a cool, cloudy afternoon.  The sky was gray but the fields and the forest popped with every shade of green. Tiny brown sparrows stayed just ahead of us, bathing in the puddles, and hopping away just in the nick of time.

We were a Japanese haiku come to life in Virginia:

Hey, sparrow! 
out of the way, 
    Horse is coming. (Kobayahi Issa)

Our horses were two mares and two geldings. We joked about chaperoning their double date. I can’t remember ever having felt so relaxed on a ride – great horses, fun companions, and one of those sweet Virginia breezes that people like to sing about.

I’ve been riding Angel in my lessons since the beginning of the year. She’s a quiet yet responsive a partner who will carry as much of the load as I ask, or let me do all the work if I really want to. The only time I’ve ever known her to fidget or fuss was for just a few seconds in the cross country field a few weeks back. We cantered up a hill, and at the top she stopped and nosed at her left leg repeatedly. It’s so odd for Angel to lose her focus that at first I wondered if she was hurt. Perhaps, we had stepped in a hole. But, after a minute, she settled down and seemed fine on the walk back to the barn. When I untacked her and took her booties off, I found a grasshopper trapped and squirming to get free there in her left boot. So you see, she’s an honest girl, who only complains with good reason and even then not for long.

But, back to the trail ride where Angel turned out to be an angel.

So on our way home, we had to pass through a field surrounded by a pine stand. There were three ways across: tall grass where we couldn’t see the footing,  a long, wide uninterrupted mud puddle, or soft sand. I don’t think we talked about which way to go but kind of all silently moved right toward the sand. Angel and I went first.

We took a few steps. The ground gave way and pulled us down. Angel picked up her feet, took a step or two forward, and I felt her back legs sink more. The sand that had looked so promising brought her to her knees. I heard the ground sucking around her and around our friends behind us. I remember hearing  horses breathing hard. And, I remember swearing really loud in my mind. Very creative, combo swearing. In my head.

I think I raised up off the saddle a bit. I think I maybe tried to use my legs to help Angel lift, and she did, and then sunk down again to her girth, all four legs buried three feet.  So then I wondered if we would get out. Or, if I would stay on. Or, if she would keep on sinking. I wondered what was happening to the horses behind me because I could hear them sinking, too.

I had run out of swear-words. Breathe. Breathe. Let the pony do her thing. Breathe. I said to myself.

Angel launched us out of the earth that had vacuumed us down. And we were free from the mud or sand or quicksand. I can’t say for how long we were stuck.One minute? Two minutes? Not much more than that, I’m sure.

When I replay the memory I only see Angel’s brown ears, her black mane, and the spot on the trail ahead that I wanted us to reach.

When we did reach it, I could feel Angel thinking about bolting for home. I posted to tell her that she didn’t need to halt, but that I didn’t want to canter or gallop. She slowed to a trot, and then we slowed to a walk. I patted her mane and over and over told her what a good pony she was.

There’s more to the story, of course. And, there are seven other versions: three other riders and four horses went through the same obstacle. I wonder how they remember what happened and just how did we all get out: horses safe, people safe.

The answer is that we got home safely because the horses were amazing and because the riders stayed calm. The horses were amazing. And, my Angel pony. My pony was a wonder.

Look to this Day

My mother-in-law specializes in acts of kindness. I’ve posted about her generous spirit before here and here. She knows I’m worrying about my horse, and this morning she emailed me her favorite poem, by 5th Century Sanskrit poet, Kalidasa. So, now I’ll take my own favorite advice: breathe in, breathe out. repeat.

Look to this day
for it is life
the very life of life.

In its brief course lie all
the realities and truths of existence
the joy of growth
the splendor of action
the glory of power.

For yesterday is but a memory
And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today well lived
makes every yesterday a memory
of happiness
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day…