I’m sitting here at Santa Fe watching some bull dogging slack this morning. It feels good to be out on the road so we can really get things started on the summer run. I’ve been working hard in the practice pen, and I’m feeling ready. 

I’m always working on flanking. Most people when they practice flanking have a guy tailing their calf, but I dally off on a horse and run him down the pen and get a little more of a go at him. I like to simulate a rodeo run as best I can. Sometimes I tie them off to the chute and get a run at them that way. It just seems to give me some really solid practice, and I’ve been doing a whole lot of that. 

I’ve been in the gym a lot lately, too. I usually work on legs, core, upper body––everything. But my lower back has been sore, so I’ve been doing a lot of upper body and calves to try and keep the stress away from my lower back. 

I’m up in Santa Fe tonight, so I can relax here today. I go onto Reno on June 22, and I’ll get to ride Trevor Thiel’s Muenster there. That’s the horse I won the American on, and I always look forward to riding him. He makes my job easy, and Trevor always has him ready. On top of how good the horse is, Reno has always been a great rodeo for me. In 2007 I hadn’t made the Finals and I won Reno, and went on to win $26,000 in about 8 days. That propelled me into my first Finals that year. Since then I’ve won some rounds in Reno and I was second last year. It’s just been a great rodeo. 

Shea is two weeks with me, two weeks in Nashville, so she’ll be on and off the road with me this summer. But she’ll come with me for about 30 days starting over the Fourth of July helping me drive, and I’m really looking forward to having that time on the road with her. Her parents are flying in from Australia the third week in July, too, so I’m looking forward to all the family time. 

I’m looking forward to a good report after this weekend in Reno, so make sure you stop back!