Howdy Chuckwagon Friends

Its been a very busy week, since  we arrived here in Grande Prairie.  When you have twenty some horses to look after, it takes up your day and then some!

During the days, I have been able to sneak out to have me time.  The area is great for running as it is very sandy and has lots of trees.  I, along with everyone else camping here, have been warned about wolves, bears and cougars that have been known to be in the vicinity.  I personally haven’t seen any, but their tracks are visible.  Allie and Kim went jogging the other day, and this is the print they found.  Pretty big paw impression.  I make sure I stick to the walking trails, just to play it safe.

Some Chuckwagon Kids Perform

When there are 36 driver members on the circuit, you know that there has to be family connected.  The other day, these bunch of young ones treated us to a singing performance, with a treat table to purchase some goodies for the show.

With the snow and rain we received, the track was very muddy, so competitor Chad Fikes’s little son came over to give Rick a hand at washing his wagon.  To cute for words.

We always enjoy visitors.  We were excited to see long time friend, Matte Crichton and family.  My friend Michelle also stopped in with her granddaughters.  I love to see how the horses react to the kids, its such a special bonding.

The day before the race meet begins, all drivers must have their wagons weighed and inspected.  Rick and I towed it over to the wash barn on the grounds to wait our turn.  Each wagon must weigh a minimum of 1325 lbs with the driver in it.

No matter what we do in life, practice makes perfect.  It was a cool, beautiful morning yesterday, when Cody hooked an outfit in the early morning hours.

Our outriders are a very important part of our sport.  They are very good athletes.  Some outriders will be hired to ride all 9 heats.  It take a very good body in shape to ride that many.

Well day 1 is a wrap.  Rick had Nickle (Left Lead), Speedy (Right Lead), Trick (Left Wheel) and Law (Right Wheel).  What a beautiful team!  Ace and Andy were our outriding horses tonight, with Cole on Ace and Kale on  Andy.  Disappointment  set in, when we seen Cole pull up Ace on the backstretch, as he felt he was off on his one foot.  This cost us 2 seconds in penalty, for outrider not finishing the race.  It is better to be cautionary then continue on.

Rick and I were very excited to have our son Cody compete tonight for the first time on the World Professional Chuckwagon Association.  Cody did  very well with his outfit, but was just a tad bit ahead of the barrel as the horn blew, which tacked on a 1 second penalty.  Tomorrow will be a much better day for sure.

Our mini chuckwagons have arrived once again. Rick and I like to give back to all the fans out there, so after each race, we hand one out to a lucky person in the crowd.  Be sure to attend one of our race meets this summer to have your chance of receiving  one of your very own.

From the Travelin Trailer

Sue and Rick & Team 23

P.S.

“A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.”