One run at a time, Braidy Howes and the 2007 Dash Ta Fame gelding Howes On Her Lincoln worked their way to a Classic Derby Championship. Running a 17.756 in the first run and using a 17.365 to qualify for the short go, Howes added a time of 17.271 to have the quickest time on two. We caught up with Braidy to ask her a few questions about her horse and training program.
-What is HOWES ON HER LINCOLN’s barn name?
Lincoln
3yrs
We purchased him from a good friend in Oklahoma; she raised him, he was extremely easy to train and took to the barrels easily. Has a huge heart and truly loves his job.
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He is a true Dash Ta Fame, he is extremely ratey you could take him to the biggest pen you could find and he would find his barrels. He is very light in the mouth so he runs better the softer your hands are and he responds best off of your body movements not your hands.
I love his personality! He is like a huge puppy loves people, loves his cookies and will follow you where ever you go.
I would have to say our run in the 2nd go round. I hadn’t ran him since the NBHA finals beginning of April because that’s just part of our training program. We choose not to do a lot of jackpot runs, so I felt a bit rusty on him in the first go round but by our 2nd run it all came back and he was like riding a bike. He is so much fun. You have to come in hard to make sure you get him by the barrels so that’s always comforting to know he’s going to turn no matter what the circumstances are.
Click picture for www.sinclairimageryinc.com Thank you Rod and Tony for the picture.
having to make three runs in a short period of time
My warm up is very basic and is the same whether I’m making one run or three. I like to spend a lot of time grooming and just spending time with him before I saddle. A horse can always tell how much you care about them and I believe they’ll always give you that much more if you have a good bond with them. I usually like to get on about half hour before my run. I do lots of long trotting and will lope a couple of circles each way and then I take him back to the barn and give him a cookie and we wait in there for a few minutes before heading back in. He is young and being the breeding he is he has a tendency to get a little hot which is great because he knows what hes there for. I found this weekend sometimes things were going a little slower than expected so I would just get off and stand with him until a drag before and then I would get on and as soon as I throw the reins over his head hes ready to rock and roll! My main concern with him is not to wear him out warming up but have him limbered up enough that hes not going to hurt himself during the run.
We have our own saddle line with Ammerman called the Howes XL
I love a good felt pad like the Best Ever pads, Classic Equine with the memory foam inserts for the withers and Cactus Saddlery. It really boils down to whatever fits my horse best.
Its called the Howes made by Dave Elliott it’s a three piece twisted wire with a dog bone it’s a great bit and we use it on just about everything it’s a very versatile bit.
As far as the Derbys go I wanted to be able to show what Lincoln was capable of here in Canada we have had great success down south running a 17.0 on a standard pattern but I wanted him to shine at the Classic as Ponoka is the kind of pens he does best in. His next derby will probably be CBHI in the fall so I really had to make the runs count. The goal we have for him is actually getting him seasoned for my mom to be able to rodeo off of him since I’ve pretty much taken over most of the horses in her pen haha. He’s a great horse for her and we work well as a team (mom and I) as she has a lot of natural rate in her body and my specialty is taking a ratey horse and making them run so it works perfectly.
My training tip would be picking a horse with a solid breeding and shows they like what they do. Stay consistent in your ground work and don’t run them to death at home. A horse will never give you they’re all if they don’t enjoy what they do and realize what your riding style is, pick a horse that will fit the way you ride. For the most part, I do not get along with horses that run on the front end so I stay away haha. Its better to have one good horse than five fixer uppers.
Rodeo and barrel racing in general is such a close knit family. It’s not a matter of if we hit a dry spell but when. Its how we choose to recover that determines the winner we are. I am so thankful for the friends and family that I have that have helped me through my dry spells over the years. It’s not just about me running but every run I make is for me and my family and the long days the blood sweat and tears that we have all put in. I could not be where I am today without my parents who have coached me and made me the rider I am today. Hopefully this season goes well and with any luck hopefully a trip to Edmonton in November. I would also like to send out a thank you to Jodie for putting on another great futurity and derby.
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