The great Canadian Western Agribition played host to the Canadian Cowboys Association Finals once again November 20-24th 2012. There were 5 performances over 5 days paying out almost $150,000 in cash and prizes. Robbi Nace came out on top in the Ladies Barrel Racing winning $3625.00 plus a championship saddle and buckle. Robbi and her horse Jays Crystal Lite (Crystal) split 1st in the first round with Melissa Thiessen and won the third and fourth round hands down. Despite a nasty stumble at first barrel in the final round the duo was still able to hold onto 4th in the average and claim the championship over runner up and 4 time consecutive champion Dannielle (Dinius) Knudson. For complete Canadian Cowboys Association Finals Results <—click.
–What is the name of the horse you are running?Jays Crystal Lite but we call her Crystal or affectionately “the munchkin” and my rodeo coach
(MSU) called her “the franchise”
–How old is she? 17
–How long have you been running barrels on her? since 2004
–What is the training background on this horse? She was my break away horse starting in 2001 and we took her to a lot of Rienhardt clinics to help me learn without upsetting the old horse I was running at the time. Turns out that she really liked barrel racing so when I started high school rodeo I ran her.
–What is your training and riding style with your horse? Like I said my parents took me to many Rienhardt (Danny and Vicki Rienhardt out of Marshall, TX) clinics and I would say that I still follow their style. Crystal is ratey so I have to be aggressive and you will see me over-under between barrels because she anticipates the turn.
–What is it you like best about her/him? This little horse is gritty. She doesn’t know (or accept) she’s only 14 hands tall. She runs into barrels with the same speed and aggressiveness every run. I love her can-do attitude!
–You won the CCA finals…. which run do you think was your best there and why ? I think the round 4 run (13.75) was our best run. She was just super aggressive and firing throughout that run.
-Do you have a favorite win or run from the regular season? I would have to say Swift Current. Its a big pen and she just loved it!
-How do you prepare for your runs (warm up etc.)? I warm her up in a halter/lead rope. She knows we’re down to business when I put the bit in her mouth. We do a lot of long trotting because she seems to get a bit short if I don’t. She had colic surgery November 2010 (the day we were scheduled to get our papers to go to our first CCA finals) and after that she needs to stretch out a bit before a run.
–What kind of saddle do you use? I use a custom made Tod Slone barrel saddle. I won a few saddle certificates in 2008 and decided to have a saddle made for her with them. It has a butterfly skirt and stingray seat and seems to fit the both of us.
–What kind of pad do you use? I use a Professional’s Choice Air Ride Pad
Thank you Emily Gethke for this picture 🙂
-What kind of bit do you use? Sherri Cervi short shank with dog bone mouthpiece and for regular riding I use a draw gag with the same mouthpiece
-Are there any specific goals you set for yourself and your horse this season? I started the summer off with the goal to qualify for CCA finals and to fill my WPRA permit (which we did on July 4 in Mandan, ND).
-What lead you to be a barrel racer? My whole family ropes and runs barrels and I never thought of doing anything else! It’s nice to be able to go to a rodeo or a jackpot and see my sisters or my brother-in-law or my niece/nephews compete and win.
-What do you do when you’re not barrel racing? I am currently completing my double degree (history/secondary ed) at Montana State University so that takes up a lot of my time. I also help out with the local high school rodeo team’s practices once a week. I like to read and do crafts/projects.
-If you were to share a training/rodeo tip what would it be? Remember to enjoy the little things and not to be so hard on yourself. If something is meant to be, it will happen and all one can do is put in the time, be patient and give it the best effort.
– Robbi would like to pay a special thank you to those that supported her throughout the year. I would like to thank my family and the Keller family for being supportive in all that I do and for believing in my little horse. I would like to thank Cody Rood and Shay Keller for being great travel partners and for running Crystal’s Facebook page!
Here are a couple more videos of Robbi and Crystal winning the round.
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