Day 11 - February 11. Today we went to a barrel race at Wayne and Liz's in Tonopah (near where Sue stays). This is a big outdoor arena with a standard pattern, but it has a side gate (vs. center gate). With the wide-open spaces, the mares were a "little wild" in their barrel pattern (nothing to "help" them turn). Montana and Gin were in the 3D (19.8) and Matalyn was one out of the money with Breezy (20.8) in the 4D; Pippa (21.2) was also in the 4D. The weekday barrel races are really relaxed and low-key with about 40-50 entries. The ground was nice at this arena, it was a little deeper and worked up well. There were 10 Minnesota horses running in the race (or about 20% of the entries)! 

We came back to Buckeye and I got ready to give a Zoom presentation for Arizona Extension. It was so relaxing to sit outside in my polo shirt and talk about hay, especially since I could relate better to Arizona forages. The girls took a nap and then took the mares for a walk and turned them out. We do tend to turn in around 9 pm and get up around 7 am. I like this schedule as I'm early to bed and earlier to rise!     

Funny story - I made a wrong turn, but realized it and was able to correct it before we got lost on the way to the race. I had to make a fairly sharp left-hand turn which was made more challenging by a car that had pulled into the intersection. I actually navigated it well and a trucker who was behind the car gave us a big smile and two thumbs up! For reference, the truck/trailer combination is 60' long!

Day 12 - February 12. Today we wrapped up our first full week in Arizona by going to a barrel race at Thunderbird Farms Arena in Maricopa. The drive there was neat and included a 17 miles stretch flanked by cattle guards. It was another standard pattern in an outdoor arena. Like many arenas in Arizona, this one had "wings" that make an alleyway. They allow 5 horses in, who must stay in the "wings", after those 5 run, they drag. While dragging, the 5 horses exit and the next 5 enter. It's amazing how quickly this makes the race go. Montana and Gin had some tough luck and knocked their second barrel. We are going to try a new bit to help Montana get some "lift" and "stop" on Gin; she is a big, strong mare! Breezy had another nice time only and Pippa and Matalyn wound up winning 2nd in the 5D with a time of 20.6. It was the first time Matalyn and Pippa had ever won money barrel racing!

While we were there, we could see a storm approaching. But, it was not rain, it was a "sandstorm". It got so dark and windy, that the arena lights came on. The fine desert sand really blows - at times it was almost impossible to see or even be outside. The fine sand blew everywhere and I could feel the grit in my teeth driving home! They had to delay the race a few times and the timer malfunctioned a few times, but the race was well run and was still over in 90 minutes. I think they ran 66 horses in that time. As soon as the race ended, the wind stopped blowing and the sun came back out. We did have about 10 raindrops and a rainbow! On the drive home, the sun was setting and we could see the cactus in the painted sky - it felt like the epitome of an Arizona sunset!    

Funny story - before the race, we were chatting about the cost of barrel racing. A friend said, "it's just like slots, keep putting money in and eventually you'll get a payout"! This was a great (and funny) analogy!