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| Mary Burger and Lanita Powers-
Prairie Circuit Director. Mary is receiving the
Prairie Circuit Average Saddle donated by TEL Oil-Steve
Long. |
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| Mary Burger and Alecia Ary-
Mary is receiving the Prairie Circuit Year End Saddle
donated by Richard & Vicki Armer and Alecia
& Katie Ary. |
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PJ Burger making a run at the
Prairie Circuit Finals.
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| Back row left to right, Tiffany
Tehee, Colette Flaharty, Diane Martin, Summer Terry,
Tana Poppino, Jeanne Anderson, Tara Timms (who was
our 09 Rookie Champ). Front row PJ Burger, Mary
Burger, Jeannie McKee, Lanita Powers, June Holeman |
The Prairie Circuit would
like to whole heartily thank their sponsors:
Richard/Vicki Armer; Alecia/Katie Ary; Circle E Feeds;
Wrangler; TEL Oil; Jud Little; Oakridge Equine Vet;
Mixer Equine Vet; Richburg Stone; Charles Weddle,MD;
Bobs Pawn Shop& Famous Bugs; Troy Flaharty; KO Trading;
Jarrett Western Tack; Formula 707; United Vet Equine;
Valley Vet Supply; Equine Medical Assoc; Phyllis Wilson;
S&D Sound; Hastings NE Rodeo; Equine Veterinarian
Assoc; Cowgirl Coffee Shop Huge Thanks to all!
 Doc
Hickorys Cross reaches people...
It's not that Goose is necessarily the best barrel horse
going, because he's not. It's not that Goose is high-spirited
and hard-charging, because he's not.
But the 7-year-old gray gelding out of Dialas Cross
and Hickorys Friday has touched several lives with an
extra something special inside his heart.
"Never in my wildest dreams would I pick that horse
out of a lineup," said Tana Poppino, a two-time
Wrangler National Finals rodeo qualifier from Big Cabin,
Okla. "To me, he's not what I'd want to see in
a barrel horse, but God has a plan. Out of 15 pretty
nice horses, he wouldn't have been the one.
"He's truly been a blessing."
Larry Evans thinks so. He raised Goose before selling
the gelding to Poppino two years ago - shortly after
Evans discovered he had cancer.
"Goose was just a natural from a young age, and
I'm so please with what Tana has done with him,"
Evans said.
Poppino will have Goose and her better-known horse,
Perryman Star, or Amigo, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City,
Mo., this weekend for the Dodge Prairie Circuit Finals
Rodeo in conjunction with the American Royal. Sitting
fourth in the circuit standings with nearly $13,000,
she said her relationship with Goose has been helpful
in a season that ended considerably shy of her goal
of a third trip to Las Vegas and the Wrangler NFR.
"I broke my ankle in the middle of the year, so
the season's been kind of a blur," said Poppino,
the 2007 Calgary Stampede champ. "I got to run
Amigo again this year."
That was pretty big considering Amigo missed much of
the 2008 season after having surgery to remove a chip
from one of his ankles. She chased her dreams on Goose,
a mount that had hardly run the barrel pattern competitively
until forced into action in March at RodeoAustin.
"I knew there was something wrong with Amigo, so
while we were in Austin, I took him to a vet near there,"
Poppino said. "That was a Monday, and they did
surgery on Tuesday. I was up that night."
She had taken Goose along for the ride, even though
she had no intention of riding a green horse at a big
rodeo. But Goose was her only option. She scurried back
to Austin in time to run, thanks to Brenda Mays getting
the horse ready.
"That's not really the way to start a barrel horse,"
she said. "It had all the bad stuff you can think
of rolled into one. It was a small pen; there's a long
alleyway; there are big crowds, and there's a carnival
out back. It's the kind of stuff that tests a good horse.
"But when we get in there, he finds that first
barrel. He's all business. A .2 was placing third or
fourth, and we ran a .9. I'm six-tenths off some nice
runs. I came home and decided I was going to try to
make this thing work."
But it wasn't without its stretches of frustration.
Goose was 6 years old and was new to this barrel-racing
business. But deep down, she could feel something special.
"He's really gentle and really broke well,"
she said. "He handles real well. He was and still
is pretty lazy. He's pretty laid back."
Maybe it's just a confident young horse.
"I have loved horses my whole life, and they have
really helped me through my battle with cancer,"
said Evans, who had more than 20 head before learning
of his illness two and a half years ago but is now down
to 10. "I have grown up with them and raised them.
These are the best horses I have had, but now I have
cancer. However, I am going to keep fighting."
Sounds like the spirit instilled in the horses he's
bred. Marty and Tana Poppino first learned of Evans,
his horses and his cancer from Evans' extended family.
Through their business agreement, they found a friendship,
a fighting personality and a gem of a horse.
"My goal in 2008 was to finish him and stay in
the top 45 so I was qualified for the winter rodeos,"
said Poppino, who credited EquiPride, Professional's
Choice, Total Health Enhancement products, Robert's
Auto and Cowboy Rigs for allowing her to chase her dream
even while sidelined with the broken ankle.
"With a young horse like him, you don't necessarily
want to put that kind of pressure on them. But this
horse was just special. God just set this situation
up. I honestly believe that was the only way this horse
was going to be a rodeo horse. But by throwing him into
the fire, he just kept getting better."
Poppino, Goose and Amigo will have their hands full
in Kansas City, with a talented field that includes
2006 world champion Mary Burger and her daughter-in-law,
first-time Wrangler NFR qualifier P.J. Burger.
Mary Burger is looking to defend her 2008 titles, where
she won not only the year-end title but also the finals
average. She has won $21,480 in the Oklahoma-Kansas-Nebraska
region, followed by Jeanne Anderson of White City, Kan.,
at $15,422, and P.J. Burger at $14,913.
"The plan in Kansas City is to run Amigo, but we
just got back into it," Poppino said. "If
things don't go real well, then we'll go to Goose. I
think we're just about back to making good, solid runs
again."
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