Toby Keith I Love this Bar and Grill Grand Opening

Taryn and Marjon standing up for our troops, as they greet next to the red carpet.

Photos By: Charles Brooks 

June 3rd found me at the grand opening of Toby Keith’s I love this Bar and Grill at the Mesa Riverview. My lovely silver-saddled steed Cleo and I had the privilege of greeting Toby Keith as he stepped out of his limo and onto the red carpet. The rest of the evening was filled with live music and meet and greets. It was a blast line dancing with the Cowgirls Historical Foundation and horsing around with the Gilbert Royalty Court.

I was pleased to meet Toby Keith, a man who is responsible for garnering so much support for our troops. It was also a great opportunity to visit with others from our state such as: Alicia-Monique Blanco, Miss Arizona; Scott Smith, the mayor of Mesa; Dina Higgins, from the Mesa City Council; Tim and Willy from KMLE, and many more!

One of my favorite activites of the night: Chasing down the waiters waitresses as they brought out the sizzling sample foods of what we will be able to eat at the new I Love this Bar and Grill. The food is spectacular and I can’t wait until I have the luxury to go back for a full meal!

My First Miss Rodeo Arizona Travel– Payson Rodeo

Each day when I walk into my room, I can hardly believe it. There it is. That beautiful Miss Rodeo Arizona crown sitting on my dresser, once again vindicating my memories from last month when I won the Miss Rodeo Arizona Pageant.  My name is Taryn Brady and I am your new 2009 Miss Rodeo Arizona.

After a grueling three days of competition, I was ecstatic to hear my name called for the horsemanship, personality and congeniality awards, and then my name once again called as a representative for the state of Arizona and the sport of rodeo over the next year.

I am honored to serve in this calling to promote the western way of life. This is a personal mission statement that I have had for myself my entire life growing up. That is what originally drew me to the title of Miss Rodeo Arizona- that my same mission statement would be on the forefront.

After the competition, I was the lady-in-waiting for a month before the official coronation. That was the time frame when I would wake up in the morning thinking the competition was just a dream rather than a materialization of the recent past.

Then on May 9th, it was official, and the crown was placed upon my cowgirl hat. I want to commend the 2008 Miss Rodeo Arizona Casey Rose for the wonderful job she did, and I hope I can follow in her footsteps to further the tradition of honorable Arizona representatives.

The coronation was a great way to kick off the year. I am so grateful to everyone who had a hand in it. The classy event took place at Agritopia. Well, the classiness was halted for a brief two minutes right before the actual Crowning while I performed my acceptance “rap”.

The weekend following the Coronation, I made my first appearance as Miss Rodeo Arizona at the Payson Rodeo. My horse Cleo and I were honored to pay tribute to the wonderful country we live in as we carried the huge American flag around the rodeo arena. My potent feelings of patriotism welled to the surface as I held the staff of our American Flag pointed towards the heavens.

Saturday was Armed Forces Day. The Cowgirls Historical Foundation performed a beautiful drill carrying each of the military division flags as they set the pivots, preparing the entry for the star-bangled banner. I could feel the nationalistic feelings emitting from the crowd as my horse and I bolted into the arena. I am so grateful for all those who have secured the freedoms that we enjoy today. I also love that the sport of rodeo makes that showcase of our gratitude to our troops such a centerpiece of our cherished rodeo tradition.

I already have treasured memories from the title thus far, and I have only officially held the crown for a couple of weeks now. I am looking forward to celebrating our western heritage across the state and the country with others that participate in this sport we love—the sport of rodeo—in a country we love. God bless America!

“Our heroes are those… who… act above and beyond the call of duty and in so doing give definition to patriotism and elevate all of us…. America is the land of the free because we are the home of the brave.” ~ David Mohoney

Photos by: Charles Brooks

West Nile

It is going to be mosquito season pretty soon. That means it’s time to make sure your horse has gotten all his shots!

This mosquito season looks like it is going to be worse than ever. Why? The economy. I know, everyone blames everything on the economy, but it makes sense in this case, at least in Arizona. Because of the economy, more homes are being foreclosed, which means more pools are going green, and I don’t mean the trendy healthy-for-the-earth green. These pools are sitting, uncleaned and unclorinated, becoming a cesspools prime for mosquito procreation.

With this potential increase in mosquito population, we will need to be even more careful about mtd’s (mosquito transmitted diseases (I am pretty sure that is not a real term)).

So, the point is, make sure your horse has all his shots! If you feel like you don’t have very much time to take your horse to the vet twice to protect them against West Nile, check out Prevenile. You can vaccinate your horse with one dose.

Oh, and a sidenote, if there is a green pool in your neighborhood, the first link I put in this article tells you who to call so someone can come out to the dirty pool and put fish in it so they will eat the mosquitos.

Kentucky Derby

Today was an exciting day in the horse industry!

Mine that Bird won the Kentucky Derby, a win that qualifies as the second biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history.

You can watch the race on youtube, and I highly recommend it!

The horse had 50-1 odds. He cost just shy of $10,000, while some of his contenders cost more than a million.

You might remember his jockey Calvin Borel from the 2007 Kentucky Derby when he won it. He is known for his skills on the rail.

Today, he did it again. In a post race interview, Calvin could barely contain his excitement. He said that at the first turn he thought he had to have been dead last, 15 to 20 lengths behind. After that, Calvin worked his magic beside the rail, and he was able to slide out in the last stretch and win by 6 3/4 lengths.

It certainly was a shocking race day. Even early this morning, Derby fans were surprised to find out that the favored horse at 3-1 odds, I Want Revenge, was scratched after trainer Jeff Mullins found a hotspot on the horse’s left front ankle.

Who knows what would have happened had the track been dry or had I Want Revenge been healthy….

Upcoming Rodeo Events

If you want to check it out, I just wrote my first Bridle&Bit article as Miss Rodeo Arizona 2009.

Also, anyone who would like to see pictures from the competition can see them on Laurie Brown’s myspace page. She is a talented photographer who was taking pictures throughout the whole pageant.

Save the date and “Get Ready to Ride”: join the Miss Rodeo Arizona herd as we roundup more fun and tradition at the 2009 MRAz Coronation! The Coronation Banquet will be held May 9th in Gilbert at Agritopia. For more information, please visit the website.

Its almost time for Payson Spring Rodeo again! It is just a week after Coronation.  The Cowgirls Historical Foundation will be performing their drills. It will also be my first ride as Miss Rodeo Arizona. It’s coming up May 15- 16 at the Payson Event Center. This is one of my favorite Arizona Rodeos. It is a wonderful way to experience our western lifestyle firsthand.

I hope to see you down the rodeo trail!

2009 Miss Rodeo Arizona Pageant

Howdy folks! It’s been a little busy, but that is because my quest to expand the ways I can preserve our western heritage just took a very hands-on approach. Last weekend, I competed in the Miss Rodeo Arizona Pageant and I am honored to have been named the 2009 Miss Rodeo Arizona.

I am very excited for this new role and am looking forward to the avenues it will create to further my mission statement.

The first Miss Rodeo Arizona was Karen Womack Vold in 1958. However, the Miss Rodeo Arizona Pageant officially began in 1983. The titleholder is known as the “First Lady in Rodeo” in Arizona and her duty is to promote rodeo and the western way of life.

That is the main reason why I am so excited to reign as Miss Rodeo Arizona– the purpose falls exactly in line with what I have been trying to do. Now with all the new opportunities, my efforts will be much more efficacious!

Stay tuned for more western history! You can expect to see the history behind many of the rodeos I will be attending: Cheyenne, Wyoming; Calgary, Canada; Payson, Arizona; Reno, Nevada; Prescott, Arizona; Dodge City, Kansas; New Mexico; Nebraska, and more.

I am looking forward to seeing you down the rodeo trail!

London’s Ride

London’s Ride was a charity event that took place at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek at the end of January. The event raised money for cancer patient families in Queen Creek, but it accomplished this through an old-fashioned trail ride. It contributed to two separate causes: supporting those with cancer and preserving our western heritage… simultaneously.

The ride was held in conjunction with London’s Run, which raised money for the same thing through a very different way. The participants of London’s Run used their own feet to traverse the distances of the Queen Creek fields rather than our four-footed equine friends.

I know those who have the common goal of keeping our western heritage alive appreciated this western avenue of community service.

Cowgirls Historical Foundation Practice

Here is a video of the Cowgirls Historical Foundation at one of their practices at Westworld. In this video, they are preparing for the Gilbert Days Rodeo. You can catch them at their next performance at the Lost Dutchman Days Rodeo at the Apache Junction Rodeo Grounds February 26th- March 1st.

Lessons Children Learn From Horses

I had the opportunity to visit Ireland a couple of years ago. While there I chatted with some very old and wise Ireland natives. One man owned a beautiful barn that was built in the 1700’s. It was full of gorgeous horses with perfect breeding and confirmation. This man certainly had a history dominated by the equestrian world.

He asked me what I thought about growing up with these fine animals. I explained the important life lessons horses have taught me, such as a strong work ethic. He then told me in his thick Irish accent “Horses are very good for young girls like you. They can teach you at a young age how to deal with your emotions.”

The veracity of that statement has been a constant theme throughout my life. Self-confidence issues are resolved once a self-conscience kid gets on a horse and soon finds himself on the ground again after the horse took advantage of him. Over confidence is met with stubborn behavior and sheer defiance on the horse’s end. Aggression results in panicky horse, while timidity results in unruliness.

Of course, inherent in these lessons are the calluses towards ‘manure’ and the resulting calluses on the hands when the child learns how to use a shovel to counter the excrement.

Most kids with horses also have to wake up early to feed. They also have time away from the TV and video games, both of which are growing distractions in the youth of today.

This video is an exploration of just what kids are learning when they are mastering the ability to control these 1,200-pound animals.

The Cowgirls Historical Foundation

The Cowgirls Historical Foundation is a non-profit organization that has the same mission statement as I do: preserving our western heritage. In fact, this group is how this mission statement was further fortified within my own causes.

The members in the organization participate in many different community events. Yet not only do these girls want to serve their own mission statement, but they want to expand their service in all sectors of the community.

Combining causes is a wonderful way to serve others and simultaneously increase awareness of your own cause as well.

The members of the Cowgirls Historical Foundation do exactly that: they have done service for Women Against Multiple Sclerosis, Florence Crittenton, Sonoran Symphony, Desert Foothills Land Trust and much more.

For many of these organizations, they aided at fundraisers while clad in their rhinestone-covered vintage western wear made by Nudie Cohen, the same man who made Elvis Presley’s famous gold lamé suit. The vintage attire is an expression of who they are and what they hold dear. So they are able to serve the two causes at the same time.

Fundraiser attendees are initially attracted to the beautiful rhinestone outfit. Thus, raffle ticket selling (or whatever method of fund raising is used) often ensues. What follows is normally a conversation about the history of the outfit, and then about the mission statement of the Cowgirls Historical Foundation.

If you or your organization have a hard time finding opportunities to promote the cause of preserving western heritage, try to integrate that cause with another one. More people will get involved, and also more people will be helped.