| "It's
frustrating and it was a huge setback," Smith
acknowledges. "You take the best care of your
horses on the road and then you think, how did you get
pneumonia?" With both her horses sick (Claimer and
Daisy Duke Dash, Smith's terrific futurity horse), the
tough cowgirl made the best of a tough situation at the
Dodge National Circuit Finals in April, borrowing Kim
Kammenzind's Chet to set two arena records and collect
nearly $16K in earnings.
The money would come in handy as
Claimer sat out most of the spring. When he finally
recovered, Smith admits she was really careful in
bringing the seven year old son of PESI stallion Dash ta
Fame back to the competition arena.
"He is all
I have other than the futurity colt so I didn't want to
be dumb and go too hard at first," Smith says.
"We only entered three rodeos over the Fourth. But
he was feeling better all the time."
With Claimer
feeling fit again, Smith changed tactics and hit the
trail hard come mid-July.
"We made
10 runs in 10 days and I am pretty excited that he is
handling that kind of hauling," she says. Amongst
the trip was a prosperous haul to the Calgary Stampede
where Claimer set a new arena record and won two go
rounds. Smith stuffed over $30K in her Wranglers.
"Salt Lake
was the 10th run and I was just wiped out that morning
when we were warming up. We had like five all night
drives that week, including coming from Nampa the night
before."
The schedule is
a change for Smith and Claimer as Smith only entered 31
rodeos in 2009 and says she was very picky in her
choices last season. "I went home a lot in between
rodeos," she says. "Now, I am having fun going
harder and I keep thinking, wow, he is really a rodeo
horse."
That was
obvious at the Days of '47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City.
Smith and Claimer toured the pattern at the E Center in
a blazing 13.54, nearly two full tenths faster than
second place finishers, 2008 WPRA World Champion Lindsay
Sears and Maegan Reichert. The win was worth $3,598.
Smith and
Claimer seem back to their old ways. The pair picked up
a fifth place finish at the Silver Tour stop in Spanish
Fork, Utah, worth $1,909 and a first go check at
Cheyenne where they are currently second in the overall
standings for Sunday's Championship round.
The earnings
moved her up considerably in the standings but still a
long way from a second Wrangler NFR berth. But Smith is
concentrating on next year and not worrying about 2010.
"I just
want to get enough won this year to be qualified to go
next year, make the big buildings in the winter."
Despite being
just 56th in the current standings, no one would dare
count Claimer and Smith out of the running. With money
won at Spanish Fork, they now sit 28th in the Tour
standings, less than $1,000 from a berth into the Tour
Playoffs in Puyallup, Wash. With a good chance at some
big money at Cheyenne, a Gold Tour stop, this Sunday,
Smith could be moving up again.
For more
information on the Days of '47 Rodeo, please visit them
on-line at www.daysof47rodeo.com. |
