Dunn’s Arena, Litchfield        

   Park, Arizona  

    By Kathie Bitzer

 Jan. 4, 2004

What do grandmother’s do on the first day of the New Year?

While most are taking care of their family needs, this grandmother was in Arizona watching her daughter compete in her second barrel race.

This time I found myself on the west side of Phoenix. This was a little more country;  more to my liking, than over on the east side. It’s amazing to me what farmers can grow in the desert.  They plant and add lots of water! Irrigation trenches line the fields. My daughter and I passed many cotton and alfalfa fields. Huge bales of cotton were sitting on the edge of fields waiting to be picked up and delivered to the nearest cotton gin. I always thought of cotton being grown in the Deep South, not the desert southwest!

We exited I-10 west and headed north. Construction of subdivisions was plentiful, but not quite the pace as the east side of Phoenix. Arizona has subdivisions they call horse property that consist of as little as an acre. This is where Dunn’s arena is located. Right smack in the middle of one of these developments.

We made a right turn into this subdivision. On both sides of the sand road were very nice homes with covered pens and horses strolling around. Horses are kept in their backyards! With the extreme heat you don’t have to worry much about the smell and waste disposal! The sun dries everything up including your manure.   Then the wind blows it away!

After going about a quarter mile you come up to a nice size pipe arena on your left. Right before the arena is a turn-in for trailer parking and on the other side of the road are houses. Continuing on, you approach a huge covered pen on one side, and a barn on the other. Next to the barn is a concession stand.   On the other side is a rodeo arena with stands. This is a very nice place and I can see why there’s always something going on here.

Today was going to be my daughter, Debbie’s, second competition run on her new horse. She has now owned Whammy for about a month and he has been at Bob and Deb Meredith’s for a tune-up and for Debbie to get lessons. This is Debbie’s first barrel horse.  

This was an America West three-day approved show. We were here just for Saturday. Debbie went off with her coaches while I started to look around. It wasn’t long before I saw friendly faces that I knew. The first person I ran into was Larry Jones, a/k/a Thumper. It seems no matter where I go, if it’s a big show he seems to be there. He said he had been real busy at the NFR and was on his way to California to work on some racehorses.

I started to walk around to the other side of the arena when I heard someone yell my name. I turned around and a friend of mine from Illinois was sitting on top of her horse! She knew I moved to Texas but couldn’t believe I was there! Wendy lives 1800 miles away and she explained to me how her and her husband spend 3 weeks at a team-roping and barrel camp. Once again it proves what a small world we live in.

Off I went again and started looking around. I saw familiar faces left and right. Barrel racing names that have become household words. I got to watch Sherry Cervi, Jolee Lauteret, Dolly Lauteret, Ryan Lovendahl, Barb Merrill and Rose Miller, the winner of the race, just to name a few. I know you’re dying to now what Jolee was wearing. She blended in with everyone. Faded blue jeans, no belt, a light Grey long sleeve T-shirt that had Disney on it and a pair of cool sunglasses. I kidded with her and asked if she felt naked? She said, “No, this is how I dress at these barrel races.” She laughed and said she didn’t think the feathers would go over too well with the colts she rides.

I watched and observed how so many people aren’t using tie-downs. About 5 people had chinks on, bling bling belts; halters, breast-collars and headstalls seemed to be the norm. I saw lots of Sport Saddles and quite a few people running with the Perfect Bits! As far as saddle pads go the new gel pads, Tod Slone and Saddle Right’s were common.

I watched Sherry Cervi run her beautiful stallion Dinero. He is something else. He can run a set of barrels and he has the manners of a well broke gelding. I can see why Sherry and her parents are so proud of him.

Then I was able to talk to the new owners of the America West! That was fun! Larry and Randy are always fun to speak with. If I could can their enthusiasm I could be rich!

Then the time came. It was the reason I was there. My daughter was getting ready to run. I have come to the conclusion that if I got as nervous running barrels that I did waiting and watching her run I would have had to quit many years ago. I was a good mother and stayed away and let her coaches take care of her needs. I watched Bob Meredith give her last minute instructions and words of encouragement. I had all kinds of memories and thoughts rush through my head! I never thought she would be running barrels! She never cared and rode very little when she was young. I can still remember when she called me about 6 years ago and proclaimed she wanted a horse! I told her to take two aspirins and call me in the morning. I told her golfing would be a much better choice to rid her of her stress from work. She’s always been somewhat of a hard head and when she decides she’s going to do something she usually does. So when I asked her what she planned on doing with this horse she said barrel race and I said go learn how to ride first. My sister found her a good instructor to teach her to ride English and 6 months later she bought her first AQHA show horse and was in the show pen soon after. She outgrew her first horse and bought a young horse that she did quite well on. She soon got tired of the huge expense of showing AQHA and a judge’s opinion and the need for speed once again came up.

 Debbie and her hubby made a huge move to Arizona. That was the beginning of her lifestyle change. Her show horse came with but ended up with a trainer to be sold. Right before her move she found out she was carrying my first grandson. I really thought this was going to be the end of her riding. Once again she proved me wrong. She sold her show horse and had Austin. She was ready for a barrel horse and called me and asked me to find her one!

900 miles away and I’m going to find her a barrel horse! Yeah right! While I was waiting for a tape on a Texas horse I had inquired on a horse from New Mexico. He had already been sold. I went browsing through some of the Barrel Horse World members web sites and I stumbled across Whammy that was on Valerie Howell’s, a/k/a Where Am I?, site. I gave her a call and gave her my list, safe, sound and a horse that will run at what ever speed she wants but will step up to be a 1 or 2-D horse when she’s ready. Valerie said, “He’s the one!” I then went on to ask her about instructors and trainers that could tune-up her and her horse. That’s when I got Bob and Deb Meredith’s name for the third time. This just started to sound too good to be true. It turned out the Meredith’s knew Whammy and agreed to take Debbie on and the rest is history. Life just couldn’t get any better then this!

Debbie made a great run! She keeps stepping up to the plate and I couldn’t be prouder! Her coaches are pretty darn proud of her too! I just have to thank the good Lord every night for allowing this whole thing to happen.

It was another great race. I saw many faces I hadn’t seen before. This is the time of the year that the snowbirds come to Arizona from the cold states and the entries double.

What is the grandmother doing in February? I’m going to barrel camp and some America West Barrel Races with my daughter and she’s going to have to share her coaches with me! Sounds only fair too me!

Later…Kathie

1 Where I Am - turnout pasture	2 Wendy from Illinois	3 Onie Zeigler	Dinero