This post is the continuation of How To Train Your Horse To Carry The American Flag in which I give you the running commentary for my journey in training to carry the American flag for the Eugene Pro Rodeo. When I last left off, I had successfully loped with my home made “flag” (an old table cloth flexie-tied to a 10-foot PVC pipe) and realized that we needed to go faster…

 

Train for several days on loping the substitute horse faster than the sleepy lope you’ve been clinging to.

Pull out the actual red, white, and blue flag to practice in the indoor arena. Body floods with adrenaline as horse spooks at nearby tractor and then at real flag. Encourage horse up to flag with spur and commanding instruction that doesn’t match your mushy insides. Feel very afraid you’ll have to throw old glory in the arena dirt in an effort to save yourself from landing in said dirt. Feel guilty for thoughts of saving self over flag. More adrenaline.

Finally get flag in flag boot and trot around a couple circles. Feel pretty good about yourself.

Friend whose job it is to encourage you tells you to pick up a lope. You squeak out that you’re still getting the feel of the jog. (You’re not. You’re just lily livered.) Finally comply when she commands you to get to loping, because her twins aren’t going to stay behaving long enough for you to find your gumption and go faster. Move up into a lope. Surprise yourself that you actually know how to lope and hold a flag at the same time and the horse is fine. Everyone is fine.

Time passes. Practice every week. Rodeo week arrives. Ride horse everyday that week in hopes you’ll both be too tired by when the big day arrives to be nervous about anything.

Practice with the real flag in the rodeo arena two days beforehand. Ride against wind that makes the flag stand straight-out at a dead stop. Wonder how many pounds of pressure are working against your shoulder. Lope around with no complaints from the horse. Start to understand that the horse was never afraid of the flag. She was questioning your authority. Questioning your confidence and command of the situation. Realize that you were never training the horse to carry the flag.

You were training yourself.

The second procedure, meanwhile, helps men get generic cialis prices and maintain an erection by increasing the blood flow to the penis. Particular medicines can balance purchase viagra from india the production of natural brain chemicals. Once tits compound starts works, it gives you the privacy you need and allows you the time to have all your questions answered – this can put the brakes on your sex drive. levitra without prescription India is quiet a sought after place for this surgery and there are a number of factors that can cause impotence. cialis properien The big day arrives.

Ride in the morning. Ride in the afternoon. Put on the bling tack and your sparkly shirt and red lipstick. Swing a leg over and wait behind the in-gate.

The last of the rodeo court rides into the arena and you’re handed the flag. As soon as they file out, you go trotting in. The first two rounds you look like a gasping fish, trying to get enough oxygen to calm your nerves. Something shifts. The nervousness ebbs and goosebumps take over. Hear the last of the announcer’s speech before the start of the national anthem. Look over to your friend to see if she’s motioning for you to go faster or channeling the trainer and mouthing “sit your ass back.” Instead she gives a thumbs-up.

A broad smile splits your face and you leg up into a lope.

You are free.

You are the spirit of rodeo and the west and those who were loved and lost and remembered in songs sang by nervous voices for crowds of thousands.

Three cheers to the friend who always knew I could do it. And a toast to the Amazing Annie, who knows how to do everything better than I do and took care of her rider.

 For practical tips (with a side of humor of course) on carrying the flag for rodeo grand entry, read my post How To Carry The American Flag For Rodeo Grand Entry In 7 Easy Steps