Katie Chism and MF Aces Famous Fling claimed the No. 1 spot at Rodeo Rapid City and split first at the Brighton Field Day Rodeo. She shares how she keeps Ace at his best no matter the temperature and tips for traveling across the country to rodeos with a family.
It was only five degrees in South Dakota when Chism and “Ace” made a run to top the leaderboard.
“I was planning on just going in and making a solid run to set up confidence for the big run we were about to head out on, but Ace dropped the hammer headed to first and I said ‘OK buddy let’s roll!’” She said. “He had a small stumble on backside of second, but it didn’t phase him and he still finished strong.”
Chism and her family then headed to sunny Florida, where it would be nearly 90 degrees.
“Kirk, my 5-year-old son and I went and gave Ace a nice bath first thing,” Chism said. “He enjoyed that very much. I made sure to keep up with his electrolytes and used the Horse Hydrator to keep him drinking. We drive through the night so the kids can sleep, but that is also harder on Ace’s rest so we made sure to get there a day early so he had some time to recover from the whirlwind trip across the country. Thankfully he had been shedding quite a bit at home before we left so he didn’t have a ton of winter hair when we got to Florida.”
The entire environment was different in Florida, but that didn’t phase Ace. Chism split the win with NFR qualifier Margo Crowther, running a 15.02, each earning $3,046. Chism is now eighth in the WPRA World Standings.
“It was a long alley and Ace likes to run hard at first — Sometimes I think he runs harder at first then he does home — so he was flying by the time we got to first but he still came around nice even with the extra momentum,” Chism explained. “I had never ran in that arena and so I usually try and watch some runs of others in a new arena or runs I have made on similar patterns, so I did that beforehand and really focused on my riding. I had some things I wanted to clean up on second and we did, so I was really happy with it.”
With such drastic temperature changes, Chism said she made sure to allow for extra time to warm up slower in Rapid City. In Okeechobee, she found a quiet, cool spot to sit with Ace and allow him to relax before their run.
“He truly enjoys his job and gives me his all each trip so I try to do my best to set him up for success whether that’s a little extra warm up or a quiet place to stand and chill out,” she said.
Outside of the seconds spent in the arena, Chism is spending time with her family who traveled with her, a dream come true for the professional barrel racer who sat out for nearly an year and a half after Ace was injured during her rookie year.
“My baby girl is only five months and I am 100% certain God gave me the perfect baby to try and make this run this year,” Chism said. “She is happy most of the time and very flexible and goes with the flow. I am nursing and so that requires a bit more coordinating and timing around my runs. Kirk is pretty well traveled since he has been going with us since Ace’s futurity year, and he adores his sister so he is also incredibly helpful. It’s certainly not without it’s challenges and driving through the night so they sleep better isn’t for the faint of heart, but my husband is my hero and I owe so much to him for standing beside me on this journey and supporting this dream. Team work makes this dream work for sure.”
With long drives between rodeos so far, they have drove at night and arrived a day early to allow Ace to rest before the rodeos.
“That has given us a chance to do some fun things. We went to a huge bouncy house place in Rapid City and then they had free carnival rides for the kids the first day we got to Okeechobee,” Chism added. “My in-laws are actually down in Naples so we have been staying down here visiting with them in-between the Florida rodeos.”
The North Central Illinois cowgirl and her family are staying in Florida until March to run at a few other rodeos before heading to Alabama and then to Rodeo Austin.
“It’s hard to describe how thankful I am for this journey and to share it with my family this way,” Chism said. “I’m truly living a life I used to pray for.”
With both exciting and challenging parts of traveling with your family, Chism shares five tips she’s learned:
1. Plan and be flexible. I’m kinda type A and like to have a plan and I think that’s super important when hauling with kids. I think it can make things less stressful when you have a game plan. Like before a fuel stop, Kasey (her husband) and I will plan and then divide and conquer for filling fuel, watering Ace, changing kids and bathroom breaks. You also have to be flexible to roll with it when things don’t go according to the plan.
2. Snacks! Kinley is too young for snacks right now, but I kind of have fun trying to find healthy fun road snacks for Kirk. It helps keep down the gas station expense too.
3. Freezing breakfast burritos or bowls is something I did this trip and it’s been super handy since mornings can be hectic and they have been easy to just pop in the microwave and have something warm and good for breakfast.
4. Little mini backpacks for the kids to pack snacks or toys. Kirk is old enough now it’s his favorite thing to pack his bag with whatever he wants to bring. It lets them be involved in the packing process and then you know they have something they are excited to eat or play with.
5. I think something that has encouraged me to tackle big goals with young kids is that the time will pass anyway, and tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone. Although it may have difficult moments, I think it’s good to show your kids you can do hard things and to persevere through it. Enjoy the gifts and talents the Lord has given you and be a light for God’s love along the way.
Barrel racing: 1. Katie Chism, 13.07 seconds, $4,670; 2. Kailey Mitton, 13.20, $3,736; 3. Lisa Lockhart, 13.25, $3,035; 4. (tie) Karson Bradley Berger and Stephanie Fryar, 13.28, $2,101 each; 6. Maggie Poloncic, 13.39, $1,401; 7. Taryn Boxleitner, 13.41, $1,167; 8. (tie) Emma Charleston, Taylor Hanson and Raelin Jurgens, 13.44, $934 each; 11. Emilee Pauley, 13.46, $700; 12. Kristi Steffes, 13.49, $584; 13. Lexi Thyberg, 13.50, $467; 14. Amy Schimke, 13.51, $350; 15. (tie) Jessica Routier and Rusty Woodward, 13.55, $117 each.
Brighton Field Day Rodeo Results:
Barrel racing: 1. (tie) Katie Chism and Margo Crowther, 15.02 seconds, $3,046 each; 3. Lindsey Muggli, 15.04, $2,200; 4. Ruby Lightfoot, 15.08, $1,692; 5. (tie) Cindy Patrick and Tara Seaton, 15.15, $1,184 each; 7. Kati Jett, 15.17, $846; 8. Abbie Crews, 15.18, $761; 9. Katie Halbert, 15.19, $677; 10. Taylor Carver, 15.20, $592; 11. Karrie Hudson, 15.21, $508; 12. Ryleigh Adams, 15.33, $423; 13. Jo Fisher, 15.36, $338; 14. Randa Irwin, 15.38, $254; 15. Kelley Carrington, 15.40, $169.
