Cycling forward
The Nicholas family intends to continue chasing their passion of hauling and training their own futurity prospects. With a nice crop of current foals and Stoli’s embryos at the focal point of their breeding program, they’ve set a business plan in motion.
“We plan to keep a steady cycle going and sell them after their futurity or derby years as solid mounts for others to go on with. At this point I only train and ride for myself, which has its pros and cons. It allows me the flexibility of making my own decisions when it comes to hauling, which helps out with the kiddos and working around my husband’s career. But, that also means that all entry fees and horse maintenance costs come out of our own budget, so that holds us to running a smaller number of colts.”
Having just wrapped up the season riding another successful futurity horse, the 4-year-old palomino, Firetrain O Toole (Flaming Fire Water x Tristen Vixon x Mitey Jody), to earnings of approximately $10,000 , Nicholas says they plan to market the gelding.
“For 2015, I will be running a 4-year-old mare by Dashing Chester out of a Sail On Bunny daughter. I plan on hitting all the Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana futurities, and possibly Ft. Smith. We’ll also probably join a local barrel and pole bending club where the kids can compete. The Central Texas Barrel Racing Association (CTBRA) is great, too; one, because they have a hard-working set of directors that make it a smooth and timely operation; and, two, the ground is always good so I can haul colts there.”
While she prefaces her comment with the statement, “Never say never,” Nicholas says that she has a hard time picturing herself on the rodeo trail anytime soon. Not interested in traveling extensively, she insists that for the time being she enjoys hauling a trailer full of young horses to races and charting their progress.
Q&A with Lisa Nicholas
Q: Any words of advice for newcomers interested in futurity competition?
A: “First, study the bloodlines of what’s winning and what’s up-and-coming. Be educated and select your prospects wisely. Entering with a mediocre horse is a pretty big gamble with the steep entry fees. We were obviously blessed with a talented horse to kick off our futurity career but that’s just part of the equation. Hard work and determination is the other half. It’s not something you can enter into half-heartedly and expect success.”
Q: What do futurities involve that people might not expect?
A: “It’s 5 a.m. exhibition lines, it’s late night after-show riding sessions because the run didn’t go as planned. It’s the exhausting move-in/move-out at races. It’s overnight road trips, it’s hauling just to exhibition when it’s 32 degrees and windy or 110 degrees because you know the other futurity trainers will be there getting their colts ready. It’s watching the weather radar like a hawk to ride around Mother Nature because you don’t have a covered facility. It’s riding consistently every day – not in your spare time. It’s catering each ride to the level of the horse and evaluating its weak points to make improvements. Your uniform is a ball cap, no make-up and dirty fingernails. It’s a chronically sore neck and back because your colts have found their speed but don’t always put it in the right direction. It’s not having an ego because they are young horses and getting bucked off in the warm-up pen is a reality. It’s being the first trailer there and often the last one to leave. It’s spending your last dime at the vet to make sure your horses feel the best they can feel. It is anything but easy, but if it were easy everyone would do it!”
Q: What’s it been like for you to experience such great success as a newcomer?
A: “A lot of times people congratulate me on my success and say things like, ‘It’s nice to see someone new and not the same old names winning it.’ But let me tell you something about those ‘same old names,’ because I’ve had the opportunity to be welcomed into their futurity family and work alongside them. They win because they deserve to win. Those ‘same old names’ are the trainers dedicated enough to do all of the above. There are a lot of laughs behind the scenes and even the fiercest of competitors are always willing to lend a helping hand when needed.”
Q: How do you juggle it all?
A: “I do my best to juggle my busy life. The kids take priority. I don’t want regrets with my kids. I don’t want them to grow up and look back and say mom was gone too much because of barrel racing, or say that they had to miss out on normal childhood activities. Because of this I don’t venture up north to the futurities at this time in my life, but I can get quite a lot accomplished with the events in the Tri-State area.
I always get nervous when trying to schedule in the big races. I tell my husband, ‘I’m not sure if I can pull this off.’ He tells me to just pay in and we will find a way to make it work. He’s an optimistic person and the driving motivation behind me. Luckily, my daughter is consumed with the horse bug, and I look forward to many years of sharing this lifestyle. My son doesn’t share her competitive drive with the horses but loves them all as pets. He likes to jump on and make a run for a paycheck when he’s got a toy he wants to buy. He’s got quite an extensive Lego collection thanks to barrel racing! It has always been a family affair for us – rarely do you see me alone.”
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