All Dreams Are Possible if We Have the Courage To Pursue Them

With the holidays over and a New Year here, it was time to start thinking about the 2013 season!  Having over 100 members to start the New Year, certainly made me realize the potential of the good things Team DO3 can accomplish!

When I started all this, I wanted to keep the charities to THREE:  Cancer, Heart or animal rescue orientated.  However, with growth, means we can expand, helping more charities, more people, more kids with our Rodeo Kid Program. 

In September, here in the tri-state area of  PA, OH, and WV, the Best of the Best Charity Barrel Race produced by On The Road With Dawn & Clea raises funds for target="_blank">United Cerebral Palsy through Team Marley.  Dawn & Clea are so passionate about their charity and it is such a wonderful cause, that I felt it would be the perfect addition to the charities that the Team members could donate to.  We've already had a few of the Ohio members sign up
to help Team Marley and I hope we continue to acquire more! 

 

With a New Year, comes new sponsors for our Year End Reward Program.  Our newest sponsor,  /www.cowgirltuffco.com/" target="_blank">Cowgirl Tuff Co.!    2013 Year End Rewards should be exciting and bigger and better!  It really is so thrilling to watch how many people want to be a part to make a difference. 

More exciting
news, this week I was asked by the Mahoning County Youth Saddle Club to speak at the Equine Symposium in Canfield, Ohio on March 16.  At first, I declined, as I do not do well speaking in public unless they are people I know.  They assured me, that it would be 4H kids, so it wouldn't be as bad as a public speaking event.  They want me to discuss "Advanced Competition".  So, I've put some thoughts to paper and I do believe I can manage this task.  I've asked a few of my sponsors to supply me with some coupons for the kids, I'll make a handout pack for them, and we'll even set up a Team DO3 booth there at the symposium.  So should be something exciting and I'm looking forward to it, as certainly it will enable me to also spread the word about the Team!

Last but not least for this post, I watched a wonderful documentary/movie over the weekend, Wild Horse Wild Ride.  In my ever turning mind, I thought, how cool it would be to have an Extreme Mustang Makeover for a barrel race.  I was informed that the BBR (Better Barrel Races) already held such an event last year.  Then, as I chatted to some of our Team members, we thought how cool it would be to do such a barrel race to rehabilitate "kill pen" horses.  Most of us at some point or another in our horse ownership, has attended a horse & tack auction.  I can remember attending with my step father and mother as a kid.  It always tore my heart out to see the horses waiting to enter the pen to be auctioned off.  I remember it so vividly walking through the stalls, seeing some of the injured horses, skinny horses and ponies and knowing that when they entered the arena, the kill buyers in the stands would be bidding.  I wish I owned 100 acres to be able to save all these sweet souls. 

 

One of my dreams was always to be able to rescue such horses, and turn them into barrel horses, or therapy horses.  Even the Nurse Mare Foals I felt how cool it would be to raise one, train it, and in my BIG DREAM, I imagined that foal heading to the NFR!  I know, crazy!  But, with the 4D format in barrels, a horse doesn't have to have the top of the line breeding in barrels to succeed.  So, I thought, what if DO3 held a competition to save and find homes for some of these horses.  No doubt there are diamonds in the rough!  We have several team members who have adopted horses from auctions and rehabilitated them.  These horses look amazing and it amazes me they were discarded as such by their previous owners. 




Team member Julianne, with her two rescues, Misty and Roxy!

Team DO3 Member Kalie and her rescued horse Astro!

Most trainers wouldn't dream of acuiring their next prospect from an auction.  But what if there was enough money in this particular barrel race?  Isn't that what draws people to the arenas?  To draw them to purchase or breed to a certain stallion because of the potential earnings that horse could accomplish?  The fame of sitting on a 1D horse and succeeding?  If I could pull it together to have a huge added money 4D Jackpot for up to perhaps 50 horses/trainers, I think it could be a success!  I have no doubt it would be of media interest in whatever area it is held. 

The details I haven't figured yet, but in a quick idea process, I thought there could be a two week period in which each trainer could attend auctions locally and purchase a prospect.  The age, breed, etc, would all be up to the trainer.  We would document each team that is made and check receipts from the auction to verify the animal was indeed purchased from the auction house. We would follow them throughout the 100 days through video and photos supplied.  Then, the big event!  Event!  Wouldn't just be your normal jackpot, it would perhaps be like a rodeo atmopshere with excitement and entertainment!  It would be a 4D format, with awards and notararity for the trainer that wins!  We could then auction the horses afterwards to raise money for a determined horse rescue/animal rescue of choice of the trainer.  They would of course recoop their initial fees from the auction, but the 100 days of care and their time would be a donation to their charity of choice.  (My only concern would be getting enough of a crowd, in order to get all the horses homed that night!  As what happens if they do not get bid upon, and the trainer has to sell on their own.  That's my only snag in my mind.)

A sponsor actually works for a tv network, and plugged my idea to them.  So we shall see!  Wouldn't THAT be a cool reality tv show?  To follow these trainers/horse teams?  Imagine what a heart warming story it would be especially if the adopted horses end up on TEAM DO3, earning money to save lives himself!  From the kill pen-to being saved-to saving lives!  I think it would be a horse fairytale type of movie/tv show!  But, that is just me again dreaming!   But, without dreams, where would any of us be?  This whole thing of Dreaming of Three, Team DO3, etc, would not exist.   So, we'll see if I can pull this one into reality.

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. ~ Walt Disney

 Some of my ideas work, some don't.  So, time will tell.  Until then, we will continue earning money for the charities through our weekend competing, daily trail riding, and even our daily barn chores!

Our Youngest TEAM DO3 member, Van Martin, doing his barn chores for allowance he wants to donate to his animal rescue!