manner in how we give that really makes a difference. The Dreaming Of Three
Team is one group of dedicated people that found a way to help those in need
through doing what they love the most, competing on their horses barrel racing or
in many other disciplines on horseback.

It all started when Pittsburgh business executive Jackie Harris rose to a
challenge that would crush most people. In the fall of 2010 she lost her
stepfather to cancer and three months later in 2011 her father passed away from
heart disease. Instead of being defeated by this huge loss, she fought back and
created the concept of “Dreaming Of Three.”

Dreaming of Three’s name came from dreaming of three fast, tight barrels in
order to win money for the charities–the three charities she will be donating
her winnings–and also about the three areas she wants to make a difference-
-1. Donating Winnings. 2. Taking families to rodeos that have a child fighting
cancer or heart disease. 3. Allowing others to have their own loved one’s initials
on her “saddle crosses” so that they can ride with her as well and honor them all
as she enters the arena each time.

The back of one of Jackie's crosses, covered with the initials of loved ones

On these crosses are initials of her own loved ones and friends, family and
stranger’s loved ones who are fighting, lost the fight or won the fight with cancer
or heart disease. Jackie wears these crosses on her saddle honoring all those
listed as she enters the arena each time.

She will be donating her winnings to the American Cancer Society, American
Heart Association and several animal rescues.

Just when Jackie’s program was taking off another difficulty jumped in her way.
Her horse became injured and was unable to compete. But once again, she rose
to the challenge and found other riders willing to carry her flag for charity in the
barrel racing circuit. As other riders heard of her efforts they offered to “ride for
the cure.” Jackie found they all had two things in common, love of their horses
and competing and burning desires to help others in need.

Now her team consists of people that are carrying her flags of charity and have
added others to the team expanding the amount of beneficiaries to include other
worthy charities. There are also many corporate sponsors who see the value
of the Dreaming Of Three vision and are getting behind it. And to show her
business acumen she has established an online store where people can show
support by purchasing one of the items available, which goes back into Dreaming
of Three to take more families to more rodeos.

Jackie stated, “Dreaming Of Three allows me to make a difference in the lives of
people who are going through horrible things. I know I am doing the right thing,
as one act of kindness causes a ripple effect, with no logical end.”

For further information on Dreaming Of Three as a program and their team
members you can visit the website at www.dreamingofthree.com
You can reach Jackie Harris at
724-272-3351
Jac...@dreamingofthree.com

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) – Family and friends remember a Whitmer High School senior who died in a car crash just before 11:30 Wednesday morning on Alexis Road near Winona Drive.

The entire family is still grieving but has set up, with the help of friends, a memorial at the location of the accident. Signs, flowers and a cross have been placed in dedication to Abigail Perkins, 17. Friends have been visiting the memorial throughout Thursday.

It is a loss only a parent can understand.

“I loved her with all my heart and she’s just gone too soon,” said mother Rhonda Perkins.

Those who knew Perkins said she was a live wire who was fun loving and feisty. Active in Monroe County’s 4-H Club, Perkins won dozens of awards in horse competitions and barrel racing.

“She lived life fast and she drove that car like she drove her horse: fast,” said Perkins.

According to police, Perkins was also driving fast Wednesday, weaving in and out of traffic. After losing control, Perkins then spun out and was T-boned by an oncoming car.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in with me yet. I really, truly don’t,” Perkins said.

The memorial was set up near the scene of the accident, less than a mile from Whitmer High School, to remember the person who friends and family said would do anything for anyone.

Perkins was also a student at the alternative Malcom-Bain Center. She was on her way there when the accident happened.

Grief counselors were on hand at Whitmer High Thursday to help students struggling with the loss.

“It’s more disbelief. It’s shock this can happen and it’s such a fast incident, obviously they had no time to prepare for it,” said Jennifer Bronikowski, counselor at Whitmer High.

Those who knew Perkins wore a pink ribbon in her honor Thursday.

Friends and family are still left in shock.

“She was just beautiful and she’s going to be 17 and beautiful for the rest of her life,” said Perkins.

Jill DeSilva opened A Bit of Both Tack Shop in Dade City last November, hoping to combine her experience in retail sales with a reputation for quality leather restorations. She stocks the basics from blankets and bridles to grooming supplies.

DADE CITY — Jill DeSilva didn’t miss a beat when a teenage cowgirl asked her to build a zebra-striped bridle.

“Do you want that in lavender or dark purple?” DeSilva said.

When she opened A Bit of Both Tack Shop in Dade City last November, DeSilva’s business plan was to combine her experience in retail sales with a reputation for quality leather restorations. In a sagging equine market she understood the gamble. Yet the diverse local horse community is keeping her busy and improving her odds for success.

“I’m meeting my quota,” DeSilva said. “Work has been steady from horsemen who know that when times are tight the best option is to get valuable tack fixed.”

A Bit of Both draws from all different equine disciplines. Western trail riders, barrel racers, ropers and cutters may be looking for bling while the English fox hunting, show jumping and dressage enthusiasts are persistent in tradition. Each has specific equipment needs.

“What they all have in common is broken and worn out leathers, buckles, irons and blankets,” DeSilva said. “And as the state and county fairs are coming, I’m expecting the 4H people to stop in.”

DeSilva, 42, is a Massachusetts native whose horse trader grandfather put her on her first horse at 18 months old. The family tradition is maintaining its course.

She arrived in Florida 20 years ago to race trotting ponies with her husband, Ronnie DeSilva, now a horse trainer at Newsome Farm. These days she and their two daughters Allison, 20, and Laura, 18, are the only active female drivers at the race meets every Sunday at Sunshine Raceway.

The DeSilvas feed and train six trottingbreds and five pleasure horses at their family farm in Dade City. Each horse consumes an average of one hay bale and a 50 pound bag of sweet feed per week. Along with supplements, routine vet visits, worming, and shoeing, their monthly costs come close to $2,000. So they know first-hand the value of repairing and reusing equine equipment.

Dr. Chet Taylor has known Jill DeSilva since she worked as a veterinary tech at his Dade City Animal Hospital. He believes that there will always be horses needed for service and pleasure.

“There’s a world of opportunity around here for reconditioning tack,” something that’s becoming a lost art, he said. “Jill knows everybody and has a knack for bending over backwards for clients.”

Registered nurse Lea Thomas, a veteran Dade City horsewoman and former member of the U.S. Equestrian Team, takes her gear to DeSilva’s shop. Thomas still rides in her 30-year-old first jumping saddle.

“Our tack is like a precious piece of furniture,” Thomas said. “It’s broken in and you’d rather re-upholster than replace it.”

DeSilva has 30 saddles on consignment at her freestanding 2,000-square-foot store at 14449 Seventh St. She stocks the basics from blankets, saddle pads, girths, bridles and halters to a wide range of grooming supplies. The former art gallery space also showcases memorabilia, equine art, jewelry, boots and clothing.

Word of mouth has spread quickly among the area’s many horse organizations including Sunshine Raceway, Southcreek Fox Hounds, Sheriff’s Posse, Cowboys for Christ and the District Six Barrel Racing Association.

When Little Everglades Ranch hosts the Southeast Conference Olympic trials for driving competition this month, and Ride for Hospice conducts its annual fundraiser March 31 at Diamond B Ranch in Trilby, Jill DeSilva will be on the sidelines.

Special to the Star-Telegram, Feb. 4, 2012

The fans of tonight’s sold-out Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo finals will see many of the world’s top competitors riding for bragging rights and hefty paychecks.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Paul Moseley

The field ranges from nine-time world all-around champion Trevor Brazile of Decatur, to former Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Kay Blandford, who was the highest money winner at last year’s Fort Worth rodeo.

The finals will feature the top 12 in each event following this afternoon’s matinee performance at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum.

Brazile advanced to the short round in team roping. He and his partner, two-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world champion Patrick Smith of Midland, rank second in the title race.

Blandford is ranked No. 2 in barrel racing. Last year, the Sutherland Springs cowgirl was the Stock Show’s barrel racing champion, and she finished as the rodeo’s highest money winner after earning $17,797.

The finals also will feature other named riders, such as seven-time world tie-down roping champion Fred Whitfield, two-time world saddle bronc riding champion Cody Wright, and seven-time world team roping champion Clay O’Brien Cooper.

A look at the title races:

Team roping: Former NFR qualifiers Erich Rogers of Round Rock, Ariz., and Kory Koontz of Sudan lead the title race with a two-run time of 10.8. Brazile and Smith rank second with an 11.4.

Barrel racing: Benette Barrington Little of Springer, Okla., who qualified for the 2010 National Finals, is in first place with a two-run time of 32.99. Blandford is No. 2 with a 33.09. Nicki Steffes, who competed Friday night, is No. 3 with a 33.26.

Bareback riding: It’s a battle between a newcomer and a veteran. The newcomer is 2011 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association all-around champion Winn Ratliff of Leesville, La. The veteran is three-time world champion Will Lowe of Canyon. They are tied for the lead with a three-ride score of 240.

Steer wrestling: Beau Clark, of Schulter, Okla., who is attempting to qualify for his first NFR, is ranked No. 1 with a two-run time of 7.7 seconds. Former NFR qualifiers Stockton Graves, of Newkirk, Okla., is No. 2 with an 8.3.

Saddle bronc riding: Cody Taton, of Mud Butte, S.D., a 2008 NFR qualifier, has the lead with a two-ride score of 166. Cole Elshere, of Faith, S.D., and Bradley Harter, a six-time NFR qualifier from Weatherford, are tied for second with 161s.

(Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Paul Moseley)

Tie-down roping: Five-time NFR qualifier Hunter Herrin, of Apache, Okla., has the lead with a two-run time of 18.6. But could face a challenge from Jared Kempker, of Eugene, Mo., who has an 18.7, and third-ranked Cory Solomon, of Prairie View, who has a 19.0.

Bull riding: Trent Cormier of Houma, La., leads the title race with a 161, five points ahead of second ranked Paul Coppini, of Kuna, Idaho, who has a 156.

AQHA is now offering a genetic disease panel test. Genetic diseases cause emotional and financial pain for horse owners and breeders. To help breeders make informed decisions, AQHA now offers a panel test for five genetic diseases – glycogen branching enzyme deficiency, heredity equine regional dermal asthenia, hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, malignant hyperthermia and polysaccharide storage myopathy.

AQHA is now offering a five-panel genetic test for HYPP, PSSM, MH, GBED and HERDA.

When the test is ordered, AQHA will send a DNA kit, and the owner will mail it to the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at theUniversity of California-Davis for testing. Once the tests are complete, AQHA will notify the owners and put the results on the horse’s record and certificate of registration.

The tests cost $85 for members and $125 for nonmembers. For the panel test in conjunction with the DNA test required for most breeding stock, the cost is $105 for members.

The effects of these diseases are wide-ranging, from mild and manageable to severe and terminal. Passing these diseases on to successive generations often causes unnecessary suffering and also leads to financial losses for breeders.

To order your test, call AQHA at (806) 376-4811 and get the process started today.

AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal or America’s Horse, visit AQHA Publications.

FORT WORTH — Last year Kay Blandford was the big money winner at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

The barrel racer from Sutherland Springs, Texas, rode her horse Talents Dark Angle for the championship and earned $17,797. Last year all of the barrel racers competed once with the 12 best advancing to the finals. At the 116^th edition of the show, 202 women are competing for a spot in a progressive round with the 12 fastest combined times moving onto the finals.

Blandford moved into second place in the first round here on Sunday afternoon with a 16.51 second run. At the Sunday evening performance, the fastest time was 16.90. With just two more performances left in the first round, Blandford is looking very good to get a big check in the round. More importantly, she will get to compete here again and with a fast run in the progressive round, she will be looking good for another championship and a big Fort Worth pay day.

After 10 years of qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, three world championships and nearly $2 million in career earnings, it would seem that there is little in rodeo that Will Lowe hasn’t accomplished. However, the bareback rider from Canyon, Texas, has never won the rodeo here.

To win a bareback title here, competitors must have successful rides on four horses. Lowe has done that on three and now is tied for first in the overall standings with Winn Ratliff from Leesville, La. Each man has 240 total points. Lowe rode his first horse on Saturday night and scored 77 points. He followed that up with an 84 and 79 on Sunday.

There are two performances of the rodeo here on Monday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Women’s Barrel Race:  1. Kay Blandford, Sutherland Springs, Texas, 16.51; 2. Christy Loflin, Franktown, Colo., 17.13; 3. Kelly Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 17.21; 4. Rainy Graham, Gardendale, Texas, 17.37.

Current Leaders:

Women’s Barrel Race: 1. Carlee Pierce, Woodward, Okla., 16.45 seconds;  2. Kay Blandford, Sutherland Springs, Texas, 16.51; 2. Benette Little, Springer, Okla., 16.55; 4. Randa Kellogg, Point, Texas, 16.59; 5; Callie Chamberlain, Colorado City, Texas, 16.64; 6. Rachel Primm, Washoe Valley, Nev., 16.65;  7. Trula Churchill, Valentine, Neb., 16.67; 8. (tie) Layna Kight, Wills Point, Texas, and Tana Renick, Kingston, Okla., 16.73; 10. Lisa Lockhart Oelrichs, S.D., 16.74; 11. (tie) Nicole Ferrell, Wendell, N.C., and Jana Bean, Fort Hancock, Texas, 16.75;  13. Kaley Bass, Davenport, Fla., 16.76; 14. Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore., 16.80; 15. Tammi Reynolds, Troy, Texas, 16.81.

By Terry Evans

FORT WORTH — Barrel racers love going fast.

Nicoletta Marchesi, riding Famous China Doll, races to the finish line at the Quarter Horses Senior Barrel Race during the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Monday January 30, 2012. (Special to the Star-Telegram, PHOTO BY Bob Booth).

“Basically, it’s a controlled runaway,” said Chris Martin, a breeder, trainer and teacher who also competes.

In a contest where a win depends on hundredths of a second, he said, a smart horse can make all the difference.

The 31-year-old Paris man was one of the early riders in Tuesday’s American Quarter Horse Association Barrel Race classes in John Justin Arena.

Unlike professional rodeo, AQHA and American Paint Horse Association barrel racing is open to men and women.

Glenn Beck, a horse show superintendent, said about 90 percent of barrel racers are women.

“But a lot of cowboys train barrel horses, and they come after that money,” Beck said.

A $3,500 check awaited the top finisher from 65 barrel racers who returned Tuesday night for the Cowboy Publishing Timed Event Challenge.

More than 300 competed Monday and Tuesday to qualify, and only those who finished their runs in 15.97 seconds or less advanced.

That’s not easy. A rider must guide the horse through a cloverleaf pattern, completely circling each of three barrels set in a triangle. Barrels one and two are 20 feet from the starting/finish line and 30 yards apart. Barrel three is 35 yards from them. A laser starts and stops the clock as the horse charges into the arena, leans into the turns and runs full speed back to the gate.

That’s why a lot of barrel racers do it, said Trina Murray, a 43-year-old Fort Worth mother of three teenage girls.

“It’s the thrill of going fast,” Murray said. “I’ve been riding since I was 4 but barrel-racing only the last seven. My daughters wanted to race, so we all started together.”

Catherine Murray, 16, got into cutting, and Margaret Murray, 13, started playing “polocrosse” (think lacrosse on horses). Only 15-year-old Tillar Murray stayed in barrels with her mom.

Trina Murray lamented that despite the skill of her 13-year-old gelding, S.L. Hellbender, she isn’t as fast as Tillar. But that’s OK.

“That is probably the greatest thrill for me, to see how far she’s come,” Murray said.

For barrel racers like Becky Cook, though, there’s another motivation. She’s the breeding manager and barrel horse trainer for the Harrison Ranch in Fulshear, a tiny town outside Houston. When she does well on horses from Dan and Rosemary Harrison’s ranch, people in the market for barrel horses notice.

Cook’s dad, Jesse Gonzales Jr., just retired as the ranch foreman, a job once held by her grandfather, Jesse Gonzales Sr. Now, she’s in charge.

But she’s also honest about an ulterior motive: Riding fast is fun.

“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it,” she said.

Terry Evans, 817-390-7620

By Jim Freer

Voters in Gadsden County, Fla., Jan. 31 approved a ballot issue that authorizes a casino with slot machines at Gretna Racing, the Gretna facility that Jan. 16 completed the first pari-mutuel barrel racing meet in Florida.

Also on Jan. 31 voters in Washington County, Fla., approved a ballot issue that authorizes a casino with slot machines at Ebro Greyhound Park in Ebro, which is about 100 miles west of Tallahassee.

The legality of opening a casino at either site and of the future operation and expansion of pari-mutuel barrel racing in Florida are among issues under review by the state’s legislature, its attorney general, and several regulatory agencies.

The Gadsden County vote was 6,042-3,558 in favor of allowing slots at Gretna Racing, which is about 25 miles west of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle.

Research by The Blood-Horse indicates there have been no other recent pari-mutuel barrel racing meets in the United States. Gretna Racing held its barrel racing meet under a Quarter Horse license issued Oct. 19, 2011, by the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.

Two Florida Quarter Horse associations, supported by two of the state’s Thoroughbred associations, maintain that pari-mutuel barrel racing is not legal under Florida law. They are asking the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings to revoke Gretna Racing’s licenses for Quarter Horse racing and for a poker room (related story). That state agency has scheduled a hearing for March 28-30.

Creek Entertainment Gretna, which owns and operates Gretna Racing, is 70% owned by the Poarch Creek Indian Tribe of Alabama. Marc Dunbar, an attorney and lobbyist in Tallahassee, and David Romanik, an attorney and former president of Gulfstream Park, each own 10% of Creek Entertainment Gretna.

In a statement following release of election results Jan. 31, James Dorris, president and chief executive officer of the Poarch Creek Tribe Gaming Authority, said he expects a Gretna Racing casino would create about 1,500 jobs in Gadsden County.

“With the passing of the referendum, we believe we have completed the requirement set up in the statutes to have slot machines at our Gretna facility,” Doris said. “We will now work through the licensing process with the State of Florida and deal with those who will erect legal obstacles to oppose the project.”

The United Florida Horsemen, a coalition led by Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse associations, has been emphasizing that the traditional Quarter Horse meet at Hialeah Park, compared with barrel racing at Gretna, has created considerably more jobs as well as wagering and revenue for Florida. They maintain that barrel racing is a low-cost way to obtain poker licenses, and perhaps casinos, to compete with established horse tracks and their industries.

In a statement issued following the Gadsden County vote, the United Florida Horsemen said: “Notwithstanding the fact that the Gadsden County slots referendum was held based on the unlawful premise of ‘pari-mutuel barrel racing,’ the travesty is that, regardless of tonight’s outcome, the people of Gadsden County and the City of Gretna are being cheated out of exponentially jobs and long-term economic development they could have had if Gretna Racing  were holding legitimate Quarter Horse racing instead.”

Members of the United Florida Horsemen include the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, the Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Association, the Florida Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association, and the Florida Barrel Horse Association.

The two Quarter Horse associations are plaintiffs in the petition to the Division of Administrative Hearings.

A more immediate issue is that on Jan. 12 Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an advisory opinion that the Florida DPMW and its parent Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation cannot issue a casino license to the facilities in Gretna and Ebro or in any counties other than Miami-Dade and Broward. Bondi noted that a 2004 constitutional amendment and a follow-up 2006 state law allow casinos and slot machines only at pari-mutuels in those two southeast counties.

Officials of the Florida DBPR said the agency intends to abide by Bondi’s opinion. However, that opinion is not binding, and there are expectations Gretna Racing will file a lawsuit to challenge it.

Meanwhile, the Florida legislature is considering a bill that would allow the government of any county in the state to authorize a referendum in which voters would determine whether the county’s pari-mutuel facilities could have slot machines. If such a bill is passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott, it apparently would override Bondi’s Jan.12 opinion. A separate bill would amend some definitions of racing in Florida.

Gretna Racing has been able to hold pari-mutuel barrel racing, rather than traditional flat track Quarter Horse racing, because Florida laws specify the breeds of horses but not the types of races that must be held with horse racing licenses. It has abided by a requirement to have Quarter Horses in at least half of its races.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Dennis Jones states that “horse racing does not include steeplechases, hurdle races, barrel racing, timed events, pole pending, or any other rodeo” or related events. The bill also states that Quarter Horse racing may be conducted only “on a straight path on a traditional oval or straight path.”

If passed, the bill would become effective July 1, 2012. Jones said he is uncertain whether Gretna Racing would be able to continue to have pari-mutuel barrel racing. The legislature is scheduled to end its 2012 regular session March 9.

The Florida DBPR and Florida DPMW have scheduled a public hearing March 13 on issues related to definitions in Florida pari-mutuel racing laws.

Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/67234/voters-ok-slots-at-florida-barrel-racing-site#ixzz1l95a283q

January 29th, 2012 in Glen Rose, Texas is a day I will never forget. I’m sure several hundred other people will agree with me.

It was on this day, that Karen Wyatt headed down the alley on her black gelding Dashton aka Ash, like she had done many times before. He headed into the Glen Rose Expo Arena with his ears perked and at full attention. Getting a stride away from the first barrel, he rated beautifully with his nose tipped to the inside, positioned perfectly to make what could have been a perfect turn. Instead, the crowd heard a pop that sounded almost like an overreach, but was as loud as a rifle. He took several more strides, trying to complete the turn and the job he was sent into the arena to do. The crowd gasped and yelled, as Karen tried frantically to pull him up and get off of him. While he hobbled on three legs, she hung half way off of him with her foot stuck in the stirrup. Someone from the crowd, yelled for a barrel setter in the arena to help her. Several people came to her aid. The music was turned off, all talking in the arena turned to a whisper. The loudest thing heard were the hundreds of hearts breaking all at once.

I can’t imagine what she is going through. I don’t know if I would ever be able to bounce back from something this tragic. I love this sport and we all know that accidents happen, but I just can’t even imagine. So many awful things happen in this lifetime and we don’t know why they happen to us or for that matter why they even happen at all. There was no bad step that I could see, the ground was safe, he was in the right position. Of all of the conditions that “could have been” I wouldn’t have thought that this could have ever happened to anyone at this race.

Karen is in the first row, 2nd from the left with the brown shirt on.

We take chances, every time we get in our car, get on our horse, or make a decision on any given day. We try to prevent everything we can from going wrong and yet still we have no power when it comes to these types of outcomes. Life is precious. I think that is why it is so important that we do what we love and love what we do. Because in an instant, it could be over. I have yet to run into a stronger group of people than barrel racers, they are hard working people with kind hearts. They always seem to bounce back and they are a true reflection of a true America. Stories of their perserverance are around every corner. I’ve had to tell myself in the past that barrel racing is not what defines me, which I believe is still very true. However, I can not deny that most barrel racers can be defined in a certain way. They are strong, dedicated, compassionate, loving and hard working. It is with this in mind that I can’t imagine ever NOT bouncing back from a tragedy like this.

15 year old Dashton (Ash) stood there patiently in the arena as they took his saddle off and splinted his leg up. He was under the immediate care of two vets within minutes of the accident happening. A large stock trailer was pulled into the arena and he was loaded up. The x-rays showed that his hock was shattered. Karen made one of the hardest decisions there is to make in life and put him down. She hauled him home and buried him this morning.

I hope she finds comfort in knowing there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who are shedding tears and thinking about her today. I hope she finds comfort in knowing that.

“….I risk my life every time I climb on a horse. I’m not afraid. Neither are they. I want to win, just like they do. It’s true. The last horse I rode ran so hard his heart burst. But it’s who they are. And it’s who I am.” –(movie) Ronnie Turcotte, Secretariat