Dona Kay Rule is a four-time qualifier for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) with her horse, Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) 2019 Horse of the Year, High Valor.

The Minco, Oklahoma, resident first qualified for the NFR in 2019 with the 2009 gelding and has stayed in the top standings each year since.

High Valor has been a steadfast partner for Dona Kay, and she values both his character and his athleticism.

The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) is the oldest women’s sports organization in the country. The association started in 1948 with a group of Texas ranch women who wanted to add a little color and femininity to the rough-and-tumble sport of rodeo.

“I’ve done this my whole life, training horses, running barrels, studying it; and being a student of the game,” Dona Kay said.

“High Valor is what you look for. He has the conformation, he has the real power, he has all kinds of try. Attitude and conformation are very important. But his kindness is my favorite thing about him.”

Keeping her horse healthy and happy while competing at the highest levels of barrel racing requires conscientious care and a good relationship with equine professionals.

No matter what discipline, good horsemanship is crucial to keeping your horse sound, Dona Kay said. This also means investing time in conditioning your horse before competing.

“Don’t just pull your horse out and rodeo when you haven’t ridden him in three weeks,” Dona Kay said. “It is not just about having fun. You must work at it.

“I’ve been gifted with being able to feel things in my horse, and when something doesn’t feel right, I have to count on my vet to be able to locate it,” Dona Kay continued.

“So, between my farrier and my veterinarian, I just don’t know if we could have gone as hard as we have for the last five years, and still had a sound horse out of it.”

Dona Kay goes to around 50 rodeos each year, which requires intentional care. She found her veterinarian after Valor got injured a few years ago. Her veterinarian sister-in-law introduced her to Amy Barnes.

“She just had magic eyes and magic hands, and she found the injury, a ligament strain,” Dona Kay said. “We got right on it, and Valor placed at Greeley, at Estes Park, and several rodeos immediately following Amy’s help.”

Having a primary veterinarian means being able to have a solid baseline on your horse when they are sound and healthy, and your vet can better recognize when something is off that needs investigating.

“It’s a big deal to have a great relationship with your veterinarian,” Dona Kay said. “You should be able to talk with them, tell them what you think, and then you should be able to be quiet, listen to what they say, and formulate a group solution.”

Dona Kay believes in excellent quality feed. She has a simple, regular maintenance program that hinges on paying attention to the horse’s wellbeing every day.

“When we have a red flag or a yellow flag, or something that doesn’t seem quite right, we look at it pretty carefully,” Dona Kay said.

Part of her maintenance routine includes regular administration of a joint supplement that replaces lost or damaged synovial fluid, aiding in joint health.

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“Farmers and ranchers are never satisfied with weather conditions.”

During record dry days, conversations are always about the severe need for moisture. Possible ways to provide water for livestock and home use are discussed as wells, streams, springs, and ponds go dry.

Hauling water is a major costly effort with thoughts about developing permanent relief by establishing rural water lines. While rural water meters could have been purchased decades earlier for a few hundred dollars, present water supplies were adequate.

With all expenses in an agricultural operation, another initial and monthly bill seemed an unnecessary added cost. Today, getting that same rural water line put in is a complex ordeal considering time, paperwork, layout, and construction.

Most significant though is the price tag, nearly a thousand times what it would have been initially. Still water is the most essential nutrient for people and livestock.

They cannot live without it, making development of a perpetual clean water source essential regardless of the expenditure. Government assistance programs are available in various forms to cover portions of water development expenses.

Likewise, financial institutions realize the importance of water and generally cooperate with partial funding. In extreme cases, limited dispersal of farm property may be essential, or material goods required as capital to acquire the support.

Moisture has always come at some time even if far later than when desired or needed. That is a major relief to agriculturalists in general, but many continue complaining.

An early snowstorm that was said to provide about 10 percent moisture provided optimism for increasing supplies. Yet the snow was a “mess” to describe it most accurately.

It was virtually impossible to see as the big flakes were falling and blowing. Varying from eight to 12 inches in depth, walking through the yard was difficult to nearly impossible.

Feed trucks and tractors were challenged to get chores done for the cold hungry livestock. Fortunately, warmer days followed, and the white stuff melted away as mud and ruts in roadways and pastures deepened.

With feedstuffs already in short supply, there was considerable waste during the snow and aftermath mud.

No need to worry, the weather will change, the weatherman will be wrong, and complaining will continue.

Reminded of Job 37:10: “He orders the snow and rain, No one can escape the weather, it’s there.”

+++ALLELUIA+++

XVII–51–12-17-2023