Art of the Cowgirl Review - Day 2
The second day of the Art of the Cowgirl was held on Saturday, February 9th. There was a full agenda that had something for everyone! The Corona Ranch arena in Phoenix, AZ was filled with all kinds of talent. Clinicians for the day were: Lee Smith (Colt Starting and Horsemanship), Brandi Phillips (Trick Riding), Sandy Collier (Cow Horse) - pictured below, Ranch Roping with Reata Brannaman, Jessica Cardon, Justine Munns, and Mesa Pate, Sharon Edsall (Cow Dog), and the Ranch Rodeo finals.
Also going on at the same time in the Great Hall at Corona Ranch was the Art Auction display and Photography Gallery. There were some beautiful, incredible items in there! While meandering through to look at everything I thought about how much work had gone into all of these items. I thought about the name of this event and how appropriate it was. This was definitely all ART!
I enjoyed the day looking at all of the vendors and various eye-candy to take in. Did I mention that it was FREEZING again?! I know this....J.M. Capriola's had to have made a haul on the fleece-lined wool sweaters they bought. Everywhere I looked I saw people wearing them...myself included (and I was SO glad to have it on)! I happened to bump into several "vriends" (virtual friends). First was Cheyanne Childers. She was one of the two winners of my Art of the Cowgirl ticket giveaway on Instagram. We got a fun pic together and I enjoyed our visit!
Next up was Tracy from MT Wild Rags. I did a giveaway of her incredible rags last year. We have chatted back and forth quite a bit so it was wonderful to finally meet her in person and give a hug! Tracy also graciously gifted me the most beautiful wild rag (pictured below our pic together). Thank you, Tracy!!
I also was thrilled to finally meet Trinity Seely in person! She is an incredible singer/songwriter whose voice sounds like an angels. I enjoy all of her music. She entertained us Friday and Saturday in the most wonderful way. I also want to say that before the ranch rodeo began she sang the most incredible National Anthem I have ever heard. My hat is off to you, Trinity! Not only do you have a beautiful voice and face....your heart and soul is beautiful too! I'm so glad we got a chance to meet, visit, and get this pic together!
Throughout the day the Master Artists talked about their trade in the Great Hall, their craftsmanship, and a bit about how they got started. They also talked about their love of what they do. When seeing their creations you can definitely tell that it isn't just time that goes into what they do....there is a lot of heart and soul.....a true love and passion lies within. The Master Artists sharing where: Master Silversmith - Amy Raymond, Master Boot Maker - Kelly Martin, Master Fine Artist - Jan Makes, Master Saddle Maker - Nancy Martiny, Master Rawhide Braider - Teresa Black, Guest Master Hat Maker - Trent Johnson, and Master Photographer - Constance Jaeggi.
After the concussion of the Ranch Rodeo the Fellowship Recipients were recognized in front of a packed Great Hall. Recipients were:
Toni Kay Tolle from Wyoming - Saddle Making Fellowship with Nancy Martiny
Alicia Adamson from Saskatchewan - Horsemanship Fellowship with Lee Smith (pictured below)
Directly following this presentation we rolled right into awards for the Clarke Butte Ranch All Women's Ranch Rodeo finals. Let me back up a bit and talk about the Ranch Rodeo finals. It was held at 4 pm and it was great watching! The 4 teams that made it back to the finals were auctioned off in a calcutta before the event commenced. The 4 teams competing were:
Bar Up: Monel Shelley, Jymme Dominguez, Desi Dotson, and Tayler Hurley
Clark Butte Ranch - Carmen Buckingham, Jessica Cardon, Justine Munns, Bailey Bachman
Goemmer Ranches: Mindy Goemmer, Dally Goemmer, Riata Goemmer, Taren Hays
Silver Creek Girls: Lindy Lehman, Natalie Norcutt, Dally Goemmer, Riata Goemmer
The teams then competed in 3 events. Elite Ranch Horse, Team Roping, and Branding. The Corona Ranch made working the steers a bit interesting because it's round. Typically cattle are worked on a flat fence as found in most arenas. I wondered how that would work when I first saw this arena, but I have to say it certainly didn't hinder anyone at all. The events were basically the same as the preliminaries with the exception that the Sort & Doctor event was excluded.
When it was all said and done here is how the teams came out:
First Place - Bar Up
Second Place - Silver Creek Girls
Third Place - Clark Butte Girls
Fourth Place - Goemmer Ranches
Top Horse Award for the ranch rodeo went to Carmen Buckingham & Harley (pictured below)
Elite Ranch Horse Award went to Jymme Dominguez and Nic. As fate would have it, my camera didn't capture a picture of her. However, I did get some video that I have uploaded of all the teams on my You Tube channel. Click here to hop over to my channel to check out those videos!
Mesa Pate and crew did an incredible job running a good ranch rodeo that ran on time (that in itself is not common). I enjoyed visiting with Mesa on the phone about the ranch rodeo before Christmas. It was the first event like this she has put on and I have to say, "Hats off to you, Mesa!"
The night went right into the Fellowship Auction. I literally had to tape my hand to my side to keep from getting into trouble....all jokes aside, there were some AMAZING items up for grabs from a custom Art of the Cowgirl saddle made by Bryan Kendrick (pictures below), an amazing set of rawhide reins with rommel made by Bill & Teresa Black, artwork by various artists, and an incredible set of leggings. In honesty, I lost track of all the incredible items and who made what, but I know this....I'm saving up my pennies for next year so I won't have to tape my arm down again! :)
The night closed out with music by Trinity Seely (pictured below) and then Lynda Thurston & Genuine Cowgirls along with an on-sight bar, food, and dancing. I heard the prickly pear margaritas were amazing! I'm following a super low carb, low sugar lifestyle so I didn't indulge, but my friend Jamie did. She enjoyed every sip!
We retired to our hotel around 9 pm and darned if we didn't make it before the hot tub closed. Shoot!! We could have used a good soak, but we were both pretty worn out so we hit the hay right away. We knew the last day of Art of the Cowgirl lay before us and we didn't want to miss out on anything!