Page 127 - Barrel Stallion Register 2019

and I met. Carey was a city slicker, but he liked horses. We got married and wound up with dozens of horses. It seemed like a natural thing for him to learn how to trim their feet. Then, he started shoeing while he was still working
for International Harvester in Ft. Wayne. Then International Harvester closed and we moved to Oklahoma. That was when he decided to shoe full time.”
Mary’s 28-year-old son Todd competes in barrel racing and also shoes. The two of them take in a few outside horses, but they limit them to the number they can actually compete on.
“Good colts are getting harder and harder to find,” Mary said. “There were nearly 1,000 horses nominated for Ft. Smith this year. We look for race-bred individuals, but a speed index doesn’t mean much to me. About the only thing I think when I see a really high one is that all the horse probably knows is run, run and run some more. That’s not what I want. I do want a horse who’s been handled, hauled, taught to move out and to gallop. We’ve worked with several horses by Merganser and have liked all of them. We also like Jet Deck breeding, and then we like to mix that with some quieter lines. We’re finding that a lot of cutting blood is mixing well with the racing lines. I’m also interested in appendix horses who have some Thoroughbred.
“We need speed in barrel horses, but we need to control it. We need speed in the turns, a horse who’s quick and who tries hard. Keeping them mentally and physically sound is the real trick. I’ve had only one horse who chipped a knee, and that was due to a spur he developed while he was racing.”
KAY BLANDFORD
Living in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Kay is
a barrel racer who devotes lots of time to both futurities and rodeos. In 1996, she was ranked number one on the top 100 riders all divisions list. She’s been an NFR (National Finals Rodeo) finalist numerous times, including qualifying on The Key Grip in 1995 and 1996. As a matter
of fact, 1996 was a very good year for her with nearly $150,000 in earnings.
“I jockeyed back in the ‘70s,” she said. “I needed money to buy a car and to pay my way into barrel races at local playdays. But, I was hooked by the time I was in the sixth grade.”
Kay currently trains horses for clients, but rides them herself in competitions. Two of the horses she has now are from the track. “I got one horse in January from the track. He’s AAA and he’s fast, but he also has a lot of sense. I think he’ll be a good one.” His sire is Daddy Hold On, the same stallion who produced (1997 & 1998 World Champion) SLM Big Daddy, who’s winning at the track just about every time he goes into the starting gate.
At her home in Elmore City, Oklahoma, Mary Burger is shown with one of the saddles she designed and endorses for barrel racing.
“We need speed in barrel horses, but we need to control it. We need speed in the turns, a horse who’s quick and who tries hard.”
“I jockeyed back in the ‘70s. I needed money to buy a car and to pay my way into barrel races at local playdays.”
Kay Blandford and The Key Grip at the 1995 National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kay and “Llavee” returned in 1996 to set the fastest time as well as a record for earnings at the NFR.
SPEEDHORSE 125
LOOKING BACK - AN EXCERPT FROM JUNE 13, 1997 ISSUE
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