Page 65 - 2021 Barrel Stallion Register

communication with them and seeing them excel and gain confidence in themselves. I think that the running and the accolades are a plus, but the primary thing to me is seeing them excel.”
Her daily routine focuses more on conditioning than on drills. “We live way out in the middle of nowhere and have these beautiful hills that I can walk or trot or lope up or do whatever,” she says. “My horses get something done with them every day, six days a week. Not necessarily a drill — it might be hand walking or pasture riding — something that associates their day with me six days a week. I spend a lot of time doing those things and not so much time in the arena.”
“She and I did a podcast a couple weeks ago and we talked a lot about time,” says her friend Farley Schweighart of Cherry Valley, Arkansas. “People are always looking for that next latest and greatest drill to do with their barrel horses, but it’s about the time you spend in the saddle, communicating and working, not just some flash-in-the-pan drill that will get you there.”
THE ROAD TO THE NFR
After 38 years of marriage, with her kids raised, Dona Kay experienced her serendipitous Russell Westbrook interview moment. With the support of family and friends, she sold all her colts and sent all her outside horses home. “In 2019, I got in my truck and left Minco guilt- free,” she says.
Her current competition horse, High Valor, whom she calls simply Valor, was bred by Lana Merrick and replaced Dona’s previous competition mount, 12 year old A Juicy Adventure (Smart Like Juice–Minis Daisey May, Carbon Nowata), aka Juice.
Eleven year old Valor is by Valiant Hero and out of the Rare Form daughter Rare High. Valiant Hero won seven of 14 starts and earned $668,633 in two years, with wins in the:
• Dash For Cash Juvenile Invitational
• Texas Classic Futurity-G1
• Heritage Place Derby-G2
• He also ran second in the Grade 1
Rainbow Derby and fifth in the 2007 All American Derby-G1.
Rare Form won 17 of 27 races and earned $278,191 in three years on the track, with wins in the:
• El Reno Stakes at Remington Park
• Mystery Futurity-G3 at Blue
Ribbon Downs,
• Campeonato Nacional Dia Del
Charro-G3 at Mexico City
• Special Effort Stakes at Remington Park
• Remington Park Derby-G1
• QHBC Sophomore Classic-G2
• California Derby
• Champion Prep Stakes (2nd Div.)
Valiant Hero, the sire of High Valor, won seven of 14 starts and earned $668,633 in two years on the flat track.
Rare Form, the broodmare sire of High Valor, won 17 of 27 races with total earnings of $278,191 in three years on the track
After 64 events throughout the country in 2019, Dona Kay and Valor earned a berth at the NFR. Once there, the team won the second and fifth rounds and tallied a grand total of $191,197.29 in World earnings for the year. (Shown running in Denver)
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