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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 2004)
Pqge 10 Johnson takes fourth By Nat Shaw Spilyay Tymoo The Indian National Finals Rodeo was held in Southern California just about a month ago. There were a number of contestants from Warm Springs who qualified for the finals. One, Clint Bruised Head, won the World Ail-Around Cowboy Championship and also the Steer Wrestling Championship. Another who qualified for the National Finals was barrel racer Jenna Johnson. Like the old Hank Williams Jr. song, Jenna was carrying on a Family Tradition. Johnson, a great, great, great granddaughter of Paiute Chief Oitz, is a 15-year-old sophomore at Madras High School. She is a third-generation barrel racer who had a finals rodeo to re member. Jenna's grandmother, Marita Johnson, drove the family's Ford Dually pickup to San Jacinto, California, pulling a four-horse trailer. Jenna's bar rel horse, Mini, was in the back as well as Scotty, a paint horse, who was the backup. Jenna's cousin and best friend Erica Wewa was a passenger who pro vided encouragement and helped with the many chores. Jenna has been riding horses since she was five, and has been competing in the rodeo arena since she was six. Raised in the Johnson family, Jenna was bound to be a cowgirl. Her grandfather, Delford, is a calf roper. Her grandmother, Marita, has been running barrels since she was a girl. In 1978, Marita was crowned Western States Barrel Racing Champion, quali fying for the All-Indian National Finals rodeo at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. She fin ished fourth in the nation. Jenna's aunts Shanna and Una compete in barrel racing and Cow 's nutrition important to beef Submitted by Fara Ann Currim Extension Agent Last month a group of us got together to talk cow sense. Eco nomics, feeding, nutrition, and general care were the focus of the get together. Mark McFarland, large ani mal veterinarian from Madras, and Cory Parsons, livestock agent from Crook County, were our guests, and they presented beef information. Kelly and Pinky Beymer do nated the cow subjects for the talk. They brought a first time heifer, a bred cow, and an older cow that had just finished wean ing a calf. Mark started out by talking about the importance of eco nomics. The basic purpose of a breeding cow is to produce a calf to take to the sale. Economics drives this pro cess. If your cow is not breed ing yearly, or not producing healthy calves, or carrying them to term, there is a problem. You are going to be losing money and time. Nutrition is the backbone of this equation. If your cow is healthy and fit, she is going to have a good conception rate and carry the fetus to term. Thus, proper nutrition makes economic sense. Mark went on to say that raising cattle here in the west can be challenging, because our growing season out on the range is relatively short; so we have to supplement with hay. A cow eats two to three per cent of her bodyweight daily. That can translate to 20 to 30 pounds of hay per day. If she is lactating, she needs the higher amount Mark also mentioned that the hay needs to be of a quality that can provide adequate nutrition. A poor feed or an overly rich LlMAM HATIOm HNAIS MOW, m,mm 'gmmmmmJmmmi eSsW ill Jenna Johnson won in the barrel races at the Indian National Finals Rodeo in San Jacinto, Calif.. breakaway roping, as does her mother Jodel. An eye opening performance at the Tygh Ridge Rodeo in May showcased the ability of the Johnson ladies. Jenna won the barrel racing event. Her aunt Una finished second, and Grandmother Marita came in third. Jodel, also a top barrel racer, mentioned that the family travels together.: "We travel in a convoy. If there isn't enough room, we follow with another truck and trailer." Jenna Johnson qualified for the Indian National Finals by finishing second in the Colum bia River Rodeo Association. She was first in the standings until an untimely accident knocked her out of first place. When asked about how it felt to take part in her first Indian National Finals, Jenna said, "I feed is a waste of money. For instance, bluegrass straw is a good filler - a cow can bulk up on that, but it can lack adequate nutrition. Mark said he has seen cows with massive bellies, but an over all low body condition core. They were literally starving, but they always had plenty of feed in front of them. Similarly, an overly rich feed can race right through a cow. Without roughage or filler to slow it down, it will not be prop erly processed. It is important to have a balance of roughage and protein. Mark and Cory both spoke about body condition scores which range from one (ex tremely thin to the point of star vation) to nine (obese). A first-time heifer needs to have a body condition score of at least five, preferably six. Breeding cows thereafter should have body condition scores of five. Fat translates into energy; therefore a fleshy cow will have better energy to forage effec tively, take care of her young and maintain her health. Mark mentioned that vac cines are less likely to work on a cow with a low body condi tion score than a healthier one. There was also talk on min eral supplements and other care items. Mark and Cory spoke about the importance of sele nium supplementation as our soils and vegetation are low in this mineral. Supplementation can occur in a salt block. Mark also talked about the importance of worming, even in range animals. Range animals can concentrate in areas for a period of time, which can lead to worm buildups in the system. Feed additive-type wormers and pour-ons are very effective. Spilyqy Tyrooo, in barrel MATIONM JENNA JOHNSON Submrtttd photo wasn't that nervous. I couldn't wait to make my runs." In the first two go-rounds she was sit ting seventh out of 26 competi tors. At the end of the third performance she was fifth, and when all the dust had settled and the cowboys and cowgirls were headed home, Jenna had moved up to fourth in the average. A great performance from a cool and calm 15-year-old high school sophomore. A performance that equaled her grandmother's performance 27 years earlier. "People called and stopped to see how Jenna was doing at the finals," Jodel commented. "That's how much the commu nity cared about Jenna repre senting Warm Springs." When the rodeo announcer announces her name over the PA system, people watch be- Recipe: grape jelly meatballs 1 Vi cups chili sauce 1 cup grape jelly (can use currant jelly) 1 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 pound lean ground beef 1 egg, lightly beaten 3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs xk teaspoon salt Combine chili sauce, jelly and mustard in crockpot and stir well. Continue cooking while preparing meatballs. Combine remaining in gredients and mix thor oughly. Shape into 30 meat balls. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes; drain well. Add meatballs to crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 10 hours. Submitted by OSU Ex tension Family and Commu nity Development depart ment. Thank you Emilee Hugie! Worms and other parasites such as lice can rob a cow of energy and effective food processing; so, again, a simple thing like worming can make your feed more effective. Then with our patient sub jects on hand, Mark pointed out sites for vaccinations. The rec ommended place is in the loose skin of the neck, four fingers apart per site. Mark and Cory scored the cows, and we wrapped up our beef basics course with ques tions, answers, and ideas for the future. Thanks to everyone who participated! Warm Springs, Oregon racing at National Finals Rodeo cause of her ability. Being one of the youngest on the circuit, the cowboys try to protect her from the strong personalities she might encounter during the competition. The cowboys give her encouragement and advice, especially when she competes in breakaway roping on her rope horse, "Pinky." This young Scekscequa cow girl is a horsewoman. Jenna says the most important thing in bar rel racing is horsemanship. "Grandma stresses that very hard," said Jenna's mother Jodel. Jenna has spent a lot of time on a horse riding bareback. With 21 horses in the Johnson herd, there are plenty of horses to ride. The Johnson herd is comprised of well-bred quarter horses and a few paints. These veteran horses all work more than one event. They are taught to rope, barrel race, and pole bend. Jenna's barrel horse, Mini, is a beautiful 14-year-old chestnut with a white blaze and three white socks. Mini's sire is Party Jet, and she is out of the good broodmare Jordan Ruth Bars. The breeder, John Leonard of La Grande, Oregon, has bred many excellent quarter horse racehorses from this pairing. "The mare is mean and grumpy, but she will run the barrels and give 110 percent," says Jodel. "Jenna and Mini seem to get along well, and they have no problem." Jodel used to barrel race on Mini before giving her to her daughter. Jodel bought Lea it tie Smith-Lucero, 10, is a fifth grader at Warm Springs Elementary School. She is a member of the school's S.M.I.L.E. club, a math and science club. She is consistently the first student to finish the Accelerated Math Facts tests, which requires students to complete 40 problems in two minutes. She said she would like to be either a teacher or a doctor. Her favorite subject is math, and when she's away from school, she likes to read. "She always does the right thing. She's always on task, " Kevin Rodin, the School Improvement Coordinator. "She 's an all-around good kid. " WeScomme Waciion Spriiimgs Open 7 days a week, on HWY 97 in the old Outpost building, 475-9776 Open 7 a.m. til midnight, Mon-Thurs. Weekends 7 a.m. til 2 a.m. the mare from her cousin Corey Clements a few years back, "Corey had quit barrel racing and Mini had just been standing in a pasture for the last few years, so we asked Clint Bruised Head to ride her and get her started again." Jodel's husband, Morris, continued to ride her until Jodel's mother Marita and sister Una took over the train ing, making her into the barrel horse she is today. Mini has some problems with her feet, so Jenna saves her for the Indian point standing rodeos. When Jenna is competing at jackpot rodeos or the Northwest Pro Rodeo Association (NPRA) ro deos, she uses one of the other barrel horses in the Johnson herd. When asked why she gave Mini to Jenna, Jodel laughs and says, "I had a couple of well known barrel horse trainers tell me that Mini would never be a winner. So, I thought she would be a step up for Jenna, and I would buy a more expensive horse." Jodel said that within two months after Jenna started riding the mare, she beat those same trainers at a rodeo in Paulina. "It was kind of funny to watch the horse that wouldn't be a winner wax them," said Jodel. Because of navicular, Mini is a high maintenance mare, but Jodel says she is worth it. When Jodel first bought Mini, the mare kept getting stone bruises. They found that she was in the early stages of foundering, which Cold Beverages, Ice, Soda, Groceries & more November 11, 2004; means she cannot have hot feed and requires cortisone shots in , her knees every six weeks when , she is competing. She also needs to be shod in a special way. Jodel ( i said that Navajo farrier, Calvin Bahec, does an excellent job of taking care of her feet. Jodel , ( also pointed out that because Mini cannot have hot feed, what . she accomplishes she does with , j her big heart and desire to run. Marita, the on-site consultant , ,t and chauffeur to Jenna, had T some insight on the national fi- r nals that comes with being a sea- , soncd veteran. "All yearjenna's best times were in big arenas. At . w the finals, they had to come in a side gate and walk over to the ( , start line before beginning their run." Marita felt that a larger , , arena would have worked to ; Jenna's advantage." ; 1 "It was a good experience for her. I told her on the way down there that those Navajos and, Okies aren't going to move over , for anyone. She got to see the . ( level of competition she was up against at the national level."" Jenna ran in the 17.3s and 17.7s all week. Marita commented" that it rained hard before Sunday's performance. "They had a tarp over the arena but it " turned into a big lake. It just made the runs heavy." Jenna's mother Jodel owns Jo's Coffee Shop next to the Shell Mini-Mart on highway 26 in Warm Springs. -, .7 See JOHNSON on page If V.l V f