Chat with Patty Nunnery, Barrel Racing is her life!

I enjoyed chatting with Patty Nunnery. She has accomplished so many things in her life! She is a barrel racer first and foremost, and a dang good one.  She has also served as the NBHA State Director for many years and is on the NC Horse Council Board of Directors. Patty has mentored and encouraged many lives in our industry! I know you will enjoy getting to know her.

Transcript

Rose Cushing: 0:15

Thanks for tuning in to today's Horsewoman podcast. Our show explores women in the horse industry as they share their dreams, challenges, and successes. What drives these women? Well, let's find out. It's Rose Coaching, hosting today's Horsewoman, and we are in Hope Mills this morning, visiting with Patty Nunnery. And I met Patty Nunnery through baseball. Yeah, we met Patty a long time ago through barrel racing. And we've been friends for a good while, and Patty has come a long way with barrel racing, and she has a pretty interesting story, and I think you guys will enjoy it. So, Patty, tell us how did you get into horses in the first place?

Patty Nunnery: 0:59

I was a typical little girl that fell in love with horses. Parents didn't have them, wasn't around them, just fell in love with the animal itself. And was the kid that screamed when I went to the fair and had to get off the pony, and if I got any opportunity to touch one, see one, I was ecstatic. I mean, you know, so yeah, so I had that whole kid dream. So graduated high school, like a dum-dum, said, I'm not going to college, I'm gonna buy me a horse. There you go. So I had a job and I was working and I felt comfortable with that. So I bought myself a trail horse. I mean, you know, spent the money that I had available in my savings account and boarded him and did all that kind of stuff and got fulfilled my dream of owning a horse, you know. So um, and I don't get I just I I learned a lot from boarding and then being with people who had owned horses for years, so that was a good influence on me or whatever. And then I read, I mean, I read every book, every magazine I could get my hands on about how to get better at ownership, how to get better at writing, you know, why they did the way they did, you know, and and all that. And this was back in the 70s. So, I mean, late 70s. So, anyway, so that was like fulfillment of a dream, you know, kind of thing. And and I did love it. I did love him. He was nothing special, but he was mine.

Rose Cushing: 2:22

That first one always will have a place of it.

Patty Nunnery: 2:24

Absolutely, absolutely.

Rose Cushing: 2:25

So, how did you get from there to barrels?

Patty Nunnery: 2:28

There to barrels. Uh, it was a little bit of an adventure. We my dad ended up moving, and I ended up moving with him, therefore sold my first horse, didn't have a horse, uh, went to actually moved to Kentucky, which, oh god, another dream. I'm living in Kentucky with all the racehorses and all the all the horses, you know. So didn't have quite the ability to own one at that time. Had a friend that I met, had an acquaintance, he wanted me to ride one, so I still had access to a horse. So that that fulfilled that piece of me, you know, because to me it's always about it's a piece of you. Once you truly dedicate yourself, it becomes a piece of you. And it's no question that, well, like the kids, you know, horses become your kids. So like a piece of your life that you can't get rid of. Um, so anyway, so I lived there for a few years, moved back to North Carolina with my parents, um, got back here and wanted to get another one, got a great job, was able to buy another one, same kind of deal, trail horse, but he was registered, so I moved up just a little bit, you know, um, got me a little better one, much more broke, uh, much more trains, that kind of thing. Uh, and uh he was very enjoyable. Then I started the people that I was boarding with, because I still didn't have a place to keep him on my own. So I was boarding with someone, and they we would travel to the sales. Back at that time, it was Pike full of Sourge City. This was back in the 80s, so we went to all the little horse sales and stuff, met a gentleman there, ended up actually getting married to him, and that's how I got into barrel racing because he was avid into barrel racing, that kind of thing, and so it was like you know, there's barrel horses out there, just go have fun with them, you know. So that's kind of how it started. Alright. So, and um had never competed at anything like that. The very first run I ever made was in an AQHO show. I never will forget it. I thought it was absolutely flying, it was not flying. When they call the time out, I was like, oh, that sounds horrible. But it was just a it's just a it's bow racing because of the fact that it's it's a little more simplistic than some of the other showing that you do in regard to you know your attire and your the qual I mean you you we want quality stuff, but it's not gauged upon how pretty our stuff is or how well made, yeah, I mean well, you know, how how expensive it was or whatever. So that part of it always was kind of fed to me by the people that I was associated with. Like, it doesn't matter what we do, as long as we do it out there in the dirt, you know, from timerline to timerline, that's what matters, you know. Um, so I was like, man, that's kind of a great concept, you know. Nobody's gonna be sitting here gauging me as to whether or not my tack is clean enough or my horse is clean enough. So so that kind of that that kind of thought process kept me in that that lane, I guess, you know. Um now this was back also in the late 80s, so there wasn't a whole lot of barrel racing that went on. I mean, not really. There were several shows a year that we would travel to, and I mean it would go Virginia, Maryland. I mean, it was places you had to go to. They weren't every weekend, two or three a weekend to pick from. I mean, you know, um, and they were what we called straight barrel races, so we didn't have a divisional format. It was you either placed in the top XYZ, like top 10, top five, whatever it was that was gonna pay, or you just drove home. So that made everybody a lot more competitive. I gotta get, I gotta say that. I felt like you know, it was like because if you didn't have anything, you wouldn't drive all the way to Maryland if you didn't feel like your horse could compete with everyone that was gonna be there. I mean, and like I say, everybody on the East Coast would just hoard these places because there just wasn't a lot of places to go. So that kind of you know was a concept, and then the only other barrel racing that was going on was rodeoing. Okay, you could be as as when we could rodeo, um, which I started that in the late 80s, um, and very competitive, very competitive, even as what we called a weekend warrior, you know, working throughout the week, Monday through Friday at a job, then trying to load up and go to rodeos on the weekend, you know, it was very, very competitive. Um, because you know, you had families that were in the rodeo family that their husbands wrote, their kids were rodeoing, they rodeoed, their parents rodeoed, and then there was those trans, what I call like me, like a transient, didn't have any of that. Right. And I just roll in there and say, I'm gonna rodeo. You know, so and again, it was all about competitiveness because the top five or six is what we get checks, and the rest of you would just spend money, you know.

Rose Cushing: 7:06

So what's the difference between rodeo barrel racing and barrel racing otherwise, straight barrel racing?

Patty Nunnery: 7:11

Uh rodeo barrel racing is primarily for women. There's not any rodeo association that I know of that allows men to compete in those barrel races. Um, and because it was designed as a woman sport, it was, you know, so when you go to the WPRA, PRCA, like the NFR, you'll never see a man running the NFR. Um, yeah, they just don't they just don't do it. Um now, and then when you go to the regular barrel racing world of today, uh and you go to regular barrel races, you'll see a combination of men and women, you know, and uh there was a time where women still outnumbered men, but I I I don't know where we are demographic-wise, but I mean when I look down through the list, it's pretty much a 50-50 deal now. Um and and uh to say that one has the advantage now, it's really not. The sport has transitioned so far to horsepower, it's all a horsepower game now. Uh it's it's where the industry is now. I mean, horses are just so much faster. 15, 20 years ago, you'd have one or two that would just stand out like everywhere that horse went, it was a given. Okay, that one's gonna win. Where's every everybody else gonna be? Even after divisional formatting. Uh you know, we came into division 4Ds and 5Ds and 3Ds, you know, that kind of thing. It didn't it didn't matter. You still had those horses that were gonna just excel. Now, when you look down through there and you look at the results of any barrel race, you'll see the 1D, which is the fastest horses before you get to that half second break. You'll have 40 and 50 out of 200 in that 1D. Wow, which is I mean, that's a lot. That's that that's I mean, when you're talking splits, I mean, not even seconds, you're talking hundreds of seconds and tenths of seconds, you know, that that divide them. You know what I'm saying? And that's just a breath.

Rose Cushing: 9:01

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Patty Nunnery: 10:03

I feel like we, I mean, we have come a we've come a long way. And there, I went to a show this past weekend and I saw so many people that I've never seen before. And it's amazing to me that there are that many people that want to get into this industry and and be part of this, you know. Um, and a lot of it, a lot of them are kid oriented, yeah, it's kid oriented, which is great. Um, and then you know, when you because as these children grow up, they're going to be the ones who are buying the land and buying the trucks and buying the trailers and continuing on, continuing the sport on, you know, which is what I tell everybody, you know. You've got I decided years ago, uh, before I ever uh started MBHAing and all that kind of thing, you know, and becoming more of an active role in helping the sport, you know, supporting the sport in a different way, other than paying an entry fee. Uh, you've got to figure out what can you add value to this sport to help enhance it. You know, whether it is putting on a show, whether it because just going to the show, yeah, that's great, but at the end of the day, we all have to kind of step out of our box and say, where can I, where can I help? You know what I'm saying? If it's uh the friend, if it's the trainers, the you know, the people that are giving lessons Monday through Friday, and they're giving lessons to people who just want to sit on horses and learn how to balance and learn how to ride, you know, that little plug of, hey, we got a bar race Saturday, why don't you come and watch? You know, that kind of thing just helps grow the sport and it will make it the the longitude of it will just extend, extend, extend because if we all just stopped one day because we got too old, right, then who's gonna take it? Who's gonna be the one? You know, and that's where you know I try to, now that I'm older and in my 60s, I keep encouraging the people that are in their 20s and 30s, you know, yeah, you might not want to do this, but somebody is going to have to step out of the box and try to help. I mean, because it it just it's what's gonna keep it alive, you know, because we can't we can't do it when we're 80. Or I can't do it. Believe me.

Rose Cushing: 12:10

I feel it every day. Um, I realize that in a lot of the equine disciplines, there's not a huge component of kids, and in barrel racing there is, and so that gives me great hope for that to continue on.

Patty Nunnery: 12:22

Gotcha. Now that's great to see.

Rose Cushing: 12:23

That's great to know. And little boys.

Patty Nunnery: 12:25

Yeah.

Rose Cushing: 12:26

Because so often little boys don't do that.

Patty Nunnery: 12:28

Yeah, well, you know, and a lot of it to me, I mean, which I had a girl, I didn't have a boy, but I know a lot of friends that have boys, you know, and boys are they want to play ball, they want to do that, and a lot of times that's what takes them away from the sport. Um, you know, instead of them just being like little girls that just, you know, have oh, I can cheer and I can be a be I can be a bar racer too. Yeah, so um, and I think part of it might be just these iconic roles, you know, that that are out there for the little boys to look up to, in other words. I mean, we have the Haley Kenzels and the you know Emily Millers and all the people that are on the pro level for our little girls to look up to, right? And so it may be the little boys looking like, hmm, who am I supposed to be looking up at? You know, so so yeah, so you have to you have to hope that the the the pro guys that are out there, you know, and some of them are as nice as they can be, you know what I'm saying, that they that they reach out and that they that they do what they can do to try to try to bring kids into in, especially little boys, into the sport, you know. Um I'm gonna do a plug. You can cut it if you want to. Um but like Talmage Green, yeah. I mean, iconic bar man man barrel racer. Yeah, millions of dollars won. You know, he has gotten to the point to where he does more a lot of clinics now versus competing. Uh and it's because and he runs what they call the Team Talmage Group group, which is all kids, that you know, he goes and supports. And I mean, you know, when Team Talmage rolls in, you know, you know, okay, Team Talmage is here. Now they got a whole aisle of barn with a whole bunch of horses in it, and they're coming here to take our money. They come to win. That's right. Team Talmage is like all about winning, and which is great. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that. But but Talmage is great about understanding that he has to do his part. You know what I'm saying? Like Martha Josie did it years ago and still does it with a great, but again, it's a woman to look up to versus these little boys having a guy to look up to and say it's okay to be a bar racer, it's good, you know, you give it a lot of money.

unknown: 14:30

Absolutely.

Rose Cushing: 14:31

Yeah, I one of my friends was telling me that she didn't mind paying $12,000, $15,000 for a barrel horse because she went back the first year. Yeah. And I was like so shocked. I had no idea that it was, you know, that there was that kind of money in the game. Oh my gosh.

Patty Nunnery: 14:44

Nowadays, and that was now, now, even now, with a pandemic and with the you know, economy doing kind of what it's doing, I mean, to to get a nice horse nowadays, I mean, it's 30 uh, 30,000 up. It's ridiculous what it what they're costing. I mean, in one gamut, you know. Um, but again, it's all about you know where you're where are you gonna play and what do you really need. You know what I'm saying? Because it's like, yeah, you can go buy the Corvette, but if you live on a dirt road, probably not the best vehicle for you though.

unknown: 15:16

Absolutely.

Rose Cushing: 15:17

If you can't travel on the big show, he won't pay for it.

Patty Nunnery: 15:19

Well, yeah, I mean, if you're trying, but that that becomes an adult parent thing, you know what I'm saying? Where it's like, okay, you know, let's look at this, you know, respectively. How long are you gonna do this, you know? And that's the thing, as you know, even with all the kids that we have, as they what I call get to that transition point, usually around 16 to 16 to 17, that's when you figure out are they gonna try are they gonna be, are they gonna be here in five years doing what they're doing, at the ability that they can do it. I mean, because some of them, of course, you know, they go to school. You're in college, it's the most hardest thing you can try to do is be a barrel racer and go to college. I mean, I tell every parent where their kids are doing it, I said, look, this is the hardest thing in the world. Because you know, even the kids come back and say, Man, I I can't ride with a hoot anymore, and my horses are just falling apart. And I'm like, this is the hardest thing you'll ever do. Just relax, have fun with it. You'll get through school, and then you can go back to being a barrel racer, but go through school. Put everything in perspective and get through, get, get, take off the things that mean the most, and then the rest is just there. You know, you just fill it in.

Rose Cushing: 16:25

It waits for you.

Patty Nunnery: 16:26

Yeah, so it's all good.

Rose Cushing: 16:28

So you were president for a long time with the North Carolina NBHA?

Patty Nunnery: 16:32

Yeah, I was the state director from 2011 to the end of 2019. Um and enjoyed the job very, very much. Um I just I wanted to um I wanted to put kind of my mark on it, what I wanted it to be like for me as a member is kind of what I wanted to to evolve that, you know, evolve the association into. Um and we um, I mean the MDHA overall, I mean it's a world organization, uh 20, 30,000 members, you know, across the whole the whole world, not just in the US, not just in the ES, in the in the East Coast. That goes on, there's not a whole lot of it's who you know, whatever. No, not really. It's let's here's your rule book, follow it, and be done. Yeah. So I like and I like that kind of structure. I'm a structured person. I I I want that structure. Um, so at the end of the day, yeah, I mean, so yeah, I mean, you know, taking that job and just you know, putting on a state show every year, um just trying to trying to build, help build our piece of it, you know what I'm saying? And uh I I mean I felt like I felt like I did okay with it. You know, um of course, you know, there's always the always the hurdles you go through, but through life it was just like I was like, at the end of the day, guys, always remember it's just barrel racing. I know you, and they're the most passionate bunch of people. I don't know how the English people are, and I don't know how the Western Pleasure people are, but barrel racers are the most passionate people of barrel racers.

Rose Cushing: 18:06

It's all about the race. I mean it's it's all about race.

Patty Nunnery: 18:10

It is all about it now. I mean, you know, and I mean, and I and I I am one, so I feel their passion. Right. And and but again, and I always tell them, I say, look, let's just let's just bring it all back to perspective and say, it is barrel racing. You know, we're not kidding, I tell you, we're not killing people and we're not healing people. So if we're not gonna kill them or heal them, let's just put bar racing in that scheme of where it belongs, you know. Um, but it it is it it was fun. I met so many, I know so many more people now, uh just across the state. You know what I'm saying? That if I'm over in Asheville and I want, you know, I mean it's just fun to know that you know that the exposure you get, the um and the touch that you know you have on things. And like I said, it's all about it's all about extending what gifts you have to a sport, regardless of whether it is a horse sport or a ball team or whatever. I mean, you know, I think that I think that we we all and I hope that by you lead by example, right? You know, that somebody says, well, you know, okay, she did a full-time job, she raised a family, and she still did this job. So it's not like, you know, the end of the world. And I I mean, I have directors, you know, that worked underneath me in their in their regions of the state or whatever, you know, and things would happen and I'd be like, look, you gotta rate, you gotta, you gotta build your list, you know, and being a director does not need to be on top of your list. That doesn't mean to be number one. Right. I want you to do a good job, I want you to have fun, I want you to enjoy what you enjoy. But if it gets to the point where it you just can't make it work, then just let me know. And we'll move and we'll figure it out. You know, because I don't want you never wanted people to be giving, sacrificing more than what they should sacrifice for something like this. Because it is it is progress. And it is fun. And it is, it's important, but it is not life important to the fact of that, oh my God, I I haven't seen my kids in three days or something. I mean, you know, just yeah, let's just live it, live it the way it needs to be done, but uh and enjoy it. I mean, because it is a it is a a very uh forgiving sport in that now that there's divisional bar racing, you can be starting younger horses or starting horses that maybe just aren't as fast and and still feel like you have a place. I mean, that's that's where we've gotten in the last several years, and what the NBHA brought to the sport was the divisional format, which Thomas Green actually had a piece of designing, you know. So at the end of the day, it was like, you know, let's find a place for everyone, let's find a market for every horse. And that's the other reason that the price of horses has gone sky high, because a good 3D horse, a second off the fastest horse, can you can pay $15,000 for one of those, you know, so that's consistently there, you know, and that's that's that's a good place to be too, you know. Sure. One second off everywhere he goes, even if he goes to and runs against 700 of the best horses in the country, hey, those checks are nice too. That's what we've all learned is those checks are nice too. That's all just take that money and go with it too, you know. So, um, but yeah, so that's kind of that's kind of the deal with it, with, with how the divisional has fit in and where it has helped in membership and in availability of places to go and ride and to where people feel they feel validated, you know what I'm saying? Sure. Um, so that's and that's what a lot of it's about is the validation of knowing that okay, I'm out there shooing my horse, feeding my horse, giving it all the supplements, getting doing all the vet work that needs to be done to it, and I can still go and maybe come home with a check, you know what I'm saying, and not and not worry about where I am.

Rose Cushing: 21:53

We can't be successful without your donations as our partners. Every event that Cushing Media Productions produce donates one dollar from ticket sales to Cushing Equestrian Fund. Join us, Cushing Equestrian Fund, your trusted source in an emergency. Follow us on Facebook and you can donate on our website, www.cushingmedia.net. You know, if if you say somebody my age, you know, I'm not gonna be out there on the fastest horse at this point in my life. Yeah. But I could still play. Right, and have a good time. Oh, absolutely. And that that's absolutely so much.

Patty Nunnery: 22:31

Absolutely, that's exactly right. And you know, when you get into the thing about how do the horses fit in, it's like my horse. I mean, I bought him about three years ago, uh, and I knew he was, I knew he's a suit he's a super fast horse, but not with me on him. Right. He takes really good care of me. You know what I'm saying? I do. He takes great care of me, and I love him for that. But then I can throw a kid on him that'll press the gas pedal real hard and he steps right up. You know, people are kind of people would ask me, like, why do you let you know so-and-so ride your horse all the time? And I was like, Because I want him to know he's a fast horse. Yeah, I want him to always remember he's a fast horse. Yeah, and it is a different and it's fun for me because like I said, I lived it through myself when I was younger, then I lived it through my kid, and now I'm kind of living it through my friend's kids. Hey, I get to watch Cheyenne run down that alley as fast as she can and know that he's gonna step up for her, you know, and just it gives you the goosebumps kind of thing. It has me working.

Rose Cushing: 23:28

It does because it's such a different relationship. That's right. You know, he he is an athlete and a performer, correct, but he's also your baby. Oh, yeah. Well, and so it's too it's kind of too different.

Patty Nunnery: 23:38

Yeah, and you know, over the years of owning as many as I've owned, which you know, I don't even know how many it is. I figured it out one time. I think true competitive horses that I had here to compete on was it probably 20, 20 to 30 or whatever. Um, but you know, and and different horses are like people, they have different ways of wanting to be messed with. You know, some of them are like, just leave me alone all week long and I'll just go do my job for you on Saturday. So, but and then the rest of them want to be some of them want to be coddled, you know. That's right. So you have to kind of you have to kind of figure out what their what their personality is and what they'll let you get by with, you know. So um, but yeah, so there it's it's a it's a fun, exciting kind of sport, even even to watch the horses that aren't clocking the fastest time, you know what I'm saying? I do to to to sit there and watch them, you know, to watch that that that animal do first of all, do something that is Pete really doesn't have any comprehension of why am I doing this again. Right, right. You know, you get into cat cow horses and stuff like that, you know, a lot of because of breeding, you know, a lot of them are just their nature to like they'll pin their ears and go to a cow if you turn them loose in the pasture, right, with nobody around. It's like I'm getting herb this cow. It's like a dog, you know, like herding dogs, you know. It's kind of the same kind of concept. But barrel horses aren't born in the world thinking, where's that barrel at?

Rose Cushing: 25:01

That's right. That's right, how close can I get it?

Patty Nunnery: 25:03

Yeah, let's see how fast I can go run it up to it and can I still be around it? Yeah. They do it because you know they've trained to do it, and a lot of them now, of course, like I say, the the amount of horsepower we have, they want to run. Right. They want to run. I mean, that that part is ingrained in them. But as far as the as far as why they do that job, it's because they do it for us. I mean, that's the way I look at it. The ones that really, really go in there weekend after weekend after weekend, and just click it off, you know, with no no hesitation and no questions asked, you know, those are the ones that are just they're irreplaceable at the end of the day. They are irreplaceable. So um, and we as fire racers, you know, we we do everything we can, sometimes more than what we should, to try to maintain them and make sure that that they're feeling their best, you know, and and that they can do their job their best, and and that you know, we're we're not asking them to do something that they're uncomfortable doing, you know.

Rose Cushing: 25:58

So if a person was looking to buy a bare horse, what would you suggest they look for?

Patty Nunnery: 26:04

I don't mind. I think it depends on the person and what level they're at, um, and you know, what how much help they have, if that makes sense. Um, I mean, I see families that like my family, my dad and mom didn't know that which end of the horse was which end. I mean, you know, so for me to have gone out and expected them to say to buy me a high-powered barrel's would have been a mistake. Right. You know, um, because it it just would have been a mistake. So when you've got a good support team, whether it's you know, friends or trainers or or whatever it is, you know, you've got to you've got to rely on those people to to help you. Even as an ad even as an adult if you wanted to get into the sport. I mean, I think you you you don't worry so much about what D is he running in, like what division does he always run in. You just find you a horse that you feel comfortable on, that you feel kind of that I can ride this horse, you know, at a at a high lobe, you know, and that kind of thing. Um, and then you know, know that, you know, hopefully know know him well enough or whoever's selling him well enough that you feel like you're you're you're not getting someone else's problem, if that makes sense. It does. Um because you know, with this sport, you know, a lot of horses don't they don't make it through it. In other words, they they just they just don't like it. Yeah. I mean, I've got one out there in the pasture right now, does not like it. So we're gonna try that, we're trying to find him another job. I mean, because he just doesn't, he doesn't want to do it.

Rose Cushing: 27:36

I can understand that. One of the best horses I ever owned um had been trained to do polo and she hated it.

Patty Nunnery: 27:42

Yeah.

Rose Cushing: 27:42

And she, you know, she just she wasn't ever successful at it. But for me, you know, she's perfect. Right, exactly. And that's what I'm saying.

Patty Nunnery: 27:49

Every every horse has a has a place, you know what I'm saying? And and my thing with with like for him and him, for example, it's not that I want him to be the fastest horse he can be. I just want him to kind of go out there and and just go around through the cans, is what we call it. You know, he doesn't want to do it.

Rose Cushing: 28:04

It's like shopping with your husband if he doesn't want something to be at home. Exactly.

Patty Nunnery: 28:07

That's exactly right. And you know, because that's the thing. I mean, you know, people think, well, yeah, well, you know, if you go really slow, you'll you'll probably know, he doesn't want to do it, period. Yeah, absolutely. It doesn't matter if I walk it. I mean, you know, so why torturing? You know, why torturing to do it? Yeah, there you go.

Rose Cushing: 28:26

And it's not fun to ride something that doesn't do what you do.

Patty Nunnery: 28:29

And that's what I'm saying. When you're looking for something, you know, it's all about trying to find the magic fit, of course, you know. Um, because like I said, back to back to my good horse, you know, I didn't buy him because of what he had ran or what when I sat on him, when I mean it was one of those deals I saw him years ago and said, I like that horse. I like the way he moves, I like the way he turns, you know, somebody else owned him, somebody else was riding him, but I was like, man, I like that horse. And when he came up for sale, I was like, Can I come ride that horse? You know, and then I only had two that I've ever saw ahead of time, years before, and said, I'd like to ride that horse, you know. Yeah, and he was one of them. So it's and the other one was one of probably my first best horses that I bought it from Margaret Byrd, if you know Margaret Bird, her daughter's barrel horses that she had. And it took me a couple years to get him, but but I was able to manage to get him and I loved it. I mean, he was a great horse too, you know, and like I say, that kind of that kind of and it's hard for somebody because especially parents trying to fit horses for kids, that one's really hard because kids just they just want to run fast.

Rose Cushing: 29:39

I know. I was sitting there thinking about kids want to run fast, being at the barrel show, and the little kids are just their their legs are stuck straight out and their arms and they have to abandon. And I'm thinking, why can't I ride that way?

Patty Nunnery: 29:51

Oh yeah, because they're kids.

Rose Cushing: 29:52

I know they're kids. I probably did when I was a kid.

Patty Nunnery: 29:56

Well, and you know, I I didn't start when I was a kid, so I always said, dang, I got I got robbed a little bit. So but again, you know, like I say, and yeah, kids kids want to go fast. They they don't have any comprehension of what could go wrong, or and I think that's that comes with age, you know, and and that kind of thing. And and I always always said too, it comes with all those battle scars you get throughout the years of like, oh my god, I got hurt really bad one day.

Rose Cushing: 30:21

Well, I took my son to buy a pony. We went to Ross Heads. Yeah. And so Ross Head put him on this pony and the pony was perfect. He went around the ring, he never twitched his ears, he was perfect. Yeah. Jay got off, handed him the reins, and said, No, thank you, sir. And Ross head said, Well, son, get back up there and let's try one more time. So Jay got on him, and when Jay got on him, Ross slapped the the pony's butt and he took off running, and Jay was grinning ear to ear, and then he wanted to. Oh, he wanted to go.

Patty Nunnery: 30:48

And here's the mom where no stop.

Rose Cushing: 30:51

Yeah, go back to the way you was. But you know, you gotta find that that link that you're gonna do.

Patty Nunnery: 30:56

It's uh it's yeah, it's and it and it doesn't always happen I mean, it doesn't always happen, you know. So that's that's the hard thing. I mean, you know, so and and that's where the sports evolved also in the say from the 80s to where you had to be competitive, you had to be, or you were just blowing money like no tomorrow. Now it's really, I mean, I I can't tell you the amount of times no matter where I have been barrel racing. I mean, from the world shows to the local shows to where there's not somebody around you saying, just go have fun. I mean, really, just go have fun. And it is fun. I mean, when you roll through there and you know, and and it whether you're no like no matter where you fall time-wise, you feel like it is the fastest thing that you've ever done. I mean, you know, and you know, and and and it's it's it's a blast. It really is. There's there's nothing like it if you like to go fast. I can imagine.

Rose Cushing: 31:55

So of all the memories that you have, what's your best memory? Oh my gosh. My best memory? Oh, that's that's tough. I know. Think about spirit week things you do. Oh, you've done so many things.

Patty Nunnery: 32:06

I I don't even know. Yeah, I I yeah, because I'd have to compartmentalize it all, you know. I think one of the biggest joys I I get, or or I that I was getting as a state director, for instance, was when because we would run what we call qualifying rounds, and then we would have the finals on Sundays. And you know, you had to qualify to get to that to that go, right? So there was always this big anticipation of am I gonna get in, am I gonna get in, you know. And I think watching, watching those kids, and I've got pictures of people standing at Williamston, looking at the television, waiting to see the list, and I'm just like, I like this is just the coolest thing in the world. You know, being able to to watch somebody else find that much joy in seeing their name on a list, you know. That part, that that part is just, I'm like, this is this is why I do it.

Rose Cushing: 33:01

Create melody. Yeah, true. This is why I do it.

Patty Nunnery: 33:03

I would tell I would tell everybody that worked for me at the shows on those on those state weekends, on those state show weekends, there's always something that will make me affirm why I'm doing this. You know, even all the complaining, all the arguing, all the bad things that happened, you know, all the ooh moments, you know, there's that one little thing that weekend that would happen that would just make me say, yep, that's why I do it right there.

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Patty Nunnery: 34:30

And we would leave here to go to Jackson, Mississippi. We would always leave like on Friday evening after work. I'd get off work, I'd come home two hours in, we have everything done, and we would get in the truck and we would drive all night long in Mississippi, right? And she'd be texting me all afternoon, so-and-so's already leaving. So-and-so's already leaving. I said, I don't care what so-and-so's doing, I know work. There you go. So it's we're very, very competitive to the point that it's insane sometimes. You know what I'm saying? But spirit parades were always a blast, always a blast to organize and execute and get those kids to to really get into the moment of, you know, and and my my mission being competitive was when we were going to the Mississippi's back in the when my kid was running back in the 90s, Florida would always win. Florida would always win. They would come to Mississippi with the most amount of people, with the biggest and best stuff, with money thrown at it, like, and and we would be there from North Carolina with a small group because not everybody could drive to Jackson, Mississippi and spend 10 days in Mississippi. I mean, it's just a long way to go, you know. So we'd have maybe, maybe 20 kids there. Well, 20 kids ain't gonna outscreen 200. So the advantage to North Carolina came when we moved to Perry. Yeah. And then we could get the nut we could get people there. We could get the numbers that we needed to have the big crowd, you know. Um, and then of course the MDHA did the right thing, and they said there's no way that little Australia over here with five people can compete against Patty with 200. So they divide they they split the the champion spirit parade to a small group and large group. Yeah. So so that made it a lot more fair. And I told them that that was a great thing to do. And I'm always rooting for those small groups, you know, I'm like, you guys go. You know, oh if you win, you know, that kind of thing. Because, you know, like say the northern states, places like that, they just can't, they don't, they don't have the people that they can go in there and just show off right big, you know, and loud, which is loud and proud. That's what we always said. I know the pictures of those parade was always a blast. I mean, we've actually won that thing the last five years. That's awesome. The last five years, yeah, which I I've I've checked that one off my list too, so I'm done now, guys. It's y'all's turn. Somebody else's turn to to guide that ship down that through that alley and do that. So um, but uh yeah, so I memories are just the memories are too many. Uh there's a lot, lots and lots and lots of good ones. I mean lots of good ones. From a from a personal standpoint, as far as me as a competitor. Um I mean when I was rodeo, and of course make rodeo finals was a big deal. I mean, you know, um the year that I actually got pregnant, which was in 1990, I was actually leading that rodeo association. And I let it for months after I quit riding. And I let another girl take my horse and ride because we were trying to win the all-around and we did. So see, the competitive never stops. You might stop throwing your foot in the stirrup, but at the end of the day, it you never it's like, what angle? You know? Just like now letting the kid ride my horse. It's kind of like the same kind of thing, you know, it's like to keep competitiveness, you know, like we're gonna go here, we're gonna do this. So, and uh so that that those memories are at the time spent with people, um, the bond, the the true, the true people that come in your lives that end up being not just friends, but they're family. I mean, there's no other way around it. I mean, you know, so that kind of thing is just it's it's not replaceable. I mean, you know, the the memories you share with those with that is just it's crazy.

Rose Cushing: 38:08

You know, when you go back, so the barrel race and community is a very special community.

Patty Nunnery: 38:12

They are a very special community, and we always say, you know, we're family, but like I say, when you when you like the family that I'm let Cheyenne Mundy, I let her ride my horse and the Mundys. I mean, I've known her parents before they got married. Right. I mean her mom and I used to go to the long branch together. I mean, you know, so I mean that's what I'm saying. So it's it's like a connection that you can never replace, I guess. You know what I'm saying? And and I'm sure it happens with other sports, but it it just it ju I just see it over and over within our industry that you know when you see this family, you see that family, and they're together, you know, and they'll do anything for each other. I mean, whatever it takes, you know. So uh, and there's it even though we all compete against each other, technically, when we when you enter that class and you throw your money on the table, it's still about you know what how how did how did you end up doing? You know what I'm saying? I mean, you know, or how or where did you, you know, you're still rooting that person on right and left and pulling girth and fixing stuff and doing what you can do to make sure that that person gets the best turn they can get too. You know what I'm saying? And and and just trying to support each other. I mean, you know, just and it's not because you're thinking, well, if I do this, you're probably gonna outrun me. No, it's like go in there and make the best run, go have fun, go make the best run you can make. You know what I'm saying? And and and and that's what we do for each other. I mean, you know, the the ones that have the friends that you've traveled with and haul with and stall with and do all that kind of stuff, that's kind of what you see. And that's the background stuff that people that go to the stands and just sit and watch, they they don't ever see it. You know what I'm saying? Right. And uh I mean, you know, and that's that's the irreplaceable kind of stuff, you know. That that never ever I it's just it's just it's it's a it's a phenomenal.

Rose Cushing: 40:05

What advice would you give to young horse people coming into the barrel racing world? How can they leave their mark and do their best?

Patty Nunnery: 40:12

I think I mean of course, you know, in the in the arena, you know, do do your homework at home, you know, ride your horses, do what you have to do. Don't expect an animal to do something, you know what I'm saying, if you haven't done the time. In other words, you know. Um, I think as uh as a as a rider, you know, regardless of what where you show or what you do, I mean, even trail riding and stuff, you know, you've got to get that horse out there and you can't expect him to go to Uori after he stood in a pasture in a flat ground, you know, and do well or something. So I think it's give your give your animal the best shot that he can have. Um, you know, in regard to, you know, just leave work your way through it, and when you see opportunities to step, like say before, to step out of your box a little bit, step out there and and and see what else you might be good at or where else you can contribute. You know what I'm saying? Because when people would come to me, even now today, people come to me and they're not like, well, you know, I don't really like how this is being done or how that is being done. I I I got I've gotten now to where I'm bold enough, or now that I don't have a title anymore, I would look at them and I'm like, what did you contribute to make this bowel race better? Yeah, don't tell me you went and entered your horse. That's a given. What did you do to make it better? You're you're not happy that you know we've been at this for three hours and we're only on horse a hundred, you know. What did you do to help? You know, where where can you help? You know, and once you once you can answer that question, well yeah, I went and did this and that, good for you. Because if everybody would do that kind of thing, you'd be surprised about how much faster things would happen, you know, could could change and and get better. Um, you know, people talk about just barrel races overall, about oh, there's no money added at this one. I'm like, don't you have an extra 50 bucks? Don't you want to donate? Yeah, you know, donate, donate to the sponsor something. You know, just call them and tell them, look, I want to give you $50. Do with it what you want. You know, I said there's lots of ways to contribute. It doesn't always mean it's physical, it doesn't always mean it's financial. There's a cross-section of all of it. And a lot of a lot of what I see is that a lot of people don't realize all the work that sometimes goes on. Even even at a facility that you go rent, or even at your house, that you know, it's not a fancy place, but it is, I mean, but the amount of work that goes in to put on shows is just it's a lot. It's a lot of work. It is a lot of work. It's a lot of work, you know, and a lot of a lot of stress for people and a lot of, you know, just uh, is it worth it all at the end of the day, you know? Um, so that's that I guess that's my that's my biggest, biggest thing, a suggestion is is figure out where you can where you can fit in and not just running down that alleyway because that part, yeah, we all love that part, right? And we're all gonna do that part. It's just it's the rest of it that has to happen too.

Rose Cushing: 43:27

So um, what other things do you participate in and enjoy? I know you're on the board for the force council, yeah.

Patty Nunnery: 43:39

I do that, and I have enjoyed that. That's a great thing. Yeah, that has opened my eyes again. It's like stepping out of my box, you know, finding out more how things work. Excuse me. Um, you know, how how things get how things happen, you know, and it's it's amazing. Um so I do that. Uh also, I mean, as far as me personally, I mean, I love to I love to walk, I love to, you know, go places traveling now the last couple years. Oh man, I have enjoyed myself. Now it's stopped a little bit, but we I mean I every year, you know, I'm planning to go somewhere good. I mean, two years ago I went to the NFR. That was on my bucket list, so I was like going to the NFR, went to the Grand Canyon, enjoyed that trip so much. Went with a couple of my girlfriends, we have ball. So then, so you got that kind of thing of just expanding places that I want to go see, you know. Uh, we went to uh back in last last year in March, we went to the American out in Arlington. That was awesome. Now that's the one place you will see guy ball races. Yeah, even though technically it's a they call the American Rodeo, that's where they let the guys filter over and filter in. Uh, and we've had one guy, Brandon Collins, that's made it every time as far as he could pretty much go without the exception of winning it. So um, but anyway, so yeah, we so we went to the AT ⁇ T and watched that and went to you know Dallas and I mean so yeah, just getting out there and being able to go to check things off my bucket list. So but anyway, so I'm kind of like you know, just just doing what I want to do, which is a blessing that I'm retired and don't have to work and you know I can do what I want to do.

Rose Cushing: 45:24

Absolutely. Absolutely. Is there anything else that you want to share with our listeners?

Patty Nunnery: 45:29

I don't I don't think so. I mean the best thing is is if there is a bar race near you, go to it, have fun, watch it. Um, if you got questions, ask people, you know what I'm saying? If you're interested in getting into the sport, feel free to reach out to me or any NBHA director or anyone that you know that's in the sport, you know, and and just have fun.

Rose Cushing: 45:49

Very nice. Thank you for spending time with us today. Thank you, Miss Rose. I appreciate you. I know everybody's gonna enjoy listening to this. Like I say, that was a rambling rambling event. I hope you enjoyed today's show. Our souls wander in similar places. Even though we may not know each other, we touch the same wind, we walk under the same sky, and our hearts wander in the same dreams. We are one. Women, just like you and me. Thank you for listening.