Beasley Equine Podcast
Welcome to the Beasley Equine Podcast, where horse lovers, riders, and industry experts come together to explore the fascinating world of equine care, training, and culture. Hosted by passionate equine Veterinarian Dr. Travis Beasley, each episode dives into the latest trends in horse health, innovative techniques, and inspiring stories from the saddle. Whether you're a seasoned competitor, a backyard horse owner, or simply captivated by these majestic animals, join us for practical tips, expert interviews, and a celebration of all things equine. Saddle up and tune in—your next great ride starts here! New episodes every Tuesday!
Beasley Equine Podcast
Rodeo Life Through Young Eyes
Ever wonder what it takes to be a rodeo champion before you're even in double digits? Eight-year-old Logan gives us a refreshing glimpse into the world of youth rodeo with a maturity and focus that belies her tender age.
Logan, who rides an eight-year-old horse aptly named Stanley, opens up about her impressive rodeo repertoire. She competes in barrels, poles, goats, flags, healing, breakaway, daubing, and goat tying—practically everything a peewee competitor can enter. With disarming honesty, she shares her preference for barrel racing simply because "I just like it. You get to go fast." Her passion for speed delivered results when she recently clocked an impressive 15-second run.
The conversation reveals the special bond between young riders and their equine partners. Logan speaks warmly about Gonzo, her recently retired horse with whom she shares a special connection. When asked what superpower she would give her horses, her answer speaks volumes: "I would give Gonzo to stay alive forever and never turn too old to ride, and I want Stanley to go really fast. Like Superman." These heartfelt words highlight the deep relationships formed between children and their competition horses.
Despite her young age, Logan has already collected impressive accolades, including two saddles won in consecutive years. Now she's set her sights on winning her first buckle and possibly even a trailer at upcoming competitions. All this while balancing third grade, daily horse care, and training sessions where she makes sure to "make them sweaty." Her secret to staying organized? "My mom tells me what to do," she admits candidly—a universal truth for successful kids everywhere.
Want to hear more about youth rodeo from those who live it every day? Subscribe to the Beasley Equine Podcast for more conversations with inspiring equestrians of all ages. Have you ever competed in youth sports at a high level? Share your experiences in the comments!
All right, welcome to the Beasley Equine Podcast. Today in the studio we've got a special guest. We've got Miss Logan Little here. How are you, logan?
Speaker 2:Good.
Speaker 1:What have you been up to?
Speaker 2:Rodeos.
Speaker 1:Rodeos, of course. So what got you started in rodeo Logan?
Speaker 2:My dad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what's your dad do? Is he team rope?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Does he calf rope too, or not Just team rope? Yeah, so who is your favorite horse to ride right now? Who are you riding?
Speaker 2:I'm riding Stanley, but Gonzo's my favorite.
Speaker 1:Gonzo, yeah, I heard he had a special weekend last weekend, didn't?
Speaker 2:he Yep, it was his last weekend.
Speaker 1:Yep, is he officially retired, but he's not going anywhere, is he? No? No, gonzo's pretty special to everybody, isn't he? Yep, yep. So what's your favorite rodeo event you do? What all do you do when you go to rodeos?
Speaker 2:I do barrels pulls, goats flags at some rodeos healing, at some rodeos breakaway daubing and goat tying.
Speaker 1:Wow, I should have just asked you what you didn't do. That list would be shorter. What's your favorite event of all of those? To do Barrels, how come?
Speaker 2:I just like it.
Speaker 1:You get to go fast.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:How do you get off so fast when you're tying goats?
Speaker 2:I hang on the side when I go down to the pen. Then I just take my foot out of the stirrup.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I've watched you kids do it and it's like lightning fast. If that was me, I'd be face first in the dirt.
Speaker 2:You gotta land on your feet. It takes practice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you want to tell us one of your most special rodeo memories. Like the first time you were really proud in the rodeo arena.
Speaker 2:My favorite run was in barrels. Last weekend I ran a 15.
Speaker 1:Wow that's fast. Who were you riding?
Speaker 2:Stanley.
Speaker 1:Stanley, you like Stanley? Yeah, yeah, you had a little bit of luck last weekend, didn't you? What all did you get?
Speaker 2:What I won.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I won a saddle saddle. I won one last year. I won one a pad, a cooler backpack, backpack, bell boots, spur straps, I think that's it wow, that's impressive.
Speaker 1:That's way more than I ever won. What's the funniest memory you have rodeoing? I know a lot of the kids you rodeo with and you guys are wild. I'm sure you got some funny.
Speaker 2:I fell off. I was going down to the end pole for our poles and I fell off.
Speaker 1:Were you turning when you fell off? No, you just fell off. Were you turning? When you fell off. No, you just fell off.
Speaker 2:He slowed down at the fifth pull and it pushed me forward and I fell out of my stirrups and I fell off.
Speaker 1:Who were you riding in? Gonzo Gonzo? He didn't step on you, though did he?
Speaker 2:No, he stopped yeah.
Speaker 1:So you rodeo quite a bit, right yeah, how do you prepare for these, for these rodeos?
Speaker 2:How do you get ready for the weekend? I make sure all my stuff is in the trailer. I ride my horses every week and I practice what I'm supposed to do at the rodeo.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'm sure mom and dad help, don't they? Yeah, and grandma and grandpa, huh yeah. Do you ever get nervous before rodeos or stuff like that?
Speaker 2:No, not really.
Speaker 1:How do you keep from getting nervous?
Speaker 2:I just practice and know what I'm going to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Just keep calm and carry on right.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:What about? Would you consider your dad or grandpa your coach for rodeo?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Is there any advice they've given you that really has stuck over this past year?
Speaker 2:No, not really, but my dad helps me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. You've got pretty supportive parents and that's really cool, yeah. So what about your horses? What all do you do with them to keep them healthy and happy and looking good?
Speaker 2:I make sure they have hay water and food every day.
Speaker 1:That's your responsibility.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I check it.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:I get help to fill it up and give them hay.
Speaker 1:Right, right, right, do you groom them quite a bit.
Speaker 2:I brush them and sometimes I give them a bath.
Speaker 1:Yeah, can you braid pretty good? Yeah, yeah, I'm not very good at braiding horses' tails or manes.
Speaker 2:I can fishtail braid, I can French braid mane, I can French braid tails and normal braid.
Speaker 1:Wow, what's a fishtail braid?
Speaker 2:Fishtail braid is where you hold it in two pieces and grab a piece from the back piece and take it over the other piece.
Speaker 1:Does it look like a fishtail? Does it make you go faster?
Speaker 2:No, not really no but it looks cool.
Speaker 1:huh yeah, You're in school right now, right? What grade are you in?
Speaker 2:I'm in third and I'm starting next week.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's exciting. Are you excited?
Speaker 2:No, no, you don't want to go back. I don't want to do homework.
Speaker 1:Is there a lot of homework in third grade?
Speaker 2:I have to read every night. That's what I had to do last year and in first grade.
Speaker 1:Oh, but you're a good reader, aren't?
Speaker 2:you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what's the hardest part about going to school and trying to keep your horses in shape and practice and everything like that?
Speaker 2:I have to go to school at 8 o'clock in the morning. Then I get done I don't remember what time but then I have to ride my horse after that.
Speaker 1:And then you have to do your homework. You're busy.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Very busy for a third grader. What about a rodeo hero? Is there anybody that you got on your radar that you look up to?
Speaker 2:My dad and my brother.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, we're going to talk to your brother here later too. Yeah, Is there anything I should ask your brother? That would embarrass him.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:If you think of something, tell me before we're done. Okay, and I'll be sure to ask him. So you said you just got done with Gonzo. You guys had a pretty special bond, didn't you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't want to stop. I want him to be tenured.
Speaker 1:Oh, I know, I wish I could do that for you. Yeah, what about Stanley? You think you're going to build that kind of bond with him?
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's pretty cool. He's eight and I'm eight right now.
Speaker 1:Oh, you're the same age.
Speaker 2:He just has to pay attention to me, okay.
Speaker 1:Just to eat. Yeah, what's a goal you're going to work towards this year or next year? You got anything in your sights.
Speaker 2:Try to win a saddle again.
Speaker 1:Another saddle. What are you going to do with all these saddles?
Speaker 2:I really want to win a buckle, though I've never won a buckle.
Speaker 1:Oh, I think you can do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I almost won one in goats, but my friend won first place last weekend and I didn't have time.
Speaker 1:Maybe next year? Right yeah, Was that at Wildfire? Yeah, yeah. When do you have the opportunity to win another buckle? Do you know? When do you have the opportunity?
Speaker 2:to win another buckle. Do you know? I have Flickr would, and then I can't remember what the rodeo is called. But you can win a trailer if you get the all-around.
Speaker 1:Holy cow, that would be awesome. Yeah, what would you rather have? The trailer or the buckle?
Speaker 2:Trailer.
Speaker 1:Of course. So when you get home from school, you ride yeah, how long do you home from school? You ride yeah, how long do you ride usually? Do you know?
Speaker 2:I just have to make them sweaty. Usually it doesn't take that much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then you do your homework, uh-huh. So what's your secret to staying organized with that stuff, do you have?
Speaker 2:one.
Speaker 1:No, does your mom tell you what to do? Yeah, okay, that was my secret too. If you could give Stanley or Gonzo a superpower, what would you give them?
Speaker 2:I would give Gonzo to stay alive forever and never turn too old to ride, and I want Stanley to go really fast.
Speaker 1:Like Superman.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and learn how to do pulls, because he's not very good at pulls right now.
Speaker 1:But you're going to teach him, aren't you? Yeah, are you good at training horses?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm the one that taught Gonzo how to do barrels and my dad's friend, I think, taught Stanley how to do barrels.
Speaker 1:Awesome, is Stanley fast? Yeah, is he faster than Gonzo? Yeah, is he.
Speaker 2:Gonzo's fastest time is a 17, and Stanley's fastest time is a 15.
Speaker 1:That's pretty quick.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:But that's pretty good for a Gonzo. Yeah, yep. So there's some kids that listen to this podcast, that don't rodeo, that might be thinking about getting involved in it. Would you have any advice for them, any words of encouragement?
Speaker 2:listen to their dad and mom probably or listen to your dad and mom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, so you guys have a lot of fun when you go, don't you?
Speaker 2:have a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:I like going fast when you're at these rodeos and you're not competing, what do you guys do in between events?
Speaker 2:At Wildfire I stay on my horse because events aren't that far apart, because I do everything a peewee can do. And at Flickrwood I get off my horse because the events are pretty far apart. There's a lot of people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I've seen you on that little Segway. Do you take that to the rodeos?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do Wildfire, but I can't ride it during the rodeo and Flickrwood. I've never took it.
Speaker 1:Awesome. I don't know how you stay on that thing. I would probably fall off.
Speaker 2:I put it above my knees so I have more balance.
Speaker 1:Awesome, awesome. Do you remember the first time you competed at a rodeo?
Speaker 2:It was at Flickwood, I think.
Speaker 1:Was it a barrel race?
Speaker 2:No, it was on Muffin I remember that my mom lead line. My mom was leading me through the barrels, awesome, awesome. Well, logan, thanks for spending leading me through the barrels, awesome, awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, logan, thanks for spending time with us, and I think you've already picked up all this stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But our wonderful companies we work with decided to give you guys a bunch of special stuff. So shout out to all of them. And are you going anywhere this weekend?
Speaker 2:No, but my brother is.
Speaker 1:Awesome, I'll ask him where he's going Are. You can no, but my brother is awesome.
Speaker 2:I'll ask him where he's going. You going with him? No, I'm staying here, okay. My grandma's coming to get me and I'm gonna go stay at her.
Speaker 1:Awesome, she's got a few horses you can ride there, doesn't she?
Speaker 2:no, it's my dad's mom. Oh, I got you I got you awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, thanks for coming in today, logan. We appreciate the the time, and thanks to your mom and dad for for letting us do this and thanks for tuning into the podcast. And until next time, take care of your horses and yourself.