Arley Hughes

Barrel racing looks like a blur of speed, three tight turns, and a clock that doesn’t care how far you hauled to get there. The truth is messier and more interesting. Arley Hughes joins us to talk about what it really costs to compete in rodeo, why so many athletes do it anyway, and how a “hobby” can turn into a lifestyle built around horses, hauling, and grit. We get honest about the overhead most people never see: the truck and trailer, diesel, feed, farrier work, vet bills, and the reality that “profitable weekend” is the exception, not the rule. 

Arley also shares her story of starting on horses as a little kid, stepping away when life and support made it hard, then jumping back in decades later when her husband opened the door. From buying tack again to running jackpots and quickly grabbing a WPRA permit, she explains how passion can outrun perfection and why momentum matters more than waiting until you feel “ready.” We also dig into the questions every rodeo family faces: how to enter rodeos around T-ball, cheer, business demands, and travel, and what would change if a once in a lifetime horse put bigger goals on the table. 

You’ll hear practical road-life details too: what she does before and after a run, how she thinks about fitness and core strength, the calendar systems that keep everything moving, and the food strategies that make long weekends doable with kids in the rig. If you love barrel racing, WPRA rodeos, or just want a real look at rodeo work life balance, this one delivers. Subscribe for more conversations, share this with a rodeo friend, and leave a review with the part that hit closest to home.

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Mrs. Arley Ann Hughes

The Hughes Family

WPRA

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Transcript

Welcome And Why This Sport Hooks Us

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Arlie Hughes, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:29

I'm good. How are you this morning?

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Doing all right. Thank you for uh joining me and bringing back the podcast. You know, I got so many questions. Like it's the podcast. Yeah. Well, I'm thankful that you're here because a lot of barrel racers, they they, you know, they say yes, then they say no, but then the ones that say yes, they, you know, it's it's difficult. You guys are always on the go, you know, just like my buddy Wiley. I I talk about Wiley because I go on a couple runs with him, you know, just to see how it is. He's always like, hey bud, let's do this, let's do that, you know. And I'm like, okay, well, let me ask the wife, right? And I don't know how you guys do what you do, but you do, and you're being a mom. So I'm honored that you you know you said yes. I'm anxious, nervous, and uh, but excited just because you're on the podcast. So thank you. Thank you for saying yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

The feelings are mutual. I I'm nervous, anxious, so we can navigate this together.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

Yes, yes. So, all right, barrel racing. You're a barrel racer by hobby. Hobby.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

It's an expensive hobby. It's yeah, it's a very expensive hobby. Um I think no truer statement has been made, and my husband would definitely agree with you on that.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

But but you're pretty good at this hobby, like some some hobbies, you know, like this podcast is a hobby. It gets expensive, you know, if if I don't go on a run with Wiley or two, or you know, or three, and you know, and then going backpacking or climbing mountains. That's what I really like to do. And that that that's a little spindy, but if you think about it, you gotta feed the horses, you have to bring the horses. That means trailer, trailer means car or truck, truck means diesel, gas, you know, and it gets pretty spindy.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

So it does, it does. I think at this point it's probably a losing hobby, but it's one that I have a lot of passion for. And and yeah, I'm just so thankful that I do have a husband that's completely supportive of it and doesn't really doesn't really look at if it's profitable or not.

SPEAKER_02 2:47

Yeah. Do you do you care if it is?

SPEAKER_00 2:51

I mean, I think everybody would love for it to be profitable, but yeah, I think you've touched on, you know, a lot of good points. It's like by the time you buy the horse, there's a truck, there's a trailer, feed, current diesel costs, vet bills, you know, I think the majority of us are not profitable, but we are happy as hell if we can go and win twelve hundred dollars, five hundred dollars. And I

The True Cost Of Barrel Racing

SPEAKER_00 3:20

think that's what probably just makes this one of the craziest hobbies, because very rarely do we ever come out on top.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

So my question is, why do rodeo athletes do what they do? Why do you do what you do?

SPEAKER_00 3:37

I mean, I think the honest answer is we're probably a little insane. I like I said, I think people who look at a hobby would love for for it to be profitable or not have so much overhead. You know, I mean, I think you had you touched on you enjoy hiking. Okay, we have a backpack and some shoes and maybe some gear. That's a pretty inexpensive hobby. Snow skiing, you've got some gear, you can you buy a yearly pass, you can go enjoy it for the winter. Yeah, I think I think we're mildly insane to probably say that this is our hobby, but at the end of the day, I think it's a true passion. I there is something to be said about girls that are horse girls and have that connection and just that innate love for horses. It it's hard, it's hard to get the bug out of you, and it's hard to walk away from it.

SPEAKER_02 4:39

Okay, okay. But the the one thing that's different, like, yes, I have the gear, you guys have another animal to take care of, and they're pretty spandy, they're they're quite unique, you know. They they have their own like personality and everything they tell you who's boss, whatever, you know. But you can't just pick up and go, like I can, like like uh I told some of the rodeo uh athletes that I've had on here. I could just pick up and go, take care of myself. You guys can't pick up and go. You guys have to pick up and go, family, you know, families majority of the time. And then you always have one or two animals to take care of. It's not like you know, you gotta make sure you feed them, you gotta make sure they're water before you go on the road. Once you're done with the road, you gotta feed and water. I mean, it's just the the the cycle, you know, and the w witnessing it myself and doing just me, me, me all the time, it's it's quite the whole. I don't know how you guys do it.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

It is, it yeah. And like I said, I think it just comes down to the passion and the love for the animals, the love for the sport, the love to rodeo, to be on the road. Yeah, because it by no means is it a vacation. Like when I leave the house and you know, I'm heading out to a rodeo, it it's not just oh mom time, I'm gonna go have fun. I mean, yeah, I am having fun, but at the end of the day, there's a lot of work involved with it too.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

Oh yeah, yeah. Well, do you do you get stressed when you're traveling and and and performing?

SPEAKER_00 6:22

I mean, maybe my nerves get me a little bit, but I don't get stressed at the process. So, like loading up and you know, driving 12 hours, being on the road all day, like that's not stressful to me. I think anybody anybody that's competing at this level has some degree of nerves, you know, just like our animals do, we do too. So it's a matter of just kind of controlling that. But I wouldn't say that it's stressful or anything.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

Okay.

Childhood Horses And Leaving The Saddle

SPEAKER_02 6:50

All right. When did it start? When did barrel racing start? When did the love of horses and everything else start?

SPEAKER_00 6:59

When I was a a little girl. So my grandparents, they were team ropers, and obviously, you know, then here came a pony. So I think my first pony, I think he was blind, nearly dead, but we put a bell on another horse and he would just follow the other horses around. And so I think I think maybe one of the first pictures that I have on a horse was maybe about two, two and a half. And so then I stuck with it up until probably about eighth grade, and I came from divorced parents. I was raised by my dad as a single dad, only child. Um, and he was not, he did not come from horses. This the horse stuff came from my mom's side, and so you know, being a single dad, he was a custom home builder. He he did everything in his power to, you know, try to make it doable, but it just got to the point as I got into high school, I was playing more sports, and I think unless you come from a rodeo family that you have that extra support of people helping you keep horses legged up and going. You know, in my situation, it just wasn't feasible. So, my freshman year, I just decided to completely give up horses, stuck with sports, went on, you know, graduated, went to college, went to nursing school, met my husband, and then he he made the mistake. I always joke, he made the mistake. I think it's five years now. He asked if I ever wanted to get back into horses. And so back in 2021, we bought one, and fast forward to where we are now, and I I do think maybe he questions that statement.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

Yeah, not now you're a professional hobbyist.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Correct, yes, and then we, you know, we've got both of our kids are kind of showing interest, and so I'm like, oh, buddy, you're just you're stuck with it now.

SPEAKER_02 9:03

Okay. What what what's little man thinking?

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Well, he wants to be rockers steiner, so that's I don't know anything about bucking horses, but we will if if it comes to that, we will do everything in our power to to make that dream come true.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

Bulging discs, okay, exactly. Yeah. Okay. All right. So that's so you you you said why, correct? You said why your rodeo.

SPEAKER_00 9:37

I just, I mean, I I got when I got back into it five years ago, I I started just doing jackpots, you know, the the 4D, 5D stuff. Because again, I had been out of it for 20 plus years. I mean, no trucks, no trailers, not even a single piece of tack. And so when Troy asked if I wanted to get a horse, I mean, it was truly starting over from the ground up. I mean, buying a halter, buying all the tat, you know. And so started out doing the jackplots, and then yeah, I mean, I think looking back on it, ignorance is kind of bliss, and you don't know what you don't know. But yeah, within six months of getting my first horse, I'm like, why not buy my WPRA permit? Why not start going to rodeos? I mean, did I have any business doing it? Probably not, but I think when you when you love what you're doing, you can kind of put the nerves aside and and you're just out having fun.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

Yeah, yeah. It's tough though. It's tough. You girls are you girls are good. Like I hope you don't mind me saying girls. I'm saying girls at a whole. Like, I you know, I have three girls and and a wife of almost 20 years, you know, and and barrel racing, I get them every time barrel racing is there, you know. I we we we sit and watch, and to do what you guys do, it's it's amazing work, you know, and and incredible. And to go that fast on those turns, make sure you don't hit the barrels. It there's no other sport like it, you know. If I want to watch breakaway, I'll watch breakaway. That's one second, two seconds, you bleak, bam, it's done, you know,

Starting Over And Entering Rodeos

SPEAKER_02 11:20

sometimes, you know. But whoart barrel racing. Okay, how do you balance rodeo and family? I I feel like you know, following you, seeing your content, you do a pretty good job at it, but it's mostly family. You didn't compete last weekend, right?

SPEAKER_00 11:39

I uh yeah, I competed last weekend. I was at Sisters Union, and then I ended up not going to Klamath Falls, but I did hit Sisters and Union.

SPEAKER_02 11:48

Okay. And how did how did that turn out, if you don't mind me asking?

SPEAKER_00 11:53

It was not a profitable weekend. But I mean you're gonna have weekends like that, so you just kind of have to take it and then move on.

unknown 12:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 12:04

See, I didn't know you were in sisters, but I knew you were at uh your son's baseball game, t-ball game.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

Yes, yeah. So that was Saturday morning. I was at the Union Slack Friday night. Historically, and this is the just the fun part about rodeo, you can look back, you know, the past three years and say, oh, we've always ran slack around 10 or 10:30 at night. I was first out and we did not start running barrels until 12:30 or maybe 12:15. So made my run, laid over in union, got to bed about 1 a.m., up at 3:30, and then I drove from union. We live kind of in the Salem area, so drove from Union back home four hours and 45 minutes and made it to T Ball at 11:30.

SPEAKER_02 12:57

So I only knew about T ball. I didn't know about you going to sisters and everything.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

Crazy, crazy. So do you because you know, family and everything else, do you have your your schedule already set or do you go as the month goes or the weeks?

SPEAKER_00 13:18

Um it it depends, but I mean, so rodeos you'll have there's always an when the rodeo opens and then when it closes. It can be anywhere from, you know, a two-day period to a five-day period. So as rodeos open, I see, you know, when are the performances, when are slacks, and then I have to look at the calendar and see, you know, do we have a cheer competition? Do we have T-ball? Do we, you know, what other things do we have? Is my husband out of town for business? And then I will enter according to what what the weekend calendar looks like. And so, you know, sometimes there's sacrifices where you know that being in the first perf at a rodeo is probably not going to be ideal. But if that's the only thing that fits my schedule, then you know, I I have to sacrifice that and I'll enter for the Friday perf, even though I know maybe Sunday's the better perf, but I can't make it work with all the the family commitments.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

Gotcha. That's that's insane. That that I mean you're you're you're either insane, right? Which you're not, but you're highly caffeinated. Do you stay caffeinated?

SPEAKER_00 14:36

Oh, caffeine.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Because I don't know how you do what you do.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Celsius, Zoa energy drinks. There's a whole assortment that keeps us going.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Yeah, I didn't know. Like, I wish I knew you were in Sisters, I would have made a trip down there. Jeez.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

Well, I was up in Slack, so I was last I was Wednesday, so I don't know if you were there that early or if you were there for the weekend.

SPEAKER_02 14:58

No, I would have gone. I would have gone just to go. I've always wanted to go to Sisters, but you know what I hate about Oregon? 97. I I I I work, I I don't like 97. There's one way in, one way out, and I I I like try to I try to prove choose my poison, you know, when it comes to anything on 97 that big. So and Sisters Rodeo has gotten huge in the last 10 years, so it's like nope, nope. So 97. Yeah, I went to school in OIT at OIT, so I know that area too too much, and I live in Tri-Cities now, so I go to Terrabon a lot, the Smith Rock, and uh do all that stuff. So, but yeah, Sister Rodeo. All right, so speaking of family, does your family come go to the rodeos with you?

SPEAKER_00 15:53

They do. I I wouldn't say and usually it's it's mostly myself, but they always do the 4th of July run, so they'll be in the rig with me this upcoming 4th of July. So I think we have five rodeos in five days. So they will they will be in for the long haul.

SPEAKER_02 16:15

I don't know, I seriously don't know how you guys did it or do it. I mean, just going on a weekend run with with my buddy, you know, he was just I don't there's not enough caffeine in the world, you know. And I I thought like just picking up and traveling, I can do, but hitting the rodeos, travel, you know, be out there, tend to the horses and everything else. It's a lot, it's a lot. And it's a lot. He caught me slack, he caught me slacking, and I was sleeping in the passenger side of the car, and I don't normally sleep in the vehicles. I just don't know. I don't never did, but he did. He caught me. Five days. Okay. What what what are the five days? Where where are you going? Just uh put things in perspectives on on like how people know and and what how you guys travel.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

Yeah, so we have Malona, Oregon, Basin City, Washington, Tovanish, Washington, St. Paul, Oregon, and then back to Eugene.

SPEAKER_02 17:22

See, you had a little cluster, but then Saint Paul and then Eugene is a lot different.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

Saint St. Paul's only about 30 minutes from me. So once I get the two Washingtons, then we can drop back home, and then I'm only 30 minutes to St. Paul, and I'm about an hour and a half to UG. So at least those ones, and realistically, the 4th of July, those are really the only close rodeos to where I live. So drive-wise, I just given where we live, there's a lot more driving that we have to do. You know, you have to get through Portland on to 84, and basically 84 is what we use to get to any of our circuit rodeos. So I'm always thankful for the 4th of July because I've got those few that are kind of closer to home. Because beyond that, I'm I'm pretty much on the road everywhere traveling.

unknown 18:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 18:19

I might I might end up going to Toppinish then if the right. So since I live right down the road, yeah. And if I show up and don't tell anybody, they're gonna get mad. But I'm not

Family First And Choosing Performances

SPEAKER_02 18:32

saying it. So so family. Family, it's huge in the rodeo world, but but you mostly see athletes traveling non-stop. There it's rare to see some families with, you know, the there's families, but it's like far or a few be in between, right? Yeah. To bring them along 24-7, it it's it's it's tough. It's a tough life, tough life. I mean, road life is tough, period. But you seem to make it work, you also know how to split it up, split up your time, rodeo, family, family, rodeo. Like I I see more content of you go on a t-ball than you do on rodeo.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Yeah, yeah. I mean, like I said, I think family, family for me will always come first. This is a hobby for me. You know, I'm not making the NFR, I'm not traveling the road hard to do that. I think if if it ever got to a point where I was in that situation, I think then you'd have to reevaluate stuff, but that's just not where I am. It's not something that I really even strive for. Now, with that said, I do think everybody knows, like, if you ever got that one in once-in-a-lifetime horse of one in a million, I think you absolutely say you have to try it and you have to go. That's not where I am today, right now. Um, so for me, yeah, family, family is still always going to be my priority. Husband, kids, we also have multiple businesses. So again, those are things that take priority. I I would rather have a successful, thriving business and a happy and healthy family over any rodeo or or barrel race.

unknown 20:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 20:36

What if, let's say what if scenario, right? What if you make finals, you know, the the circuit finals, right? And then the chance of NFR. Not saying change, but would you take that opportunity and make it your own?

SPEAKER_00 20:53

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, absolutely. I think obviously every summer when we start the circuit, like circuit finals is always something that is on my goals. And so that's my focus right now for this summer is you know, focus on our circuit. Try to make circuit finals. And then, yeah, like I said, I think if you get that one in a million horse that has, you know, the it factor and can get you there, I think every girl would take the opportunity to try to make that run. But again, it would be a decision, and I know my husband would support me, but it would be something that we would have absolutely have to sit down and talk about and say, okay, is this feasible? Can we do this? What's life gonna look like? Because life would look different. You you you're not at home and you're on the road, gosh, I don't know, what 300, 275 days out of the year. I mean, that's a that's a big sacrifice. So yeah, I I mean, if the time ever came, we would discuss it, but that's not where I am at this point in my life. And so we just focus on the circuit.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Right now, gotcha. Okay. Business owner. Two business owners, two businesses. All right. And the family. Okay. It's

Fitness And Keeping A Tight Calendar

SPEAKER_02 22:10

definitely high caffeinated. Definitely. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 22:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

Okay. So barrel racing. A lot of people give give me flack because I always want to know how you guys do what you do. How like fit and everything else? You, content creator, alongside business owner, family, family woman, wife, mom. You put some things out there. You're quite fit. No. Thank you. A lot of people think the horses, the people, the people outside looking in, they think the horses do all the work. That's not true. I mean, you guys have to work core, you guys have to do, I mean, a lot of things, and you you you do put little out there, but not a lot of athletes put their stuff out there. Why, why? Why do you think the athletes don't put their regimen out there?

SPEAKER_00 23:09

Maybe it comes to do they have a regimen? Do they have a workout?

SPEAKER_02 23:12

Um that that's another thing, probably not. I know, I know, like go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

I know a lot of people work out. Um, I've got quite a few barrel racing friends that work out. Um but I also don't do anything. I now I will say you don't have to necessarily work out because I think you know, riding horses every day and making runs, I do think just naturally we, you know, we have stronger cores. You've got to use a lot of muscles just when when riding and when making runs. I just have always always worked out. So again, back to prior to getting horses, you know, and that was only five years ago, you know, working out was always a thing before I got pregnant, during both of my pregnancies. I mean, really the only time I wasn't working out was with my son when I was told, like, you can't work out anymore. We had I had kind of a higher risk pregnancy with him. So I was told, you know, no lifting, no working out. But then, yeah, it's always kind of been a part of my life. And so, again, for me, it's like it's just one more thing that I have to do during the day. It's you know, I have to work out, my horses have to be ridden, they have to, you know, work out, they have to be fit. I kind of have the same expectations for myself.

SPEAKER_02 24:37

Okay. Do you have a schedule throughout your day? A regimented schedule? Do you? I have to ask because like with all the hats you wear, it's amazing how you can keep up. So do you well?

SPEAKER_00 24:53

No, I mean, I joke with my friends, and there's several of us that we all kind of are in the same boat, but I mean, I think I'm a little ad okay, but I'm also OCD type A. So yes, I do like structure, I like schedules, but then my ADD does not, it's not conducive to following the schedule per se. So yeah, I mean, I think everything goes into my phone as a calendar reminder. Uh, you know, at the end of the day, I always have to look at the next day. Like, you know, do I have an Any appointments? Do the horses have to go to the vet? Do we have cheer practice, t-ball practice? Does how many estimates does my husband have today? And so, yeah, I do have a schedule, but I'm not gonna lie, sometimes my squirrel brain will lead me down different paths, but okay. I I think I just try to, there's kind of a routine and I know what to expect every day.

SPEAKER_02 25:48

Okay, yeah, I believe it or not, I started putting things on my calendar. I had to because you know, you you always you always hear chemo brain, you know, watch out, watch out. And I didn't know it was true until recently, you know. And definitely had to put you down on my schedule. I had to, you know, put another thing I have for you know, my PET scan tomorrow, have to make sure, you know, do that an hour before, just so I can make sure I'm there on time. But yeah, yeah. I thought it's it's amazing how yeah, you know, the mind works, uh, you know, ADD, ADHD, OCD, and then you know, and then you got me, chemo brain, which uh you can I'm always on the on the go. That's why it's like bringing it up, chemo brain is real, guys. It's real, and yeah, it's just it's it's tough to keep up. And I I man, I I praise you that you keep up with this busy schedule, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

Yeah, traveling. Sometimes, sometimes I question it, but I mean, it's working, uh kids are happy, everyone's healthy, so we just keep doing it.

SPEAKER_02 27:01

Yeah, I mean, your your husband went to the Super Bowl too, right? Right?

SPEAKER_00 27:05

He did, yeah. That was kind of yeah, I I kind of pushed that on him. So he's been oh gosh, I'm probably gonna botch this, but it what the Seahawks have been to three Super Bowls, and including the one yeah. Didn't they play or have they been to four?

SPEAKER_02 27:25

They Pittsburgh, Denver, Pittsburgh, and yeah, so they went to Patriots. Well they beat four. Four? Is it four?

SPEAKER_00 27:36

So this last one was the fourth one because they beat Denver and then they beat the Patriots this year, correct?

SPEAKER_02 27:45

Uh yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:47

Yes. Okay, so they've been to four. My husband's been to three of the four Super Bowls. So when he was kind of wavering, like, well, I don't know, ticket prices, da-da-da-da-da. And I was pretty matter-of-fact with him, and I looked at him and I said, 'Do you know how many horses are sitting in the barn right now?' and he just kind of like looked and I said, Buy the tickets, like this is non-negotiable. Like, I mean, that is kind of his passion. He's a diehard Hawks fan. But on the same hand, he's so selfless and like would never think that you know he should just buy the ticket and go do that for himself. So I I pretty much had to tell him, like, just buy it. I don't care.

SPEAKER_02 28:34

Yeah. He's a Hawk fan. I'm a Niner fan, so that's why I mentioned it. Yeah, that's funny. Okay. So traveling. Travel majority of the the day, and then you perform 20 seconds.

SPEAKER_00 28:55

Yes, hopefully faster than that. But yes.

SPEAKER_02 28:58

Well, I'm I'm just saying, you know, the start, you know, your the introduction and everything else, max 20 seconds, right? Yes. Max. You know, because they have the intro

What Rodeo Day Prep Really Looks Like

SPEAKER_02 29:10

and outro and whatever. What do you do from the time I I know you take care of the horses? What do you do after you take care of the horses, perform and then yeah. What do you do during that time? Do you watch other performances? Do you I mean, do you just kick it at the trailer or what?

SPEAKER_00 29:30

Like, so are you saying after I make the run or like when I get there before, you know, like in preparation for the run?

SPEAKER_02 29:37

And prep, in prep.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

In prep, yeah. Do you want to do that? Um, yeah. So I mean, I'll get to wherever I'm gonna be. If I know I'm gonna lay over, you know, you kind of set up your pens, and you know, like you said, everything is horse first, so attend to them, you know, any treatments that they might need, nebulizers, pemp treatments, things like that, depending on which horse I'm running. Some of them I try to get into the arena, others I don't. And then for the most part, just kind of let them relax. And if I can relax, yep, I will. I would say the majority of the time there's something that needs to be done in the trailer. So I always have a laptop with me. You know, it's either doing contracts, signing contracts, certain, you know, payroll. There's always something to be done for the businesses. So again, it's just one more thing, and there's not a lot of downtime. So whether it's you know, tending to the horses or I have to jump in the trailer and do something for the business, there's really not a ton of downtime.

SPEAKER_02 30:47

Do you try to make time though? Do you try?

SPEAKER_00 30:51

I mean, I I try, but you have the best of intentions, but as a business owner, you know, things come up and you you have to problem solve, troubleshoot, and it doesn't really matter where you are. You know, me can be on vacation or I can be on a rodeo, and if something comes up with the business, that's that's gotta take priority.

SPEAKER_02 31:14

If and when you have time and you make time, what what performance do you like to watch other than uh barrel racing?

SPEAKER_00 31:25

What like what event in the world?

SPEAKER_02 31:27

Yeah, yeah, what event, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

I mean, I'll be brutally honest. Like when a rodeo st starts, like I'm not over there necessarily watching. I mean, if I know I'm gonna run, I've got everything timed out, you know, you've got to give meds, you've got to do certain things, at what event am I gonna get on to start warming up? And so there's really not a lot of extra time. Okay, and then even if I'm saying I'm there early and I don't run until the morning, I I can honestly tell you I don't just go and sit and watch the performances. I think once you've seen one rodeo, it's kind of like, well, okay, it's just another rodeo.

SPEAKER_02 32:05

Gotcha. Okay, okay. Do your kids just watch you or do they watch others too? Other videos.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

I mean, my son absolutely would love to watch bareback riding and saddlebunk. So anything that's rough stock related. He always wants to try to do mutton busting, even if the rodeo doesn't have it. He's always begging me to try to get him signed up for that.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 32:29

But yeah, I mean, I think they're kind of the same. I mean, they're not gonna sit and watch the whole thing.

SPEAKER_02 32:36

Okay, all right. What about mutt busting? What would like are you gonna give them a try?

SPEAKER_00 32:42

Yeah, he's so he we the hard part is is that a lot of these rodeos, they'll open Mutt and Bustin, you know, five or six weeks before the rodeo. Right. Well, my entries haven't opened. And so then when I do figure out what night I'm up, I'll reach, I always reach out to the committees and I'm like, hey, is there are there any spots for mutton busting? You know, my son really wants to do it. Oh no, sorry, they're all taken. And so it's it's really hard. Like, I'm like, well, I can't sign him up because I don't even know what day I'm gonna be there. But yeah, I mean, there have been a few rodeos, they've had an extra sheep, or we will literally stand at the bucking chutes waiting for the kid that refuses to get on, like throwing the temper tantrum. And I can't tell you how many times we have thrown my son on with like two seconds notice, doesn't even have a helmet on, and the kid is just happier than hell to just finally be on a sheep. So we we try to do what we can, Fla.

SPEAKER_02 33:39

Good,

Road Food Meal Prep And PBJ Debates

SPEAKER_02 33:40

good, good. All right. Traveling with kids, what's your go-to meal? Do you guys stop? Do you guys you know get something to eat, like fast food?

SPEAKER_00 33:51

So you have kids, they're like bottomless pits, like pirate booty, cheez-its, you know, it all the snacky crap food stays in the truck. You know, I try to have like some beef sticks, I applesauce packs, stuff like that. I will try it as best as I can to meal prep, like at least always have chicken, you know, lots of proteins, tortillas. I'll make, you know, chicken salad, have some eggs that I can throw on, like an English muffin.

SPEAKER_01 34:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Again, with life being so crazy, we're trying one of the meal services where you know everything comes ready to go. You stick it in the microwave. I think it actually comes today. So we're gonna we're gonna try that. And I'm excited to maybe see how those go like on the road. That way I could just grab them, throw them in the trailer, and then I don't have to worry about it.

SPEAKER_02 34:46

What what made you get one of those? Because I I thought about it because it probably makes life easier. But no, my kids are like, especially my little one, she's all no, I want mac and cheese.

SPEAKER_01 34:56

No, I want this, I want that. I don't want this, I don't want mac and cheese. It's like duh.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

Well, and mine mine are gonna be like that probably. And so we still have mac and cheese, and we still have you know, chicken nuggets and tater tots. Right. But I mean, just just time. It's one more thing in the day. At the end of the day, Troy and I do not want to spend 45 minutes cooking a meal.

unknown 35:21

Right.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

Did we untoss something? Do we even have anything? You know, so a lot of times we go out to eat, and and so I just we were talking about it a couple weeks ago, and I said, let's try one of these meal services where everything's made, it comes frozen. Obviously, it's not gonna be as good as a homemade meal, but when it comes down to simplifying things and taking something off of our plate, literally, that we don't have to do at the end of the night.

SPEAKER_02 35:51

Yeah, okay. Now that we're in food, peanut butter jelly sandwiches. Do you eat a lot of those?

SPEAKER_00 35:58

I do not, but my son would eat them every day of his life. My daughter cannot stand them. Nope. She's like not a peanut butter and jelly fan.

SPEAKER_02 36:09

Okay. How how does little man like his PBJ?

SPEAKER_00 36:14

Jelly on one side, peanut butter on the other, and a mess all over the kitchen counter.

SPEAKER_02 36:21

So ratio though. Ratio. It's all about the ratio. What what's the ratio? Mine's a seven 70-30 peanut butter to jelly.

SPEAKER_00 36:29

So what's he even is aware of the ratio? I think it's how much ever jelly happens to come out when he squeezes the bottle, and then how many ever scoops of peanut butter he thinks he needs like there's really no ratio. The kid will eat peanut butter out of the jar. So if I think he's probably more heavily peanut butter than jelly.

SPEAKER_02 36:53

Him and I will get along so well then.

SPEAKER_00 36:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:56

Him and his Elvis moves.

unknown 36:59

Yeah.

Podcasts Politics And Music On Long Drives

SPEAKER_02 37:00

So music. Music is a huge part of my life, and I know a few athletes that I've wrote with. Music huge in your life too, or I mean, yeah, I do listen to music.

SPEAKER_00 37:14

I I would say more so I listen to podcasts. I can maybe start the drive with music, and then there gets to a point where I'm just like, I don't, I need something a little more. I need to like follow, I need to track. And so then usually an hour or so into the drive, I'll get into podcasts.

SPEAKER_02 37:34

Yeah. What's your go-to podcast?

SPEAKER_00 37:37

Uh Joe Rogan is usually number one. I will also go. I I like Sean Ryan. And then depending on how many rabbit holes I want to get down, I'll even go to Tucker Carlson sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 37:52

Rabbit hole. See, that's another thing. Your content, yeah. That's how you got me. You got me because the the the common sense memes and the the reels that you post, and I'm like, yeah, I'm on to this. I like this. So yeah. So Joe Rogan. By any chance, did you watch the US match at the the White House the other day?

SPEAKER_00 38:12

We did, yeah, we did. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 38:14

That was I'm probably gonna get a lot of stuff about this, but man, I was telling my buddies that that was an incredible, an incredible event, and probably the most patriotic event that I've ever seen in my lifetime.

SPEAKER_00 38:27

It was nuts. It was pretty cool. I mean, there's never been anything like that.

SPEAKER_02 38:34

No, no, and man, it was it beautiful. I mean, it was out of this world. It'd be any other UFC match that I've ever seen out of my my lifetime.

SPEAKER_00 38:44

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 38:50

Did it come that far? It came real far, but yeah, I was just wondering. You've been watching uh World Cup.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

Absolutely not. I my kids both play soccer, and I was great when they played like on the mini field, and it was like co-ed, and you just kicked back and forth. But now my daughter was on kind of I would say an older team in the spring and fall, and where they actually play on a real-size field, they have positions, and I I have no idea how how the sport is played. I didn't play, my husband didn't play, so we just know that we know what a goal is, but beyond that, we just sit there and it's probably the one sport that he and I do not offer any coaching to, other than like, we'll just be like, good, you know, we get further up the field, but like beyond that, we have no clue how to coach our kids and stuff. So no, we are not watching the World Cup.

SPEAKER_02 39:49

Well, when you get when you get a chance, you gotta watch USA play. They play on Friday versus Australia. I mean, they they got a team, they got a lot of uh people who were just born here and then went off to like England and Mexico to play, and yeah, we got quite the team. I think we got a better team and a better chance this year than we've had all like prior years. So give it a shot. Give it a shot. It's good. Okay. So Rogan, Rogan. What what about Rogan that you like? Because I'm a huge fan. That's the number one reason why. Well, one of the three main reasons why I started the podcast, because he inspired me finally to do it. But what what draws you to Rogan?

SPEAKER_00 40:33

I think what I like the most about him is that he's so neutral when it comes to his podcast. I mean, he he literally could have somebody with the most extreme conservative views, and you know, he'll do a two-hour podcast with them, and the very next day he can bring somebody in, you know, that is the most extreme left wing, you know, liberal. Like but I w no matter who he's talking to, even if it's conservative, liberal, he gives them the same attention, the same respect. And even if it is somebody that say I would normally not listen to, or I don't, you know, politically aligned with them, I don't believe what they believe, the way that he does interview them, it's in a way that still will get my attention.

unknown 41:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:30

And so I and I just don't think he's divisive, like he's there to just have a conversation, he wants to talk. And so so I just appreciate that. Like you can get both sides sides with him.

SPEAKER_02 41:45

He has a lot of hate, but he has a lot of love, and a lot of people would say otherwise, but totally agree with what you say.

SPEAKER_00 41:52

I mean, he's got my love, so there's that.

SPEAKER_02 41:55

Yeah, yeah, exactly, right? I mean, he's he's good, he's good, he's great, actually. So, podcasts, music. When you do listen to music, a lot of the guys that I interview, a lot of the guys that I know, they they don't listen to man music. Man music meaning like metal, you know, rock and roll, they listen to pop music, girl pop. Did you know that?

SPEAKER_00 42:22

I did not. I wouldn't say like so. You're saying they have they're like Swifties? They're like Taylor Swift fans.

SPEAKER_02 42:31

Katie Perry, yeah. They they they listen to everything that is not manly, and and I'm not saying rodeo should be a man sport. What I'm saying is they surprise me because of they they rather listen to Swift than let's say Garth Brooks, they rather listen to Katy Perry than let's say the average rock band. It's quite funny, and they and they boast on it. They boast, they boast it. It's so what's your go-to? Who's your go-to?

SPEAKER_00 43:06

Swifty at all. Um so there's that. I would say most of the time it's country. Uh okay. So new country or old country. I like prime country on Sirius XM. So nothing's better than a good you know, old prime is all Garth Brooks, Brooks and Dunn, like that's just good for your soul.

SPEAKER_03 43:30

Yeah, good stuff.

SPEAKER_00 43:31

I'll also switch to Spotify and do, you know, like the Riley Green channel or Tucker Wetmore. So I do kind of like some of the newer country. Um but be between those two, I mean, and then while I guess if it's a 1 a.m. drive and the Celsius isn't kicking in, we will sometimes get to the heavy metal or some like 80s rap. I mean, well, but I do not go to pop and I never put a swift. Or a Katy Perry song.

SPEAKER_02 44:01

She's showing you up, guys. She's showing you up. All right. So Riley Green, do you listen to his music or is it just for the looks? I gotta ask you that question because I saw him both, obviously.

SPEAKER_00 44:11

Um, I am gonna see him. My friend and I are going to Vegas, he's there for the NFR, and so we were able to get tickets to his show in Vegas. I think it's during the seventh round.

SPEAKER_02 44:23

Okay, yeah. Yeah, I saw him at Whiskey Fest. I'll I'll I'll tell you this. I I'm straight as it can be, but I'm like, now I know why girls always want to see him. He's quite the looker.

SPEAKER_00 44:34

I'm just saying I'm not, yeah, I'm not gonna disagree with that.

SPEAKER_02 44:37

I respect him, and he and and I respect him because he he's a singer who used to be D1 athlete. Well, if you're a D1 athlete, you're always a D1 athlete, correct?

SPEAKER_00 44:46

Yeah, give him that. Yeah, I don't think you can take that away.

SPEAKER_02 44:51

Yeah, yeah, I was I was I was quite shocked. I was quite shocked. I mean, that guy, dude, man, quite the manly man, and the ladies love him. So all right, so we do Riley Green. Okay, so you do you do attend NFR?

SPEAKER_00 45:06

Um God, I haven't been since getting back into barrel racing. No, I've not been to the NFL, but I'm apparently I'm going this year because we Ashley and I bought tickets, so we will be there.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

Riley Green and the Cowboy Christmas. Here he is. Cowboy Christmas. It's great. It's man, there's a lot of money go through there.

SPEAKER_01 45:25

A lot of money.

SPEAKER_02 45:27

I've gone the last four years. I'm gonna go again, gonna see Red Clay Strays, always see them in Vegas, so

NFR Plans Upcoming Runs And Closing Thoughts

SPEAKER_02 45:35

I'm gonna go see them. But yeah. All right, Arlie, you want to add anything? Did I forget anything? I know we can talk on talk forever, we can go on forever, but I know you don't have you have very little time, and I thank you for making time for me in this podcast. So appreciate it. So anything you'd like to add?

SPEAKER_00 45:55

Yeah, I mean, I just thank you for the opportunity. And I mean, I think it's always good to have conversations and hear people's stories. So yeah, yeah, I appreciate the opportunity and hopefully the podcast keeps going good for you and you keep having interesting people.

SPEAKER_02 46:12

Yeah, thank you. And you're interesting. Where are you competing this week?

SPEAKER_00 46:20

This weekend, I'm gonna do a jackpot up in Washington, and then I leave next week for Reno, Meridian, Idaho, Newport, Washington, and Prana.

SPEAKER_02 46:31

Newport, you're gonna be in Newport, okay. I thought about it, but I'm gonna go somewhere else. So Newport's a little further further west, so but but I'll I'll end up meeting you. I'm going to Colville, I think, on Friday. So I'm gonna go to Colville and check that out.

SPEAKER_00 46:54

I opted out of that only because it's eight hours each way for me. And it's like a one I know I would love for them to maybe rework things for next year. If they could get Colville and Newport on the same weekend, that would be uh amazing. I mean, because they're so close to each other as is that if you're already going up for one, like you could hit both of them. So that would if anybody's listening from those two committees, it would be really nice if you guys worked together to get your radios on the same weekend.

SPEAKER_02 47:27

Right. And they do listen. It's crazy, it's crazy how athletes will come on here and have the opportunities rise. So yeah, it's pretty nice. But the reason why I'm going to Colville is because I'm trying to get all my workouts in and my fun before Monday's chemo. So that's right. Like, I can only afford only afford one day, so I'm gonna go to Colville with Wiley. So make a run. And he's like, tell your wife we'll have you back by 2 a.m. I'm like, dang. So I'm gonna be wiped Saturday. I'm gonna be wiped out, yeah. But yeah, that's just have a couple Celsiuses, you'll be fine.

SPEAKER_00 48:02

You'll you'll just roll with him.

SPEAKER_02 48:04

Yeah, yeah, right. I will just roll with him though. But uh, Arlie, appreciate it. Thank you so much for your time. And yeah, continue doing what you're doing. People watch ya. I watch ya and love every minute of it. So thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 48:20

Thank you.