The WRANGLER Horse and Rodeo News is an equine and rodeo publication with circulation in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, Utah and Idaho.
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July 20 - August 4, 2019 • The WRANGLER, Horse and Rodeo News 37 Chuting The Breeze with Shali Lord By Lincoln Rogers, 2019 Previous NFR qualifier and Colorado barrel racer Shali Lord has been riding Freckles Ta Fame (2009 stallion owned by Joe and Carla Spitz with barn name of Can Man) for the last half decade; pa ently working with him and ge ng him more experience and more wins each year. In 2017, the duo ranked #107 in the world. In 2018, they moved up to #31 at the end of the year. 2019 appears to be the year everything clicks for them, as Lord and Can Man currently sit second in the WPRA world standings as of July 08, 2019. Lincoln Rogers was able to talk with Shali for The Wrangler magazine on July 06, a few days a er she and Can Man ed for first place at the 98th Greeley Stampede. (Note – Ques ons and answers have been edited for length and clarity) Colorado barrel racer si ng near the top of world standings Lincoln: Tell me about your run in the championship round at Greeley, since it was the fastest of the round and earned you a tie for first place. Shali: It was a great run overall. We were set up pretty good, since we placed third in the first round. Can Man really likes Greeley. He loves the crowd and loves the atmosphere. It is almost like the louder the better for him. I think he feeds off that and he just ran in there and worked really good. That first barrel is pretty hard in Greeley just because it is so far out there, it is such a long run and also it is out in the middle. Horses can sometimes have a problem with it and he was really hunting it and looking for it, so that made it really nice. Lincoln: As a Mountain States Circuit competitor, how nice was it to have five Colorado riders in the final round at Greeley? Shali: That is always really exciting when there are so many Colorado girls in a short go. Usually there are not that many that make the short round, usually two or three. So it was really good to see all the circuit girls and most of them won money, as well. Lincoln: You are having an incredible year, so far. Before Greeley, you were ranked #4 (#2 as of July 08). Tell me about your year. Shali: It has been so wonderful and so much fun. Can Man just continues to get stronger and stronger and it has been great. Lincoln: You have a great relationship with Can Man and it seems he has been getting better over the five years you have been riding him. How gratifying is it for you to be doing so well, this year? Shali: It is so great. Like you said, I have ridden him since he was five years old. It is like we have put in our time, we have been patient, we have worked hard, and it just seems like it is all coming together and he is just getting better and better. I feel like we have done things to get him seasoned and going to the circuit rodeos to get him used to everything and it is great. Lincoln: Let's talk more about Can Man. What is it you really like about his skill set in the arena? Shali: He is so consistent, he is strong, he runs hard, and he tries hard. Everything about him is unreal, really. Lincoln: Some horses have a strength in the arena. Does he do something better than anything else? Shali: He seems like he has everything put together. Everything is great. I think that is what makes him so good. Lincoln: What do you like about his personality? Shali: He is fun to be around and great to haul. I think he likes attention. Lincoln: It has to feel good to have all the time and effort be paying off with such a successful year. Shali: It does, yes. My mom and dad have been a huge help. They took him to Reno and brought him back. Joe and Carla Spitz (owners of Freckles Ta Fame) came to Greeley for the slack and watched our run there. Everybody has been so much help. My husband, Phy, we went to Springdale and Pecos with another horse. It has definitely been a team effort and I appreciate everyone's help. You can find Shali Lord and Can Man on Facebook and follow their successful year - www. facebook.com/Shali-Lord-Professional-Barrel- Racer-139373736074854/ , along with h ps:// www.facebook.com/FrecklesTaFame/