🔥 Cold Steel Performance Spotlight: Bonnie & Dixie Bounce Back Big at IJRA Rodeo

Whitney Widick
Apr 21, 2025
1 min read

It was a full week at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville, Indiana, where the Indiana Junior Rodeo Association (IJRA) hosted a barrel racing clinic on April 17 with rodeo legends Mike & Sherrylynn Johnson.

Dixie, the powerhouse pony, carried a new beginner rider during Thursday’s clinic—giving them a gentle, confidence-building introduction to barrel racing.

Then on Saturday, she turned around and ran both barrels and poles all day with 5-year-old Bonnie Widick in the Little Wrangler division.

After that kind of workload, she was due for a reset.

That evening, we stepped in with a targeted cryotherapy and IASTM session designed to support recovery, ease muscle fatigue, and improve circulation before the next day’s competition. By morning, Dixie was more relaxed through the shoulders and stifles, and her range of motion looked buttery smooth in the warm-up pen.

And then… she crushed it.

💥 Saturday, April 19 – IJRA Rodeo 7:

Barrels: 11th place – 26.640
Poles: 12th place – 42.003

💥 Sunday, April 20 – IJRA Rodeo 8:

Barrels: 🔟th place – 22.892 (personal best!)
Poles: 12th place – 36.415 (another PR!)

At just five years old, Bonnie has trained Dixie to confidently run both patterns—and with the help of proper recovery support, they’re gaining speed, consistency, and confidence with every run.