Illinois Little Britches Association - State Finals, Sheridan, IL

What a weekend.

This past weekend, Dale Rosa Equine packed up and headed to the Illinois Little Britches Association State Finals at Mustang Arena at Spirit Farms in Sheridan, Illinois. From Friday move-in to Sunday awards, the entire weekend was packed with learning moments, confidence breakthroughs, long days, late nights, and memories these girls will never forget.

Being new to the Illinois Little Britches Association, we truly did not know what to expect. What we found was an encouraging and welcoming environment full of hardworking kids, supportive families, and opportunities for our riders to grow both in and out of the arena.

We brought three cowgirls to compete:

• Ella Gerdes

• Bonnie Widick

• Loretta Widick

And every one of them walked away stronger.

Friday: Move-In Day

Friday was all about settling in. Horses got comfortable in their stalls, tack got organized, campers got set up, and nerves slowly started turning into excitement.

There is something special about rodeo weekends. The smell of shavings and horses. Kids running between stalls. Last-minute tack cleaning. Walking patterns under arena lights. Conversations around camp chairs after dark.

The girls were excited, nervous, and ready to work.

Saturday AM Rodeo

Saturday morning kicked off the weekend with some huge confidence boosters.

Bonnie Widick | Riding Dixie

Bonnie came out determined and focused.

Rodeo 1 Results:

• 5th place Little Wrangler Barrel Racing, 22.198

• 3rd place Little Wrangler Pole Bending, 32.627

Saturday PM Results:

• 2nd place Little Wrangler Barrel Racing, 19.914

• 2nd place Little Wrangler Pole Bending, 31.427

Watching Bonnie start trusting herself and riding with more confidence has been incredible. She is learning how to compete while still staying relaxed and having fun. Her improvement from Saturday morning to Saturday evening was huge and showed how quickly her confidence started building throughout the weekend.

Loretta Widick | Riding Gemma

Loretta had one of the biggest growth weekends of all.

Rodeo 1 Results:

• 4th place Little Wrangler Pole Bending, 36.847

• 7th place Little Wrangler Barrel Racing, 29.796

Saturday PM Results:

• 5th place Little Wrangler Pole Bending, 42.385

• 7th place Little Wrangler Barrel Racing, 28.454

Then came one of the biggest moments of the weekend.

On Sunday morning, Loretta laid down her qualifying pole run for the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo.

For a rider who has worked through nerves, confidence rebuilding, and the ups and downs that come with learning, this was a huge accomplishment. The smile after that run said everything.

Ella Gerdes | Riding Popcorn and Gemma

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/3ab6ed_8c4089164c494da483dfcf1b386a3f47/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Ella competed in a stacked senior division against some extremely talented riders.

Rodeo 1 Results:

• 6th place Senior Girls Barrel Racing, 15.895

• 3rd place Senior Girls Pole Bending, 26.356

• 6th place Senior Girls Trail Course, 40.060

Saturday PM Results:

• 4th place Senior Girls Pole Bending, 26.518

• 4th place Senior Girls Trail Course, 35.651

• Senior Girls Barrel Racing, 21.000

Then Sunday morning added another major accomplishment.

Ella secured her qualifying pole run for the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo as well.

This qualification reflects the countless hours Ella has spent developing as a rider and horseman.

Long rides. Conditioning work. Learning feel and timing. Pushing through frustration. Continuing to show up and improve.

Senior girls competition is tough. Ella rode with maturity, consistency, and grit all weekend long.

Thank You To The Horses

We also have to recognize the horses who carried these girls all weekend long.

• Dixie, Bonnie’s horse

• Popcorn, Ella’s horse

• Gemma, Loretta’s horse and the horse Ella has started using in poles

These horses worked hard all weekend and gave these girls every opportunity to succeed. They handled long days, changing energy, pressure, warm-up pens, and countless runs while continuing to take care of their riders.

There are so many unseen moments behind successful weekends:

• hauling

• feeding schedules

• conditioning rides

• sore muscles

• tack checks

• stall cleaning

• late-night water buckets

• nervous riders needing confidence

Good horses make learning possible.

Dixie helped Bonnie continue building confidence and consistency. Popcorn showed up for Ella in a tough senior division and kept giving her chances to improve and compete. Gemma stepped up for Loretta in a huge way and also helped Ella continue developing in poles.

We are incredibly thankful for each of them.

Awards Banquet Surprise

One of the most special moments of the weekend came during the awards banquet Sunday evening.

All three girls took home event awards.

As a new family to the association, that completely caught us by surprise and made the weekend even more meaningful.

Watching the girls walk up for awards after all the hard work they put in throughout the weekend was something special.

We also want to give a huge thank you to Spirit Farms for their hospitality throughout the event.

The facility, atmosphere, and kindness shown to families all weekend did not go unnoticed. The food at the banquet was absolutely delicious, and it was a wonderful way to wrap up the weekend together.

More Than Placings

This weekend was not only about points and placings.

It was about:

• Learning how to handle pressure

• Supporting teammates

• Late-night horse care

• Working through nerves

• Early mornings

• Arena prep

• Encouraging other riders

• Taking responsibility

• Winning humbly

• Losing gracefully

• Building grit

That is what Dale Rosa Equine is about.

We want riders who understand the “why.” Riders who work hard. Riders who know how to care for their horses, handle adversity, and keep improving.

This weekend checked every one of those boxes.

We are incredibly proud of Loretta, Bonnie, and Ella for how they represented themselves, their horses, and our program this weekend. We are also thankful to Illinois Little Britches Association and Spirit Farms for creating such a positive experience for young rodeo athletes.

And now, Dale Rosa Equine officially has three cowgirls headed to the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo in pole bending.

That is something worth celebrating.