The South Dakota Cowgirl

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Gump’s New Jewelry

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As most of you know, I’ve been running in a summer barrel racing series about 80 miles west of here. Last night was the conclusion of that series and as I mentioned yesterday, I was winning the buckle in the 4D.

For those of you unfamiliar with the D-System, or Divisional system, here’s a brief tutorial:

The fastest time of the night sets what is to be called the 1st Division, or 1D. So if, for instance someone runs a 17.621 and that’s the fastest time of the night, they win the 1D. Add to that 1/2 a second, or 5-tenths, and you have the start of the 2nd Division or 2D. That time would have to be a 18.121. Rarely will you end up with someone running the exact time needed to set the 2D, so it would go to the next closest time- maybe an 18.2xx. The 3rd Division, or 3D, would be 1/2 of a second slower than the 2D. So in our example it would be a 18.621- or a full second off the 1D time. And the 4th division or 4D is a second and a half off.

There’s a lot of advantages to doing a divisional system like this. You can see how your horse is stacking up compared to more experienced, faster horses; and you can also ride a slower horse if you’re less inclined to go as fast, but you can still “win”. I know women that are embarrassed to have anything less than a 1 or 2D horse. Me, I don’t care- so long as my horse is happy, I’m having fun, and we’re consistent. And in this case we were. Plus, I can rope and drag calves to the branding fire, open gates, move cows, start colts, flag colts and put a kid on my horse. Those are all more important, to me personally, than having a crazy barrel horse that wins and can only run barrels.

We finished the series tied for the lead in the 4D. If I’d have managed one tenth faster last night, I wouldn’t have to share the title with anyone, but if I’m going to have to share it, I guess there’s no one better to share it with than my crazy friend, Sharon.

Here’s our new jewelry:

I let Sharon take it home- the club is ordering a second buckle, so we don’t have to share!

Gumpers did really great this summer, and I’m anxious to see how much improvement we’ll make over the coming years. On an unrelated note, I am officially going to ride with Buck Brannaman, AGAIN, in September in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I’m not taking Gump this time, however. I’m hauling his little brother, Dino. And I plan to learn a lot more that will make Gump, Dino, and every horse I ride better!

Happy Friday!

XO

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About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.

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Comments

  1. Kimberley says

    Congrats on the buckle! Next year the 1D!
    On a side note I must defend some great 1D horses, my good barrel mare could do all of the above, drag calves, move cows, pony 4-H steers, and take my non horsey friends and kids for trail rides and she was a great 1D and rodeo horse! There not all bad.

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