Lazy Dayz of summer and
winter below the equator

Thumbs Up to Australia! Sharon and Donna
enjoying the sights of Sydney Harbor.

Who ever said the days of summer were lazy must have had no children, no job and obviously no horses! Donna Irvin and I just returned from an exciting trip below the Equator to Australia where it is winter and the big dipper constellation is upside down!

We traveled 18,000 miles, visited two of six Australian states and got a great feel for a beautiful and very diverse continent. Donna and I made some new friends and touched bases with old ones. We traveled through rolling oak-filled hills reminiscent of California’s Central Valley; beautiful grape filled valleys like the wine regions of Lodi and Napa, California; barren flats like West Texas, and Sydney, every bit as beautiful as San Francisco, with a bay bridge and opera house to boot!

It is exciting to see that the passion for barrel racing is alive and very well, especially on the East Coast of Australia. What most amazed me was a comment made by Alex Cambell, husband of former multi-Australian National Barrel Racing Champion, Julie Cambell. In short, he said that the instruction and horsemanship techniques I introduced during my first trip to Australia in 1990 changed the face of the sport of barrel racing in Australia. Six National Australian Barrel Racing Champions resulted from my first visit, each of which went on to influence barrel racing throughout the continent! With a clever Australian grin, he went on to say he doubted that my return visit could possibly leave an equal impact. Just offer competitors a challenge and there is no telling the results that can be accomplished.

Click here for the highlights and more photos of our Australia Clinics.

In my spare time I have been completing a new barrel racing book for Skyhorse Publishing Co., titled Barrel Racing with Sharon Camarillo, Winning Tips for Horse and Rider, which will be available in 2010. The book is comprised of short tips and essays designed to inspire and motivate not only barrel racing enthusiasts, but anyone who shares a love for horses. The tips are easy to understand, quick to digest and represent topics on equine management, training and competition strategies. I am proud to say this has been a fun and rewarding project. I had a chance to work with my Performance Team members, David Hayes DVM, Donna Irvin, Cheryl Price and Susan Van Rein to gather information we felt would most impact the horse enthusiast. Aside from the tips, the book includes photos and beautiful artwork by Ron and Denise Calef of ProSportsPix, and Cyndy Smith. Our mission statement is to inspire riders to establish working relationships with their equine partners and provide horsemanship techniques for safe, successful, and rewarding training and competition. We will update you as the publishing date approaches.

Just a reminder that the Western and Eastern Classics are right around the corner. Don’t miss out on an exciting weekend of barrel racing competition with great prizes and awards. The Classic competitions are open to any graduating student of the Sharon Camarillo Performance Horsemanship program, regardless of the year of participation or location. Click here for more information about our Classics.

My continued wish is that each of you enjoys the “lazy dayz" of summer with safe, smart and successful riding and competition. As they say in ‘stralia, the land Downunder, Good on Ya Mate!