Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

White City Cowgirl And Her Barrel Racing Horse Make Profitable Runs At Entertainment Capital

Las Vegas may not have been the gold mine, but 10 days there proved profitable for one Kansas cowgirl.

Jeanne Anderson of White City has just returned from the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas where she collected five checks totaling $33,461.

Riding her 12-year-old sorrel Quarter Horse gelding called, Fire Bug, Anderson was 11th in the year-end barrel racing standings of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association with total winnings of $97,761 collected at 80 rodeos during the past year.

That’s lots of money, but there have been plenty of trying times collecting it.

There was no shortage of tension during the finals. However, it all ended up quite positive as Anderson and her mount were fifth in the average among the 15 barrel racers at the conclusion of the climaxing tenth go-round.

Their total time of 146.68 seconds in ten runs, compared to 139.5 seconds for ten runs by Lindsay Sears, Alberta, Canada, who won the average and was crowned the world champion with $238,864 year-end total winnings.

It was a positive start for the White City team as they placed sixth in the first go-round with a time of 14.19 seconds worth $2,884.62. Things picked up more when Anderson and Fire Bug stopped the clock at 14.13 seconds, worth $4,615.38, to be fifth in the second go-round.

Round three wasn’t bad with a seventh place finish, but no pay, then a run of 14.46 was only good enough to place 14th in the fourth round.

However, the fifth go-round was the real stickler for Anderson and her speedster, as they knocked a barrel over, and their time with a 5-second penalty zoomed up to 19.4 seconds, dumping them into 15th in the round and down in the average.

Placing ninth in both the sixth and seventh go-rounds, the barrel racing team came back with a 14.07 seconds run in the eighth go-round to win sixth, worth another $2,884.62.

A speedy 14-flat was only good enough to rate eighth in the ninth go-round, and again no money was collected.

Nevertheless, Anderson and Fire Bug clocked their fastest run of the rodeo when the watch stopped at 13.99 seconds in the 10 go-round to place fourth, worth $7,500.

That total moved them up in the average standings adding $15,576.92 to bring back to their Morris County ranch.

Beforehand, Fire Bug has been recognized for third place in Barrel Racing Horse of the Year awards presented by the American Quarter Horse Association.

The team won barrel racing competitions this year at the Four States Fair Rodeo, Texarkana, Ark.; the 101 Wild West Rodeo, Ponca City, Okla.; the Jaycee Boot Heel Rodeo, Sikeston, Mo.; Jayhawker Roundup Rodeo, Hill City; the Moses Lake, Washington Roundup; the Longford, Kansas, Rodeo; Nebraska’s Big Rodeo, Burwell, Neb.; the Barber County Fair and Rodeo, Hardtner;  the Black Hills Round-Up, Belle Fourche, S.D.; and the Beef Empire Days Rodeo, Garden City.

Earlier in the fall, Anderson, riding Fire Bug, won the barrel race in her eighth appearance at the Prairie Circuit Professional Rodeo Finals competition and also collected the year-end highlight honors for the circuit.

Anderson, 51, and Fire Bug were at the National Finals Rodeo for the second time. Last year, the team placed in two go-rounds, ending up 14th in the average, and 12thin the world standings with $69,406.

In 2009, Anderson won $34,522 to rank 28th in world standings, her fourth best year-end standings, after being 26th in both 2007and 2004, with winnings totaling $30,558 and $25,716, respectively.

Joining the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association 11 years ago, Anderson’s career earnings in professional rodeo now total $416,524.

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