10/26/2026
🤠 **WE SURVIVED THE FIRST RACE!** 🎉
What a way to kick off the season! Thank you to everyone who attended our membership meeting and came out to race with us. We appreciate your support, patience, and excitement as we get this season rolling!
With our first race behind us, we have a few important reminders and updates to go over. Please take a moment to read through everything below. We want to make sure our races are safe, fair, and enjoyable for everyone!
**📌 A FEW IMPORTANT REMINDERS**
1. CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF! 🗑️
The parking lot was a MESS. Members and board members had to stay late to clean up after others, and that is simply unacceptable. We are all responsible for leaving the grounds clean, and we should not have to clean up after other people.
A HUGE thank-you to everyone who did take the time to clean up after themselves. It did not go unnoticed, and we appreciate you! ❤️
Going forward, the board will be documenting parking locations and addressing those who leave a mess. **Fines may be issued for failure to clean up after yourself.**
2. PLEASE RESPECT THE ANNOUNCER'S OFFICE
Do NOT knock on or enter the announcer's office while the announcer is announcing or horses are running. Please wait until a drag or, preferably, find a board member if you need assistance. We need to keep distractions to a minimum so our announcer can do their job and our races can run smoothly.
3. BE RESPECTFUL TO OUR TRACTOR DRIVERS 🚜
Please do not harass our tractor drivers! We are learning new equipment (a huge thank-you to Pape for bringing us an awesome tractor!) and training new drivers.
A big thank-you to **Steve Derry** for driving and coaching our new driver, and to **Jake** for stepping up and taking on the task of driving the tractor. You both ROCKED IT! 👏
If you have concerns about the ground or the tractor driver, please bring them to a board member so we can address them appropriately.
4. SADDLEBOOK UPDATES 💻
We know there are still some kinks to work out with SaddleBook, and we are continuing to fine-tune the system. Thank you for being patient with us as we learn the new platform and get everything set up. We anticipate things running much more smoothly at our next race!
5. HOLDING PEN SAFETY 🐎
As a reminder, you may NOT run up into the holding pens. You must remain at the front of the holding pens.
You may NOT cross over to the other side or enter the other holding pens in a way that interferes with riders preparing to make their runs.
This is a matter of **safety and respect for your fellow competitors**, and it is something we will be enforcing moving forward. Please be aware of your surroundings and give every rider the space they need to prepare for their run.
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📣 RULE CHANGES & UPDATES
A full write-up of the new rules will be posted soon, but here is a brief recap of the changes!
✨ NEW JUNIOR CLASS
We are excited to introduce a Junior Class!
• Eligibility:Ages 13 and under as of January 1.
• Class restrictions: riders may NOT enter any other class. This rule is non-negotiable and will not be amended.
• Standard 4D time splits and payouts.
• Finals qualification:Riders must attend at least 51% of the races, complete 4 work slots and pay their membership and sponsorship fees to qualify for finals.
• Fees:The same fees as the Youth class.
• Entries:All entries will be completed through SaddleBook.
We are excited to add this opportunity for our younger riders!
💰 PAYOUT UPDATE
When added money is contributed to the purse, it will increase the amount paid per placing rather than increase the number of placings paid.This means the added money will go toward increasing the payout amounts for the existing placings.
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📅 MARK YOUR CALENDARS — OUR NEXT RACE!**
🗓️ **November 8th**
📍 **Isola Arena at the Expo**
We will post the SaddleBook entry link soon, so keep an eye on our page!
Thank you again to everyone who came out, helped, volunteered, raced, and supported us as we kicked off the season. We know there are always adjustments to make at the beginning of a new season, and we appreciate everyone working with us as we continue to improve.
Let's keep the season moving in the right direction, take care of our facility, respect one another, and make this a great year of barrel racing! ❤️🤠
See you all November 8th!🐎💨
— Your SOBRA Board of Directors
