CIRCUIT FINALS: COLUMBIA RIVER BARRELS DREAMIN EVER AFTER Gow Wins Average Title at Columbia River Circuit Finals, Punches Ticket to NFR Open By Joe Kusek A few years ago, Sharon Gow was working with a couple of horses sired by Slick By Design.
The black stallion owned by High Point Performance Horses in Texas was a good place to start for bloodlines. Slick By Design has the fastest time by a stallion at the National Finals Rodeo. But Gow wasn’t looking for just pure speed. The Roseburg, Oregon cowgirl wanted a horse that was compatible with her three grandchildren. “I wanted the one better with the little kids,” she said. “We keep horses at our place they can ride.” Gow sold one horse and kept the other, registered as Dreamin Ever After whose dam is RBS Dream. Turns out Dreamin Ever After, better known as Slick at the family ranch, not only works well with children but also works well in the arena. Gow and the eight-year-old bald-faced mare won the barrel racing average title at the Columbia River Circuit Finals. Gow and her horse posted a total time of 44.35 seconds for three runs at First Interstate Bank Center in Redmond, Oregon. The former schoolteacher earned $6,456. “I’m just thrilled,” said Gow, who runs a cow-calf operation with her husband Bill. “The goal with the circuit finals was just to have fun. To make good runs on my horse.” She placed second in the first and third rounds, posting times of 14.54, 15.00 and 14.81 in the three performances. Julia Johnson won the first round with 14.41 while Kacey Gartner won the second round in 14.8. “Slick kept the barrels up,” said Gow of the weekend. “She doesn’t care if it’s the top of the ground or the bottom. Slick is fast. She doesn’t have a pretty pattern.
Sharon Gow (second from left) and Megan McLeod Sprague (third from left) will represent the Columbia River in the barrel racing at the NFR Open in July in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo by Roseanna Sales
“Slick is just a great average horse. She doesn’t knock over barrels.” Megan McLeod-Sprague, of Marsing, Idaho, won the third round with 14.60. The win lifted McLeod-Sprague to the year-end title by $162 over Rachelle Riggers, of Lewiston, Idaho. Both Gow and McLeod-Sprague qualify for the NFR Open this July in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “It’s like making the National Finals Rodeo for me,” said Gow, who finished seventh in the 2023 Columbia River Circuit standings. “I’m not going to travel much this year. This is my NFR.” Gow, the circuit’s rookie of the year in 2016, got off to a fast start for 2023, climbing to as high as 19th in the WPRA world standings. “I have a nice little horse that does well indoors,” she said. “I was leading after the early indoor season rodeos.” “Then we go outside,” Gow continued with a good laugh. “Ninety percent of our rodeos are outdoor.” Family encouragement kept her on the road. “They said, ‘You have to make the circuit finals,’ ” said Gow. Rodeo runs deep in the family. Her daughter Bailey won the College National Finals Rodeo barrel racing title in 2008 for New Mexico State. Son Colton is a PRCA team roper and Gow’s husband also team ropes. “I drove a lot of miles by myself,” she said of her summer. “My goal was to make the circuit finals.” And it didn’t hurt that First Interstate Bank Center is an indoor arena. “I was pretty excited about that,” said Gow. Gow plans to be working with some young horses in preparation for the NFR Open. She also homeschools her three grandchildren -- Teagan Cline (8), Eva Gow (7) and Pacen Gow (6) – and is preparing them for rodeo competitions. “They’re great kids. We all practice together.”
Sharon Gow won the average title in the Columbia River Circuit aboard Dreamin Ever After. The duo posted a total time of 44.35 seconds on three runs. Photo by Roseanna Sales
30 WPRA NEWS FEBRUARY 2024
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