Katie Pascoe & JR Streakin Espuela

When Katie Pascoe picks out a horse, she loves to go with A Streak of Fling.
The Morro Bay, California cowgirl has raised and ridden five different babies all by Streak of Fling.
Her latest protégé is a five-year-old bay roan gelding, JR Streakin Espuela, sired by A Streak of Fling by Espuela Pleasure (Blue Light Ike.) “Beretta,” as he’s known in the barn, is owned by Katie’s mother, Sherrie Jones and was intended as a rope horse for Katie’s dad, John W. Jones, Junior, a three-time world champion steer wrestler.
But when Beretta showed a liking for the barrel racing, that’s the discipline that was chosen for him.
He was started as a two year old and ridden on the family ranch, roped on, and Katie did a bit of barrel racing training in the practice pen with him, while sending him out to others to train and finish.
In 2018, his first year of competition, Beretta carried Katie to the West Coast Barrel Racing Association’s Finals in King City, Calif. over Labor Day weekend, where the two of them earned $3,470 by winning fourth in the 1D first round, seventh in the 1D average, and twelfth in the finals.
Beretta is young but has quite a personality. “He is just a clown,” Katie said. “He wants to be your buddy all the time, and he’s in your pocket.” Beretta has some antics that keep the family laughing. “He likes to find zippers if you’re wearing a jacket, and get a hold of them. He does some funny things out in the pasture. He’ll spin perfect circles, both ways, when he’s playing, and he’ll go from that into loping perfect circles in both directions. He does that when he’s playing and he’s happy.”
He knows how to behave, as well. “He has good manners and is easy to be around,” Katie said.
In the arena, Beretta is a focused competitor. “He seems to be really gritty and has a lot of try. External things don’t bother him.” Because of that, Katie thinks he’ll do well if she and her mom decide to transition him to rodeo. “We’ll play with him as he matures, and see if he can handle that kind of situation.”
Katie is married to former NFL football player Bear Pascoe, who is in his rookie year of competition in the PRCA as a steer wrestler.
She and her parents have a long history with Lisa Fulton and Fulton Family Performance Horses, owners of the stallion A Streak of Fling. John, Jr. qualified for the National Finals Rodeo ten times in the steer wrestling and twice in the tie-down roping, winning the world title three times (1984, 1988-89), so he and Lisa’s husband Brian, who passed away in 2015, crossed paths as Brian also competed in the tie-down roping and steer wrestling.
Katie spent two summers with the Fultons on their ranch in South Dakota, just across the state line from Valentine, Neb., helping get colts ready for the annual sale. While there, she became close to Brian and Lisa and their three sons. “It was a pretty neat experience,” she said, “to get to see what all goes into a sale. It is an amazingly run production.”
Katie loves the traits that A Streak of Fling babies have. “All of our A Streak of Flings have been very personable, fun to be around, with cute personalities. They have a ton of try and athleticism, and they’re quick. They’re really smart and willing, and they have a style that I really seem to get along with. It’s been fun having multiple A Streak of Flings.”
She likes the understanding that grows between her and the A Streak of Fling offspring. “The ones we’ve raised have been fun to bond with. From my point of view, I feel like when you have a strong bond with a horse, they try harder for you. And it makes your success more satisfying when you have that personal bond.
“They are really personable and do funny things that make them individuals. Those things really make me fall in love with a horse even more.”
Sherrie plans on entering Beretta at more derbies and jackpots in 2019.