On March 1, 2005 the rodeo family of Montana lost a very special person. Lynda Ottun passed away after a long, hard-fought battle with cancer. She was born and raised in Rosebud and later moved to Billings with her husband, Jon, and two daughters, Joeleen and Jaime. Lynda, who was practically raised on a horse, grew up living and loving the ranch and rodeo way of life. Her passion was to train her horses and to barrel race. Growing up, Lynda won many titles in high school rodeo, including Montana State All-Around Cowgirl. She qualified for the Northern Rodeo Association Finals many times, as well as the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals. She also qualified for the Women's Pro Rodeo Association Finals in Fort Worth, Texas.

The best part is that her talent did not stop with her horses. Besides being a wonderful mother, she was a great friend to a lot of people in Montana. If she was not helping someone physically she was always there with a positive smile and a kind word. Lynda was always there for whoever needed her and now we are trying to keep her traditions alive and well, for people who would have benefited from knowing her.

On May 23rd, 24th, and 25th, the Fifth Annual "Lynda Ottun Memorial Barrel Race" will be held at Miller's Horse Palace in Billings, Montana. We will be hosting a gathering on Sunday night with a free dinner, a Calcutta, and the most popular event, "The Dog Race." You may also bid on items from the silent auction and shop at our vendor's booths. On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday we will host a 4-D Open barrel race followed by the youth and senior divisions.

Our goal as a group is to be able to help people just like Lynda: good people who need a helping hand every now and then. We are primarily focusing on our ranch and rodeo community who might find themselves subject to hard times or in crisis due to medical bills or other tragedies in life. We want to be able to help the same people who came to help Lynda. We hope to raise enough money to be able to help as many people as possible, and with continued growth make the fund grow.