Learning  Barrel Racing by a Baby Boomer.  Believe…………

You must believe, so success will follow.

I am leaving my usual stories to write about Barrel Racing and what it means to decide at 56 years young,  that’s what you want to learn to do. 

To me light is the accomplishment of a task with my horse.  The joy that comes from getting through the cloverleaf pattern with all three barrels standing and a decent time is always nice.

I began Barrel Racing with my daughter, she was 10 and just learning to ride.  I had not been on a horse in 20+ years, but the love was there and determination.  So we joined a gaming club to ride once a month in a summer series. 

As she learned to ride, I once again learned balance and the technique I had long since lost.  In 2001 we bought a horse that was barely broke to ride, although she was 10 years old.  She soon became mine and we began the long process of learning together.  Since she’s a little hot, being an appendix Quarter Horse, this was a challenge.  We both had to learn balance and the pattern, but we did it together.   The road was long and hard.

By 2004 I realized that if I wanted to accomplish my goals, I had to get together with an instructor.  We have a good friend that is an awesome trainer of barrel horses, and kids.  She took me and my horse under her wing and worked with us, helping us gain the technique, self confidence and balance we both needed. 

She has kept us going these past years with spots of training here and there.  We go to the same games so she’s there to instruct and scream (its ok) support and directions from the side lines. 

I have left many arenas in tears.  One year for the series final’s we hit barrels on every run, which of course means no time.  We had done very well up to the finals, with very few barrels being hit.  I was going to quit, I felt I could never get this dream accomplished.  I was too old to respond fast enough.   Your horse goes from a stop to 30 miles per hour in a couple of jumps.  You only have split seconds to think of your next move as your coming to the next barrel.  Several of the long time “gamers”  said “its just part of it”.  “We all cry, want to quit, sell the horse, go to knitting.  But its worth it,  hang in there and keep trying.”  At the end of season Award ceremony, they gave me a camp chair with a barrel racer, inscribed on it is “Betty & Niki,  the school of Hard Knocks.”  I love that chair!

Now I’m 61 years young.  I am still trying, still racing, still learning, still loving it.  My Horse has a hurt leg, I have a hurt leg and we continue to go for it.  Remembering all this, speaking of it, is not just about those outstanding women that taught me, helped me and encouraged me.  Its about the Teamwork, Love for my horse and her for me, accomplishment and self worth. 

I like to say, “We are not the fastest, but we are the funest.”   Niki and I love what we do.    We scream and carry on, when the run is great, I do a jig that makes my family want to disown me.  Niki loves to run and I love riding her as fast as she chooses to go.  We win some money, win some awards and have the time of our lives.  I feel I have accomplished my dream. The awards we win are secondary to the accomplishment of a dream.

It was not all I had, for I had the support of my wonderful husband and great daughter, as well as the rest of my family and friends.  They made sure the shoulder was there to cry on and support me through the roughest times, and scream their support and pride during the successful times.

A wonderful note from “Take it from me: Life’s a struggle but you can win” by Erin Brockovich/Marc Elliot reads:

If you believe you’re right or you can…….stand up and fight for your place in the sun.  If you believe you can do it, hang in for the whole 15 rounds because even if you don’t win, you will have earned the respect of everyone in the fight, including yourself, and in that sense you will have prevailed.

Yes we can!

My gal Niki and I did prevail, we “Gott’er Done!”

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