First Barrel Race

I was just reading A&MD Ranch's post about DD's race last year.  It totally brought back memories of my daughter's first barrel race.

I bought my mare (Tabby Bar Leo) as a six year old.  Her history was barrel horse from two until she was about four then she was sold to a farm for breeding purposes.  I found her there with a very pretty paint filly at her side.

A side note about me.  I was buying my second horse as I had made the common mistake of buying a green horse through someone who was going to help me "train" him.  Another story for another day.  Anyway, I love color breeds and while I was there to look at their paint selection, they suggested Tabby.  She was proven to throw color.  She was bred back to the same stud (next beginners mistake...which did turn out well).  I rode her and asked about her background.  They told me that a 14 year old girl had been using her as a barrel horse and that she was not fast enough for her.

Tabby is 16hh, which makes her a bit tall for me, but her disposition was just what I was looking for.  The breeding farm she was on, really wanted me to buy her with the filly at her side.  I knew I didn't know enough to handle the baby, but thought I would learn enough by the time Tabby foaled.  Again, another beginner mistake.  You cannot learn enough without help and living on the farm, which we did not.

Back to my daughters first ride.  We knew that Tabby was used to shows and arenas and both my kids wanted to show.  No problem!  We had a great 4-H leader, she took Tabby in for 30 days for reminder training and my kids went there for lessons.  They learned to set her up for halter classes, and walk, trot, lope, patterns for western pleasure.

Tabby was always level headed and very even tempered.  Where we boarded her, there were always people practicing their shooting with various guns and we were right off a busy highway with motorcycles and semis passing by.  Nothing ever seemed to bother her.

We get to the show and she is her usual self, until...my son, who has shown before but is still very green himself, takes Tabby (at halter) into the INDOOR ARENA.

Tabby gets about 4 steps into the arena and decides this just isn't for her.  She rears up, my son keeps hold of her.  Gets her back down, starts to move forward, she does it again.  This goes on about four times.  The judge has now backed way up and I am on pins and needles...what to do.  Well, after the fourth rear, my son shakes the halter (he may have said something, we couldn't hear) and she just walks forward.  Completes her class and places middle of the group.  Next up...my daughter.  She is 6 years younger than her brother and I am not sure what to do.  Well, she takes Tabby and walks right into the arena with no problem.  Does not place as well as her brother, but who cares...she is just learning.

Tabby did fine in all her under saddle classes, they were held outside.  The last day of fair are the speed and fun classes.  My daughter only entered in the walk, trot classes which meant she could only enter the walk, trot speed groups.  She signed herself up for the egg race and barrels.  None of us thought anything about it.  During the egg race she dropped the egg early and was out.  Getting a little down as she did not get a blue ribbon all week.  She got herself ready for the barrels by watching some of the others go first.  Then she mounted Tabby...

OMG!!!!  The mares ears went forward, she tensed completely up and I grabbed the 4-H leaders arm and said sh#$#.  The gate opened and the mare NEVER broke the trot.  My daughter won the trophy for best time in the walk, trot group.  We all went home happy.

I must say that moment when I realized that I just put an animal with competition experience and my daughter with no barrel experience in that situation I was paralyzed.  I was 5 months pregnant and trying to figure out how I was going to jump the fence and save my daughter.  We laugh now, but at the time...wow!

Sorry about the lack of pictures...my scanner went down today and these were taken over 8 years ago.  Before I had a digital camera.

Thanks to A&MD Ranch for taking me down memory lane!