Horse owners gather for barrels of fun

Senior Adult Barrel Racers collected for three days at the Four States Fairgrounds for the fourth annual Senior Adult Barrel Race. This year attracted nearly 700 participants.
Senior Adult Barrel Racers collected for three days at the Four States Fairgrounds for the fourth annual Senior Adult Barrel Race. This year attracted nearly 700 participants.

Fellowship rather then competition fueled the three-day fourth annual Senior Adult Barrel Racing event that finished up Saturday at the Four States Fairgrounds.

The event, which originally brought about 250 contestants from the Four States Area four years ago, has since grown to nearly 700 participants from throughout the U.S. as of this weekend, said Jackie Sue Watlington, the event's announcer.

"Back during our first year here in 2016, we had barrel racers from throughout our Four States Area, but now we get barrel racers from South Dakota, Colorado, Washington state, Iowa, Indiana, Florida and Mississippi," Watlington said. "The only real requirement is that you be 50 years old and older and we've had racers as old as 77 and 81."

Watlington said the race is usually scheduled for the third or fourth weekend in March, mostly because of the milder weather. She attributed the race's growing popularity to the fact that it actually has a very noncompetitive atmosphere.

"We provide a very laid-back setting," she said. "This is mostly about bringing people together who want to have fun and who have a common interest."

Of all the barrel racers who come out each year, Watlington said the gender percentages breaks down to about 25 percent male and 75 percent female.

"We plan to continue this annual get-together as long as people like being here," she said. "Just because it's a senior adult event doesn't mean things go slow and easy here. Our riders ride as fast as middle-aged and young-adult riders."

One of those riders, Sharon Ellis of Carthage Miss., brought Mister, her 5-year-old horse, to the race.

"This is a place where you just seem to strive for your own personal goal and work on being your own personal best," she said.

Karen Heward, from the North Dallas area, brought her 22-year-old horse Zorro to her third year of barrel racing at the fairgrounds.

"My dad trained race horses and that's how I got interested in this," she said.

Patti Lee of Pleasanton, Texas, said this is her first year in Texarkana with her horse, T.K. "Bug" Leo.

"I started riding horses when I was about 3," she said. "I just love watching the teamwork it takes to put all this together."

The Lucky Dog Barrel Race will be at the Four States Fairgrounds next week.

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