Barrel racing originated 100 years ago as a women’s event and was judged on horsemanship and accouterment as the ladies raced around a clover-leaf or figure-eight pattern. But since 1949 barrel racing has been all about speed…today’s winners, and their horses, are athletes. Winning can be determined by a thousandth of a second. It has also been opened up to girls, boys, men, and women of all ages. Our friends, Greg and Linda Will, of Broken Heart Ranch, invited me out to photograph one of their events, a barrel race that attracted cowgirls ranging in age from teens to their sixties.
Barrel Racing at Broken Heart Ranch
