This week, hundreds of kids went head to head in the Youth World Barrel Horse Racing Championship. Only the best rider and fastest horse will win.
It's a race against the clock—a barrel race, that is. About 1,800 contestants are participating in the Youth World Barrel Racing Championships at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry. They are from 43 different states and 6 different countries.
Contestant Logan Owens is from Kathleen, Georgia. She says she first started barrel racing when she was 9-years-old.
"My uncle had horses and my dad had friends who barrel raced, so we bought a pony and started doing local shows,” says Owens.
She says the secret to a clean barrel race is to stay calm.
"The secret to a good barrel race is you have to have a nice horse, you have to have a clean run and you have to be thinking and just be calm. I've had a pretty good weekend. I've qualified two back to the finals already. My horses have been working nice so I've won a little bit of money,” says Owens.
Sherry Fulmer is the Executive Director of the National Barrel Horse Association. She says the Perry championship is the largest in the world.
"You know why they like to come? Number one, they like to come because this is Perry, Georgia and it's the nicest place in the world and you have a first-rate facility here. Number two, they like to come because they can check their horse against horses from all across the United States,” says Fulmer.
Even those in the stands drive hours to see kids compete in barrel racing.
"I like watching the little kids out here on the big horses. It's just really cute. It just brings back a lot of memories from when I used to ride,” says audience member Ashton Payne.
Thursday and Friday the races will start at 8 a.m. The youth finals and teen finals will start Saturday at 1 p.m.
