Hard work and lots of practice have made Lexi Hecker a strong competitor in the sport of barrel racing.
Young Barrel Racer Lexi Hecker Has Big Plans For The Future By Deborah Welky
From the moment Lexi Hecker received her first horse at age 10, she knew she wanted to compete in barrel racing — a sport in which riders navigate three carefully positioned barrels in a cloverleaf pattern as fast as they can. “The girl we bought the horse from had been doing it, and she started teaching me the basics,” recalled Lexi, who will turn 14 in June. “My mother also barrel raced when she was younger. I tried reining, but it didn’t give me the adrenaline rush that barrel racing does. Barrel racing is faster. It’s a lot more thrilling, and the crowds make everything better, which can make a lot of difference on the road. They make a lot of noise, and it’s very exhilarating.” Lexi competes in the Open class (all ages) as well as the Youth class (ages 18 and under) in competitions throughout Florida and Georgia, although she
plans to travel farther away in the near future. The barrel racing circuit takes place in local arenas across the nation and throughout the world. The National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Youth World Championships bills itself as the largest barrel race in the world and showcases horses and riders from 36 states, Canada, Italy, Panama, Brazil, France, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Australia. Riders must qualify on a local level by competing at NBHA-sanctioned shows, NBHA national shows, super shows or state show events before becoming eligible for the championships. The National Finals
Rodeo (NFR) also hosts barrel racing events and will take place in Las Vegas this December. Riders and horses from around the globe will compete. Lexi’s horses are Nonstop Nick and B.B. Dreamer, although she has nicknamed them Clutch and Superman, respectively. “After we bought them about a year ago, the names Superman and Clutch seemed to fit them better, but it’s really bad luck to change the names after you buy the horses,” she said. The Hecker family owns a number of horses, but not all of the horses do barrel racing. “We have eight in total,” Lexi said. “Two are prospects, one is in training, there are the two that I race, and the others are for fun.” Lexi, who attends Western Pines Middle School, said most of her nonwellington the magazine | april 2017
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