Courtney Kitching loves the thrill of barrel racing.
A Lifelong Love Of Horses Inspires Barrel Racer Courtney Kitching
By Deborah Welky
Courtney Kitching of Wellington has been riding since she was five years old. She began barrel racing at eight years old and has never looked back. “My mom had horses and a whole farm when she was younger but moved away,” said Kitching, now 21 years old. “Then, after I came along, my family got some property and one horse.” It has grown from there. Today, Kitching is training seven horses, including one breed mare. Her favorite, however, is Nemo. “He just has a lot of personality. I got him off the Quarterhorse racetrack and began training him,” she recalled. “It has been a long process, but he’s very talented. I stuck with him, and now he is actually my fastest horse.” Her horses each have their own personalities. “Each horse is different,” Kitching explained. “Some are hot in the alleyway; some have to be warmed up a certain way. With some, you have to be quieter on the ground because they get spooked easy.” Kitching spends time getting to know each horse. It’s almost unavoid-
able with the hours she puts into riding and practicing. “I have a lot to ride,” she said. “So, I go out three or four times a week, riding multiple horses. I suppose it adds up to 30 hours or more each week.” Kitching is a member of the South East Florida Barrel Racers organization, although she started with the smaller shows through the Palm Beach County Mounted Posse. “I tried other disciplines as well — jumping, English,” she said. “But I found I had a love for barrel racing.” In the 1930s, barrel racing was established as a women’s rodeo event, where female riders alternated maneuvering between a figure 8 and a cloverleaf pattern. Judging was based on the rider’s ability to work through the patterns — and on her outfit. All that changed in 1949 when the newly established Girls Rodeo Association, now the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, made the event all
about speed. Suddenly, the relationship between horse and rider became crucial. The course consists of barrels placed in a triangle in the middle of an arena. The rider races into the arena at top speed, and the timer starts when the team crosses the start line. After completing the tight turns of a cloverleaf pattern and racing across the finish line, the timer stops. The team that puts up the best time with no overturned barrels wins. What the rider is wearing is no longer a factor — it’s all about the athleticism and abilities of the horse and rider pair. Modern barrel racing is open to girls, boys, men and women of all ages and levels of experience — weekend riders as well as professionals. Payouts and award packages sometimes surpass $250,000. The win of which Kitching is currently most proud took place last fall in Kissimmee. “It was a Halloween Spooktacular. Nemo won the barrel race out of about 160 horses,” Kitching said. “We actually outran two NFR [National Finals Rodeo] finalists.” wellington the magazine | april 2018
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