Barrel racing champ off to world’s

A 17-year old Simcoe girl is on her way to the World Youth Barrel Racing Championships in Georgia next week. She’ll be facing almost two thousand teenagers from as far as Australia, vying for the fastest time on four legs.

Madi Wood: “I just pretty much hang on and pray to God nothing bad happens”.

Galloping out of the gate at a barrel racing competition is the rush Madi Wood lives for: “The speed. You go thirty miles an hour and you have to turn your horse on a dime”.

She discovered the sport three years ago and has become a self-taught champion: “I started watching YouTube videos. And I learned sort of the pattern and how it was supposed to be done”.

In some horse sports, an animal’s pedigree or appearance can factor into judging. But in barrel racing, it all comes down to speed. And speed is what Madi’s horse “Obviously a Triple” does best: “She’s just a really, really gritty horse with a lot of tenacity that does it because, everyone told her that she never would”.

She’s a skinny thing, not bred to barrel race. But when the red-headed duo enters the ring, they routinely beat out mounts that cost up to six figures: “You walk in there and you see people with $100,000 trailers, $50,000 horses”.

Madi works part time to pay for her riding expenses, and somehow manages to fit in school, homework and practice. Because she’s invested so much, qualifying for the world championships means more to her than the average competitor: “I’m going to worlds and I’m determined to win”.

In a week — and roughly 15 seconds — she’ll know if all her hard work paid off.

Madi’s determined, but still nervous. Barrel racing is a high risk sport and one wrong step could be fatal. For her run in Georgia, her plan is to keep calm and let “Obviously a Triple” take the reins.