The only thing slowing a young barrel racer and her horse this year is the calendar.
Alley Bueckert, 11, was set to run in the Foothills Cowboy Association finals this weekend in the Peewee division, but the championships in Stavely have been put off until May of 2022.
Bueckert is coming off a year that has included winning an Alberta Barrel Racing Association championship in Ponoka earlier this season – despite a foot issue.
“My first run was 17.8 (seconds) but I lost my right stirrup on my first barrel,” said Bueckert, a student at St. Francis of Assisi Academy in Davisburg.
“I was trying to focus on getting my foot back in the stirrup, which put me off my trail a bit.
“My second run, was 17.6 seconds. My horse ran pretty well that day. It felt really good because it is my last year as a Peewee and the competition was pretty tough.”
Her horse, Chulas Perfect Rose (Nitro), came to her with some experience.
“She was originally my mom’s pro rodeo horse,” Alley said. “My old horse got hurt and we all knew that Nitro was pretty safe. The first time I got on her it was fun and I have been with her ever since.”
She has been competing on Nitro since 2019. Alley estimated the first time she turned the barrel was as a three-year-old.
While turning barrels is a thrill, Alley loves the preparation before a run.
“I love the adrenaline before the run, I love thinking about how the run will be like,” she said. “Picturing it in my head and then it being faster than I expected.
“But bonding with my horse is the best part… I love that she is always herself. She has a personality and she loves running.
“We have a pretty good relationship.”
The pair finished first in the 2021 Foothills Cowboy Association Peewee division season.
“I love all the arenas, going everywhere and seeing things the horse and travelling with family,” Alley said.
Going down the road with mom and dad is an added bonus.
“It means a lot to me,” Alley said. “We rock it to music and we talk about what we think our future run is going to look like. It’s exciting and really fun.”
It’s been a thrill for mom Cathy as well.
“Pretty much before they could walk, both girls (Alley and sister Zoe) were riding horses,” said Cathy, who has competed in the B.C. and pro circuit. “Going to lots of barrel races has been fun.
“There is a lot of bonding. You learn how to coach kids, both girls have been really good at listening.”
Cathy trained the now 16-year-old Nitro.
“I trained her and I know every little button on her,” Cathy said. “Alley does a really great job of when I say: ‘you need to do this and you need to do that.’
“And Alley does a really good job of adjusting for her ride.”
Alley said her long-term goal is to race on the pro circuit.
“I would love to be in the CFR,” she said.
