An Okotoks barrel racer is making sure her horse is in top shape for the Canadian Finals Rodeo in November by sending the mare to a training facility.
Adel Hansen said if her horse Freddie has to be in shape for the six go-rounds at the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) in Edmonton Nov. 7-11, she better follow the mare’s example.
“I’d like to say I have been working out all year, but I haven’t,” Hansen said with a laugh. “I just figured if my horse has to workout that hard then so do I.”
Hansen has been participating in boot camps and a spin class on Saturday mornings at the Okotoks Recreation Centre during her lunch break since the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association regular season ended on Sept. 30.
She said she is hoping the workouts will not only help her handle a world-class horse turn the barrels, but also keep her mind in shape.
“If you are physically fit it helps keeps your mind healthy,” she said. “I can go in to the CFR with a positive attitude feeling good about myself and being fit always helps.”
Being in shape won’t hurt when she sits in the saddle up in Edmonton.
“Having really good strength in your legs to ride helps to position your horse with your legs and strength in your hands is beneficial,” she said. “It’s a grueling week. My plan is to continue to workout while I’m there so I can stay on top of my game.”
The 15-year-old Freddie has been in Didsbury for the past a month to ensure she has kept in shape since the CPRA season ended.
“She has been training in the pool because it is better for her joints,” Hansen said. “I didn’t want her to run on the hard ground. I will bring her back for the last week before the CFR. I want to make sure we are spot on with our cues and our timing.”
Freddie has been running on an underwater treadmill at Fitt Equine in Didsbury.
“She is in good shape, we just want to get her wind up and in peak shape,” said Janice Tokar of Fitt Equine.
The water treadmill does not pound on Freddie’s joints and the resistance from the water also gets Freddie’s ticker going.
“The treadmill is easier on her body and she can get a good workout in a short period of time,” Tokar said. “Right now, she’s on the treadmill for 25 minutes which is very good.”
She said a strong set of lungs is important for a horse to turn three barrels and run a full gallop for around 17 seconds.
“They need the wind to get the quick burst,” Tokar said. “They need to have oxygen levels high. What we work on is getting their wind up and having them fit and muscular so they can just dig in and run.”
Freddie is also well fed.
“We keep an eye on her weight, but we try and keep her on the same program as Adel had her on,” Tokar said.
Hansen nearly missed the chance to go on a workout program.
She had to wait until the final weekend of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association to find out if she cracked the top 12 in earnings to qualify for the CFR.
She finished 11th with $11,712 after competing in McCord and Hanna Sept 29-30.
“I was second in McCord, but then I was in the crying hole for Hanna so I was stressing a little bit there,” Hansen said.
The crying hole is one position away from earning money.
Hansen and her close friend Lauren Byrne from Okotoks were traveling together that final weekend. Byrne just missed making the top 12.
“There were so many of us who were close at the end,” Hansen said. “There was a lot of juggling back and forth. I was so sad for Lauren. I didn’t want to show that I was happy (about making the CFR). I wanted her and I to go together.”
Hansen has her work cut out for her in Edmonton, in what will be her second trip to the CFR. She went in 2009 when she was rookie of the year.
The Canadian champion is determined by the total money made in the CPRA season combined with the money won at the CFR.
Hansen finds herself more than $20,000 behind first-place Pierce Carlee Rae from Stephenville, Texas.
“I have been going pro now for four years now and I am going into the CFR with a different attitude — I feel good about myself and my horse,” she said. “There is a lot of money up in the CFR.
“My goal is to be fit, have my horse fit, do the best that I can and let the chips fall.”
For more information on the CFR go to www.cfr.ca
