Barrel racing is not for the faint of heart. The sport itself is very hard on your body. Imagine running your horse as fast as you can while turning three very sharp and quick turns. There’s always a strong possibility the horse can slip and fall while turning and land on top of you or even worse, you could easily fall in front of the horse and get stepped on.
Although it’s a challenging sport, there is no minimum age requirement and it’s not enough to stop a nine-year-old from landing a spot in the American Semi-Finals.
On January 22, 2021, Taylor Armenta won the Desert Disco, a BBR-sanctioned qualifier, held in Buckeye, Arizona, which means she is now on her way to Fort Worth for the Semi-Finals.
Young Armenta was riding her brand new gelding Ocho with whom she’s only done three races when she turned in a time of 16.90, the only sub-17 second run at the qualifier.
When asked how she’s been able to be so successful at her age, she told RFDTV,
 “My mom and dad help me every day, ride horses and train them, and Cory Mars, she helps me a lot with coaching.”
Mars raised and trained Ocho, a CJ Instant High, and continues to work with the two of them.
Good luck Taylor!
Watch her interview in the video below.