Barrel Racing at Barrel Horse World.com - Horses, friendy active forums, articles, more.

A Barrel Racing Interview

December, 2004

By Kathie Bitzer

I was trying to get together with the Steinhoff’s to do a personal story.

By now if you’ve read any of my articles you know I go for the experience and human-interest end of barrel racing. The professional reporters report on the results of barrel races. I like to put a personality to an event and a person. I always thought the human-interest end was lacking in the traditional sense of reporting. I always wanted to know what it was like to compete at a particular event and many times what the true personality is of some of these household names we read about in our favorite barrel racing newspapers.

Rest assured contestants and events all have their own personality. It’s been quite an adventure and eye opener the last 10 months since I first reported the San Antonio Rodeo and Futurity. I have had the pleasure of meeting and being around some really great people! I’ve only had one person that didn’t want to give me the time of day. I figured it was no great loss and I was right.

I sometimes just seem to end up in the right place at the right time. Saturday at the American West Central Region Finals soon after race #3, I started to walk back to my trailer to lie down for an hour. I could hardly keep my eyes open. The lack of sleep was catching up.

I turned the corner and A.V. and Jo Ann Jones was standing by the office waiting for the payoffs to be posted along with quite a few of our fellow contestants that placed that day. I paused and asked how they ended up that day. Jo Ann had won the 4-D and had picked up various checks with her other horses.

Then out of the blue little Taylor pulled up in front of us with her purple scooter! Smiling and honking she stopped in front of Jo Ann. I seized the moment! Her boundless energy seemed to seep into me! I was awake and was in for a treat.

This is how the conversation went:

Taylor  ”Jo Ann, I watched your run. It was good.

Jo Ann  ”Well thanks Taylor.

Taylor   “Did you hear me screaming for you?”

Jo Ann   “ Yes I did hear you screaming for me.

Kathie   ”Taylor, how old are you?

Taylor    “ Seven.”

Kathie    “What grade are you in?”

Taylor     “ Second.”

Kathie      “What is your favorite subject?”

Taylor     “Math and P.E. I’m the second fastest runner in my school. I love to run. I’m on the 6^th grade basketball team. Tanya is the best basketball player in our school. My friend and I practice with her all the time. The coach was watching us play and asked were we learned.   We told him… we practice with Tanya all the time and he said well girls…you’re on the Team! We jumped up and down and screamed. We’re on the team, We’re on the team!”

Kathie   “ Do you like math so you can keep adding up all the money you win?”

Taylor started to laugh and giggle and  just shook her head no.

Kathie  “What do you want to be when you’re grownup?”

Taylor   “Ummm..A basketball player and a barrel racer.”

Kathie  “ You’re already a barrel racer and it sounds like your basketball player too!”

Taylor again just laughed and giggled and shrugs her shoulders.

Kathie    “ Who has the prettiest horse?’

Taylor    “ I don’t know. I’ve never seen your horse.”

Kathie    “Does Tanya, Tyrney or you have the prettiest horse?’

Taylor     “ Tanya, Rooster is the prettiest and then I have the second prettiest.” She threw her head back and started to laugh and giggle and then said. “No. I was just kidding. Hot Shot is the second prettiest and then mine.”

Kathie  “How long have you been riding?”

Taylor   “Long before I was born. Someday I just feel like I live in my saddle.”

Kathie    “How many days a week do you ride?”

Taylor   “Four or Five.

Kathie   “Who taught you to ride?’

Taylor    “ My sisters and my dad.” There’s a hesitation and she looks up at the ceiling, shrugs her shoulders and then says, “Oh…I really can’t remember.”

Kathie  “Do you still sing when you’re warming your horse up?”

Taylor’s eyes got real big and she said, “I don’t do that! I wouldn’t do something like that to embarrass myself!”

The first time I saw Taylor was a few years back. I was warming up with her in the small roundpen in Abilene. She was singing like a little bird! She had a quirt around her wrist and she was looking around singing and waving her free arm around. Her mom was close by watching over her. When I went to leave the pen I remarked to her that she needed to teach her little girl not to be so serious!  I laughed and she smiled and remarked, “The day my girls aren’t’ having fun doing this we’ll quit. The most important thing is that they’re having fun.” After watching Taylor all weekend believe me she’s having fun!

Kathie   “What was your biggest win?”

Taylor without any hesitation said, “The day we got Hot Shot! I was just 4 years old! When our dad told us we just started jumping up and down and Tyrney did a cartwheel and I just kept screaming. We Got Hot Shot! We Got Hot Shot”

With that she turned and walked away and went up to her sister Tanya and gave a little tug on Tanya’s shirt. Tanya immediately looked down and smiled. I would have loved to hear what she said. Whatever it was Tanya smiled and giggled. Do you think she told her some gray haired woman was asking her dumb questions?

Thanks Taylor for making my day! I’ve become your #1 fan!