Well-rounded Student Balances School, Extracurriculars
Bethany Langston
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: Features
Reagan Moore spends most of her time studying for exams and hauling to classes for her nursing major, but on the weekends, people can see her in her hometown, hauling on a horse.
Moore is an 18-year-old freshman from Dierks, Ark. and she has been barrel racing for approximately 14 years. "Since I could sit on a horse, I've been racing," said Moore.
The object of barrel racing is to round three big barrels with the fastest possible time while mounted on the horse.
There are different levels of competition,
and Moore has competed and succeeded at all levels, including national.
Competitions can be local, and Moore normally travels one to two hours for nationals, which can be as far away as Georgia.
All ages of competitors are welcome to participate, but there are two separate age groups for competitions: the youth division, which is under the age of 18, and the adult division, which is age 18 and up.
Typically Moore says that there are anywhere from 50-100 competitors, depending on the type of prize being awarded. "The more money added, the more people will be there," said Moore.
Moore normally competes two weekends each month, but before college, competitions were weekly for her, even if it meant skipping class. But skipping class for racing is not something people will see her doing anymore. "College classes are way worse to miss than high school classes," said Moore.
Moore grew up around horses but currently has only five after selling her long-time companion and competition horse Pete, who is now 21. Horses are a family affair for the Moore household which was where Moore first had an introduction to the sport.
Her father has been a roper since before she was born, so a love of horses was a family trait instilled in her. Her mother was also a barrel racer all of her life and taught Moore how to succeed at the sport.
"I guess I was born into it," she said. Moore recently jumped back into competition after being laid off of racing for a year and a half after her horse sustained a tendon injury. Because she had to sell that horse, the Moore family has recently purchased two more horses, which is a process that Moore is very familiar with.
Moore is an 18-year-old freshman from Dierks, Ark. and she has been barrel racing for approximately 14 years. "Since I could sit on a horse, I've been racing," said Moore.
The object of barrel racing is to round three big barrels with the fastest possible time while mounted on the horse.
There are different levels of competition,
and Moore has competed and succeeded at all levels, including national.
Competitions can be local, and Moore normally travels one to two hours for nationals, which can be as far away as Georgia.
All ages of competitors are welcome to participate, but there are two separate age groups for competitions: the youth division, which is under the age of 18, and the adult division, which is age 18 and up.
Typically Moore says that there are anywhere from 50-100 competitors, depending on the type of prize being awarded. "The more money added, the more people will be there," said Moore.
Moore normally competes two weekends each month, but before college, competitions were weekly for her, even if it meant skipping class. But skipping class for racing is not something people will see her doing anymore. "College classes are way worse to miss than high school classes," said Moore.
Moore grew up around horses but currently has only five after selling her long-time companion and competition horse Pete, who is now 21. Horses are a family affair for the Moore household which was where Moore first had an introduction to the sport.
Her father has been a roper since before she was born, so a love of horses was a family trait instilled in her. Her mother was also a barrel racer all of her life and taught Moore how to succeed at the sport.
"I guess I was born into it," she said. Moore recently jumped back into competition after being laid off of racing for a year and a half after her horse sustained a tendon injury. Because she had to sell that horse, the Moore family has recently purchased two more horses, which is a process that Moore is very familiar with.
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