1. Where did you learn to ride?  How long have you been riding?  What was your first horse?

At my friends house riding bareback. I have been riding for about 30 years. My first horse was a grey Arabian.

2. When and how did you become interested in barrel racing?  Did you have a teacher?  

The first time I saw barrel racing at a rodeo I was about seven years old, I fell in love and knew I wanted to be a barrel racer when I grew up. I didn’t have my first teacher until I was 25 who was Darlene Bartman.

3.  How long have you been competing?

26 years

4.  Tell us about your horse... name, stable name, how old, big, breeding, colour, sex, where your horse came from, training background, how long you've owned him etc...

Chics Black Moon is a 5 year old paint black gelding with a white blaze and he stands 16hh. When Moon was born he wasn’t very big but he was black out of my old paint mare, that was sorrel, who I barrel raced .  Moon has had all his training from me except for about 20 rides that my good friend Brenda Gray did for me do get him off  the property. He was born at myplace and I had done all the work on him he needed to leave home for a while.

6.  What other horses do you have on the go? Young prospects?

I have my rodeo horse who is by Gasahol named Chase, a derby horse out of Pete Jack and the dams father out of Givimalikin named Dealer. I also have to yearlings coming 2 in the spring but I have them for sale to buy a futurity prospect for next year.

8.  What other things occupy your time? School? Work? Hobbies? Family?

I have a family, my husband Lorne, two daughters Bobbie 16 and Kayla 11, plus two  step daughters Christa 22 and Shanna 20. I also have my own vegetation spraying company I bought into last year.

9.  What are your future plans & goals?

My goals are to one day be able to go to the Canadian Finals Rodeo. My future plans are as always to become a better horseperson and learn as much as I can to provide a better horse, for his sake and mine.

10.  What do you consider the biggest challenges and benefits of barrel racing?

My biggest challenge in barrel racing has always been the financial part of it. I don’t come from a rodeo background or farm so I started from scratch. There are many highs and lows, ground conditions, weather, lameness just to name a few things that have to teach you how to be patient. I think to be a really good barrel racer you have to have a lot of patience. You also get to travel around and make new friends all the time. Barrel racing is a very competitive sport that you have to be in shape for and it will keep you young…. (If You Have The Need For Speed!)

11.  Do you have a favorite barrel racer that you admire? Tell us why.

Anybody who knows me can answer this question for me, her name for course is Dee Butterfield. Dee is not only one of the greatest barrel racers Canada has but she is a motivational speaker, clinician, trainer and now breeder.  I have been getting Dee to come to Brooks for 11 years for clinics,2007 will be 12. She always up on the latest and the clinics are always fun. Dee is so inspirational to me because she has been so successful all her life on a lot of different horses she trained. She started out with a mare she won the NFR on when she was 16 and never looked back. She is the most positive person I have ever met and I am proud to say she is my friend.