PRAIRIE CIRCUIT: BARRELS
Jump Ride Hurst Rides Borrowed Horse to Circuit Title in the Prairie Circuit
By Ted Harbin W hen Ivy Hurst goes to a barrel race, she looks around at all the talented equine stars and can see herself atop them. She’s a trainer and shows great horses. When the horse she’d been riding through the summer was unavailable for the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, Hurst had a decision to make. She made the right one, borrowing a friend’s young bay and riding him to two go-round victories in Duncan, Oklahoma, enroute to the average championship. She jumped on him the third week of October for a bit of a test drive, then ran him for a chance to compete at the NFR Open next summer in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “His name is Cheyennes Fab, and he’s a 5-year-old Frenchmans Fabulous gelding owned by Rylee Shields,” said Hurst of Springer, Oklahoma. “I’ve been riding a horse this summer, and he was sold a few weeks ago, so I was out of options. I just called my good friend to borrow her horse, and I literally just showed up here and did that.” She made her first run inside Stephens County Arena in 16.38 seconds to finish second on opening night. It was just the start of something magical for the pair, which then posted 16.01-second runs to win the second and third rounds and clinch the overall title. In all, Hurst drove away from Duncan on Oct. 15 with $8,187 in earnings over three days of work. “He’s placed really well at the futurities and derbies with Rylee; she trained him,” Hurst said. “He’s been hauled a lot. They do a good job of getting their horses out. This was just another day for him.” That speaks well for the training Shields put into the gelding, a powerful horse Hurst enjoyed riding. “Everything I did was easy on this horse,” she said. “I didn’t have to do a lot of preparing, obviously. I do really well jump-riding horses.
It’s something I do a lot of, so I’m comfortable at it. It’s one of my favorite things to do, and a good horse makes me look good.” That he did. Like Hurst, Fab has experience at Duncan’s arena. Even though he had a different jockey, the surroundings were familiar to each member of that spectacular weekend team. “I was so excited for Ivy,” said Emily Beisel, the year-end barrel racing champion from Weatherford, Oklahoma. “She’s worked really hard for this and just jumped on this horse. It was so exciting to watch her have so much success this week.” Beisel joined her longtime friend in the winner’s circle. Beisel also placed in all three rounds and finished second in the average to pocket a little more than $5,000. In a year that saw her scramble to make a fourth consecutive qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the former circuit and national circuit finals champion needed some success in southern Oklahoma if she were to claim the year-end title. “I didn’t get to circuit rodeo as much this year,” she said. “I had to stay in the Northwest and keep rodeoing out there (to make the NFR). That was different for me. I’m used to coming back home and going to the rodeos I grew up with. “I barely made my circuit count, which has never been an issue; I almost always have a pretty high circuit count. It’s just the way things worked out, but I knew coming in here we had to have a good finals if we wanted to have a chance at the title.” They did, clocking 16.43 to finish fourth in the opening round, then 16.28 for second on Night 2 and 16.14 for third place on the final night. It was a good showing for Beisel and Biddin on Fame, a 9-year-old bay gelding out of Jaxsons Olympic Fame by PC Frosty Bid. “I wasn’t sure if this was Beau’s setup,” she said. “I don’t run him inside a lot, but he really stepped up and exceeded my expectations exponentially.” Emily Beisel won the year-end title in the Prairie Circuit despite having to stay out west a little longer this year to secure her NFR qualification. Beisel finished the year in the Prairie Circuit with $20,898 to Tamara Reinhardt’s $18,960. Photo by Fly Thomas
Ivy Hurst was left without a horse to ride when the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo came around this year, but the talented trainer didn’t sweat it. Hurst borrowed Rylee Shields’ horse Cheyenne Fab and together the duo won the average title and Hurst qualified for the NFR Open. Photo by Fly Thomas
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12 WPRA NEWS DECEMBER 2021 12 WOMEN’S PRO RODEO NEWS DECEMBER 2022
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