About 150 barrel racers will gather this weekend, June 2 and 3, at the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds for the first Salmon Arm Barrel Bonanza.
Competitors from all over B.C. will be racing for more than $7,000 in prize money.
Organizer Chantelle Prentice, herself a Shuswap barrel racer, is excited to bring the event to Salmon Arm, along with co-organizer Lyndsay Bartko, another barrel racing competitor from Salmon Arm.
The event draws on the large membership of the popular BC Barrel Racing Association (BCBRA).
Competitors from PeeWee to Senior 50-plus, as well as the highly-competitive Open division, will race for day money, sponsored prizes and thousands in additional prize money raised from entry fees.
The event is BCBRA and Canadian Barrel Racing (CBR) approved.
For Prentice, who, like many competitive barrel racers, travels long miles to compete for points to qualify for the BCBRA finals in August, this race fills a need.
“There aren’t any big money races in our area. This race fills a void. Salmon Arm is a meet-in-the-middle kind of area. It’s a way to have another race for points that’s close to home.”
Most barrel racers in B.C., said Prentice, live in the Interior and southern B.C. The sport is popular, adds the race organizer, noting that the BCBRA has about 450 members.
Members must attend six races to qualify for the finals. Many racers are also trying to earn CBR points and some travel to the coast and northern B.C. to earn them.
“If it wasn’t for races like this, I’d be hauling to Williams Lake to qualify for the finals,” said Prentice, who credits fellow organizer Bartko and other volunteers for helping create the huge event.
Bartko and Prentice first thought they’d host a smaller, one-day competition.
“It kind of snowballed,” laughs Prentice, who began barrel racing at a young age. “Then it was, ‘How big can we make it?’”
For Prentice, the idea of hosting a barrel race in a central location was an obvious one. And, the local rider would like to see the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds used more for horse events.
“Salmon Arm is kind of Sleepy Hollow for events at the fairgrounds,” she chuckled. “This is a great way to show everyone the area and the grounds, and have them used more.”
Admission is free for spectators and there will be concessions and booths on-site.
“My hope for this event is that it inspires more people to become involved in the sport.”
Prentice would also like barrel racers from around the province to see what Salmon Arm has to offer.
“The economic impact of this is going to be great. This’ll be really good for the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds. The fairgrounds committee will see that an event like this can be successful.”
To learn more about the event, look up Salmon Arm Barrel Bonanza on Facebook or call Prentice at 250-309-1770.
