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Carlene Reimer during a barrel racing run (Photos provided by Carlene Reimer)
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Carlene Reimer during a barrel racing run (Photos provided by Carlene Reimer)
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This year has been an exceptional one for Carmen's Carlene Reimer, as she earned her pro-card for barrel racing. 

The start

"It started back just after being in 4H as a kid," explains Reimer. "You do all your gymkhana's and stuff, and I realized I enjoyed doing more of that than the actual showing, so I started in the barrel racing aspect. I started competing at jackpots like the one that's hosted near Morden. I got my first actual barrel horse around age 20, and I got into the Heartland Rodeo Association to start me off. From there, I decided it was time to get a young colt, so I got the one I'm currently running now as a yearling, and we've continued on from there. I'm very competitive, I'm not out there to lose if I don't have to. We started going to bigger events, like the big jackpot out in Alberta last year, that's where I got the competitive edge for the whole pro rodeo thing. This year, I decided to go for the pro card, I figured that I had one other girl that was doing it, and she's a mom, so I thought that if she could do it, so could I."

Developing the skills

Over this year in particular, Reimer says she's put in the work, and there's a specific area that has become a major factor for her. "There's a lot of mental games to it, I never really knew it. Everyone talks about it, but I never knew how it would affect me. Keeping on top of the horses conditioning, and the riding. Having three little kids and owning a business, you have to be out there at 5:30 in the morning, because that is the time you have to do it, and you need to really have a goal. That's how it works for me, have a goal when it comes to what I need to work on, what I need to sharpen up, because you're always racing for that hundredth of a second, which seems ridiculous, but all the little things matter. The conditioning aspect of things is so important, the nutrition, you have to be top notch with that."

Building a partnership

A huge part of barrel racing, according to Reimer, comes from the the trust and relationship the rider has with their horse. "That's been a big thing, spending extra time with them, working on getting that competitive edge. You notice every little thing, like if they are off just a little bit. Like with the smoke that we've had this year, you pick up when your horse is breathing heavily. Every single race that you take them on, you have to be grateful for every run they give you, because, even though it's cliche, you never know when it's going to be your last, that's for sure. You take every single run you have with a bit of grace, and enjoyment, and you thank them every time you come out of the arena."

Going professional

Turning pro has been special for Reimer, and she says things have changed, for sure. "Riding pro humbles you a little bit," she says with a laugh. "Going from jackpots to rodeo's is a bit of a different things as well, because you have different types of grounds conditions, and it's a bit of the luck of the draw. You might end up on a mucky, ugly day, when the girls before you had nice dry weather. You just never know. Then, you get to race all these big time names that you've always heard about, and we got to race a lot of incredible girls this year, which is so amazing. Many girls have watched these pro girls race, and now to actually be there and be there with them, it's incredible. I would like to in the future here, get more into training, training barrel horses. Getting your pro card, and getting to run with the big girls, people look at you, and they want to send you their colts, because of the success you're having with horses. You don't get a horse to pro level, unless you can ride them to that pro level. I'm hoping to use this to keep building a reputation as a good horse trainer."

Rodeo family is like no other

Growing up around rodeo, Reimer says there's nothing quite like the support that comes from family, as well as the other racers. "The support I get from family, like my husband and kids, it's just so special. There are so many different aspects, too, like we have three kids, and if we didn't have my mom around helping, we couldn't do this. The barrel racing girls, they are the biggest cheerleaders, they want to see you go out and have an amazing run. It can be a bit intimidating at first, but I had an amazing person tell me once, we're all just girls with horses. The support system is so special, and I'm grateful. It's a growing sport and being there for one another is important."

Being an inspiration

As a professional barrel racer, Reimer takes a lot of pride in being an example of dreams coming true. "It's very humbling that people even look up to me, but being able to help these girls, it's important to me. I run a series, Demin and Dust in Carmen, and watching these girls start their season off, and how they end the season with so much more confidence, it's special. I work with these girls and they just want to learn, they want to be good, and I'm so honoured that they look up to me and ask questions. It's been awesome to help, especially moms. Moms who want to do this is great, you need that support team, but it's up to them to chase their dreams. I'm someone who's done that, and I'm so glad that others can look at me and I can be the reason they stay in the sport, it means a lot."

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