A teenage cowgirl from Yorkshire has said travelling to the US to compete against the world's best riders will be "nerve-racking but fun". Bradford teenager Eloisa Atkinson is making preparations to compete in the National Barrel Horse Association Team Teen and Youth World Championships in Georgia.
Representing Lincolnshire's 4 Strides Equestrian centre alongside teammates, the 15-year-old will be riding in the barrel race which she described as a "speed event". Horse and rider have to navigate a cloverleaf pattern between several barrels in the fastest time possible.
Four years in the saddle
On her journey into the sport, she said: "I've been doing it four years now, and I started on my little 11.2 pony, Lily, and then obviously I grew out of her. The last kind of two years, it's been a bit up and down on different horses, and then we got Peaches last year, who I was on, and it's just kind of getting from there and we're really doing well."
The upcoming championship features over 2,000 riders, making it a massive international event. "It's a really big event with over 2,000 riders, so it's really big and it's kind of nerve-racking, but it'll be fun," Atkinson said.
Family roots in equestrian sport
She added: "My mum had horses and then, when I was young, she just sat me on one and then it just kind of went from there. I've just always done it and always loved it."
The upcoming race is not the first time the teenager has competed abroad, having previously participated in events in Malta, South Africa and the US. The sport is "a lot bigger" in the US than the UK meaning the event will be "a lot faster" with a "higher standard," she added.
Stepping up the game
"You've definitely got to step your game up a bit," Atkinson said. Riders that qualify for the final will receive a buckle, with prizes such as saddles for those who finish in first place.
For those who compete in the world rankings, prizes can be millions of dollars, she added. Asked whether she saw herself going that far in the sport, Atkinson said: "Yeah, I'd like to, but then, it's not always possible. I'll just keep it as a hobby kind of thing and just enjoy it how it is."
Hiring a horse for competition
Peaches will not be travelling to the US with Atkinson, and instead she will be hiring a horse for the event on which she will only be able to practise for around an hour before competing. "I've only had Peaches a year, it's just a year from the other day, and when we first got her, she was really fat, sat in a stable for nine years, hadn't done anything, and then we brought round, lost all the weight, got fit, built some muscle up," she said.
Asked what makes a good barrel-racing pony, she said: "They've got to be fast, agile. They've got to listen as well, like you don't want them just running off, because if you get too close, you want them to listen to tell them to move out."
UK punching above its weight
Sally Heron, of 4 Strides Equestrian, said: "This is the youth and teen world championships (for) riders of 18 years and under. There will be two-and-a-half thousand youngsters barrel racing for a week, so it's going to be chaotic. It's going to be busy and but very exciting."
She added: "The UK is such a small island and in barrel racing, the UK really holds its own. We've come home with belt buckles, prize money. It's really, really put us on the map."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
