Young Esenembe rider’s tour de force
Nicholas Heenen claimed silver at the SA barrel racing championships.
Fifteen-year-old Nicholas Heenan finished as the second fastest rider in the country at the recent Barrel Racing SA Championships.
The youngster from Esenembe showed great promise at the event in Ermelo, Mpumalanga earlier this month and missed out on gold by just 36 hundredths of a second. That is the fine margins that exist at the top end of the sport, which is growing in popularity countrywide.
Nicholas has been riding since he was a young boy and has been under the tutelage of coach Tanya Russell – herself a former national champion – for the past seven years.
“Nick is just a natural on the horse and it has been so fantastic to see his growth over the past few years,” said Russell. “I always tell my kids that if they don’t beat me then I’m not doing my job as a coach – Nick definitely listened!”
Photo: Adele Smit Photography.
Barrel racing, a discipline of the Western Mounted Games, is a high-speed event where horse and rider navigate a three-barrel course before sprinting to the finish. Top riders worldwide complete the course in under 15 seconds.
“A lot of the speed is actually determined by the race lines, where the right entry and exit from a barrel turn can make or break the rest of the attempt,” said Russell.
“It is important for the rider and horse to be completely in sync as they go through the course.”
Nicholas and his horse Bullet were certainly in sync in Ermelo, winning their division before grabbing silver in the open class which included all riders at the event. Their time of 18.858 seconds was just pipped by a blistering attempt of 18.822 from Eastern Cape’s Kaitlyne Greyling.
For his efforts, Nicholas won a prize of R11 850 and brought bragging rights back to the North Coast.
If you would like to get involved in barrel racing, you can contact Russell at 072 838 7206. She offers coaching at Buzz Barn farm on Fairview Estate.
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