Featured Events
- Kelly Tovar
- I was raised in a little
community near Rockdale Texas called Black Jack that was made up mostly of my relatives. I started running barrels when I was 4.
My uncle had an old roping horse named "White Trash" that no one was using. I
paid him $450.00 for him
with money I had in my piggy bank.
The first place I ever hauled him was to a local playday and I thought he must have been the fastest horse in the world. When I came out and heard my time was a 42 I told my Mother I was never going to do that again but I did and ole "White Trash" just kept getting better and I guess maybe I did too.
If I were asked about my favorite horse, well I guess they were all my favorite horse at the time but the one that stands out would have to be Miss Finesse Flitbar (Libby). She is so honest. She makes the same trip every time. She is now 15 and doesn't go as much. I have tried to stay off her and concentrate on a new horse, Lacey who seems to be coming together nicely. The first big place I ever ran was at the Huntsville prison rodeo back in about 1984.
As Far as who got me started, it was my Mom Sheila Puckett. She ran barrels, her brothers roped and her Dad (my Grandfather) had race horses. She competes at the Texas Senior Pro an NOTRA rodeos
I qualified for the CPRA finals in 2001 and won the Rodeo Tour Finals in
2002. There have been many changes in barrel racing over the years from when they flagged it to electronic timers. All the added money and there are so many people running barrels now. The 4D barrel races give everyone a chance to win. I think these changes have helped to insure barrel racing is going to be around for a long time for us to enjoy.I do not think equal pay out is fair. There is a lot of difference in price between a 1d an a 4d horse. The 1d horse has to work harder and is better barrel horse. I think you should get paid accordingly to the job you do. I do understand that there are more 3d an 4d horses out there. But if everyone is paid the same what is the incentive to ever get better?
I married my husband Joe in 93. We had a little boy in "96 and named him Tucker. I Could not do any of this without the support of my mother and my husband.
The best advice I could give to someone who wants to start out is to ask all the questions you can, take what works for you and use it, smile and say thanks to the rest of it. Not every horse is the same and not every rider is the same. Above all this, have fun with it.
Click here to see some of the barrel races that Kelly has won money in.