Tacy waited anxiously for the gate to open and her race to begin. She could feel her horse Stubby restlessly stomping the ground. Tacy tried to pretend it was just like all her practices back at her father’s ranch, but she couldn’t fool herself. The rodeo crowd buzzed in the background, and the air seemed charged with excitement. “I can do this,” Tacy told herself. Tacy looked over at her sister Sheri, who was always calm. Sheri had been through this many times before. Sheri smiled and gave Tacy a thumbs-up sign.

Then the gate opened, and Stubby charged out toward the first barrel. The big chestnut horse knew what to do without Tacy even guiding him. They had spent many hours practicing, so circling the barrels was automatic for both of them. But now Tacy thought Stubby was going a little too fast. She tugged on the reins and guided him carefully around the first barrel. Stubby seemed to fight her, as if to say, “I can do this. Let me show you.” But Tacy didn’t want to mess up. It was the first of two rides to determine the winner of the Ranger County Rodeo Junior Barrel Racing Championship. Riders had two chances to circle the three barrels with their horse and return to the starting point. The contestant with the fastest combined time would win.

After Stubby got around the first barrel, Tacy let him gain speed across the arena toward the second barrel. She could feel the powerful horse digging into the ground and picking up speed. Tacy knew they needed to be fast to have a chance of winning, but she also knew that missing a barrel or knocking one over could put her in last place. She didn’t trust her racing skills that much yet. She pulled back on the reins, just a little, to make sure that Stubby was not going too fast. Stubby snorted as they circled the second barrel. Now he shot toward the final barrel at the end of the arena. Tacy slowed him again, leaning into the turn as they rounded the barrel. She urged him forward, and he sped back to the line. Tacy looked for her time: 19.6 seconds. Not bad for the newest rider in the championship. So far that put her in fourth place out of more than twenty riders.

Now it was her sister’s second turn. “Ride carefully,” Tacy said as her sister waited at the line.

“Lynda Adams finished her first race in 18.1,” Sheri reminded her. “I’m not going to beat that by riding carefully.”

“But—” Tacy started to protest as the gate opened and Sheri raced out. She was riding a black mare named Beetle. Beetle and Sheri headed full speed toward the first barrel. “Slow down. Slow down,” Tacy whispered. Tacy had watched her sister race before but never this fast. She was sure that Sheri would knock the barrel over. Beetle’s front hooves dug in, and the mare’s hind legs swiveled hard, looking as if they would wind around the barrel. Somehow Sheri and Beetle made it safely around and began racing for the second barrel. Tacy looked at the clock; Sheri had made good time. “Be careful,” she pleaded under her breath, but Sheri and Beetle charged full speed. Again, somehow, Beetle managed to get cleanly around the barrel. Now they were charging for the last barrel. Tacy could see they were making great time. She could hear the roar of the crowd building. “Maybe Sheri can beat Lynda’s time!” Tacy thought. But then Beetle cut around the last barrel too early, knocking it down. The crowd groaned as Sheri and Beetle raced back to the start gate. Their time was 18.0, but a five second penalty was added for knocking one barrel over, bringing their time to 23.0 seconds—last place.

“Sheri, why weren’t you more careful?” Tacy asked her sister in surprise. “Now you don’t have a chance to win.”

“I told you, Tacy,” Sheri said. “I didn’t have a chance to win anyway if I rode carefully. So I rode to win.” Tacy walked away slowly. She had another ride to make. She might still be able to finish in the top three. “I’m not like you, Tacy,” Sheri called after her. “I try my best to win, and if I lose, well, I’ll just try again next time.”

Tacy mounted Stubby and got ready for her second ride. Sheri’s words were still in her ears. Lynda Adams was just finishing her second ride. Her horse had slipped a little, and she had finished her second run in 19.8 seconds. Tacy did the math in her head. She needed to finish in 18.0 seconds to beat Lynda. “That’s crazy,” she thought. She had ridden that fast in practice but never in a real rodeo. If Stubby slipped, she wouldn’t finish in the top three. She looked over at Sheri. Her sister smiled and clapped her hands. “Come on, Tacy!” she yelled. “You can do it!”

But it was Sheri’s earlier words that echoed through Tacy’s mind as the gate opened: “I’m not like you, Tacy.” Stubby seemed to be charging too hard. She started to pull him back, but something stopped her. Instead, she leaned into the turn and let her horse swing around toward the first barrel. Stubby had never felt so fast. The ground seemed to thunder under them as he tore for the second barrel. In a dizzying whirl, Stubby was around it and streaking toward the third and final turn. Tacy could hear the noise of the crowd rising as they saw that she had a chance. Now Stubby turned hard around the last barrel, his hind legs bumping it as he dug for the finish. “That’s it,” Tacy thought. With a five-second penalty, she would finish near the bottom. But the crowd noise was increasing! The barrel had wobbled but hadn’t fallen. As Stubby flashed across the line, Tacy saw her time: 17.9 seconds! She had done it. She had won! She looked at Sheri, who was jumping up and down. “Way to go, Tacy!” she shouted. “Way to go!”