Glendora Native Takes Barrel Racing By Storm

Christina Richman, 26, makes a living whipping around barrels with her horse Stitch in a race against the clock. In less than 20 seconds, the race is over.

But the thrill of the race and the glory of the victories are what motivate this Glendora native to compete in the only professional rodeo opportunity for women.

Last year, Richman placed 10^th in the National Finals Rodeo. This December, Richman will be looking to move up from her current 13^th place ranking in the sport’s top competition.

Few would think a Southern California native would climb the national ranks of the pro barrel racing circuit, but Richman grew up around horses all of her life. Her father trained horses and she rode horses since she was a young child. The rodeo competitions soon followed, but it wasn’t until she was in her early 20s did Richman decide to take barrel racing seriously.

Although most rodeo events are geared towards men, barrel racing – a timed event where riders and their horses run through a barrel course – is the only professional rodeo event for women.

“I didn’t grow up in a rodeo family, so I had to figure it out on my own,” said Richman, who has lived in Glendora since she was 10 years old.

A professional barrel racer’s life consists of long hours of horse training and time away from home traveling through the professional circuit with the aim of winning enough prize money to earn a living.

“It can be tough,” said Richman. “It’s a lot of hours on the road. You can be in Kansas one day and Oregon four days later. We have to pay entry fees everywhere and it gets expensive if we’re not winning.”

How successful a rider is depends largely on the right horse. Luckily, Richman has found her winning horse in Stitch, the 9-year-old mare she trained since the horse was 2 years old.

With Stitch, Richman has steadily climbed the ranks and earned quite a bit of prize money in competitions.

Richman said her earnings have ranged from a few hundred dollars to $88,000.

But while the prizes are always nice, Richman said she enjoys training young horses and watching them succeed. Richman is currently training two horses other than Stitch.

“There’s a sense of accomplishment,” said Richman. “Not just for me, but for my horse.”

The National Finals Rodeo will be televised Dec. 1 through 10 on the Great American Country Channel.