Lorina Ball and her trusty horse Fancy make a pretty good team.
They proved as much at the Edmonton Gymkhana Association Finals in Thorsby earlier this month, where the pair rode to an impressive second-place finish in barrel racing.
Ball’s time of 15.07 was good for first on the board for a little while before she was finally overtaken, but regardless, she was happy with her results.
“I was hoping I’d go for first, (but) I know my horse is a lot older than most of the girls’ horses,” she said. “She still has a lot of go. Two seconds off of first is pretty good.”
Fancy, like her owner, is 15 years old, and the pair have been riding together for a number of years. They also compete in rodeo events (this year being their first year of competition).
“I like rodeo. It’s more competitive,” she said. “It’s more open, and you don’t really have to follow as many rules.”
Whether it’s rodeo or gymkhana, Lorina and Fancy excel at the barrel racing event.
“It’s my strongest event. That’s what my horse was trained to do,” she said.
With the season wrapping up, Lorina and Fancy will continue to ride together as the weather turns cold, practicing in preparation for another year of competition that will hopefully match this one.
“Overall I did really good this year.”
