After a hot Texas Summer ends barrel racers were ready to work in the cool September air for the Josey Train To Win 2.5 Day Barrel Racing Clinic in Marshall, Texas. This weekend the Josey Ranch hosted it’s annual Train To Win Barrel Racing Clinic welcoming 58 students from across the United States.
Coming from 10 different states, students and their families flooded the town of Marshall, Texas excited to escape to the rodeo paradise. These barrel racers spent the weekend on horses in the three Josey arenas. Martha Josey along with their team of highly qualified barrel racing instructors mentored students on the pattern, trained on the fundamentals of barrel racing, and focused on getting each student to the next level during individual work.
With three different arenas, as well as demonstrations around the ranch, barrel racing students learned about winning techniques, slow work drills, and proper equipment. The clinic was filled with several talented horse and rider teams with many riders making their first trip to the Josey Ranch. After 2 days of training, the students set out to compete in their final runs on Sunday afternoon after attending Cowboy Church.
Sunday afternoon brought improvement across the board as students knocked multiple seconds off their runs. The race was run in a 4D format allowing students to take the chance to improve their original times from Friday night. Returning student, Sadie Damuth, took the clinic championship with Stud Horse “Wingz” with a final run time of 17.191. The 2D winner was Madison Hamilton, a local student from Jefferson, Texas running a 17.734. Following in the 3D was Sara Wimberly with an 18.231 and Jillian Hagans won the 4D with a 19.281.
With the conclusion of the Train To Win Clinic, the Josey staff is already starting preparations for their Fall Clinics. Team Josey will be traveling to Hattiesburg, Mississippi for a clinic September 16-18 and to Duncan, Oklahoma November 4-6. The team will then return to finish the year with three clinics on the Josey Ranch in Marshall, Texas with the Fall Clinic November 18-20, Thanksgiving Clinic November 25-27, and the Year End Clinic December 27-29.