Fast horses and loud cheers- 2016 Youth World Championship Finals

This week proved to be another successful championship season of NBHA youth barrel racing at the Reaves Arena in Perry. There were about 5,000 cheering fans yelling as Abbey Gray, a 14-year-old from Macon, set the fastest time with a ride of 14.836 seconds on her horse, Doc’s Getting Restless.

After her ride the Gray family gathered underneath the big screen to watch the final racer. The family watched in nervous anticipation as Michael Duffy from Williamston S.C, stood at the gates to try and become the next NBHA youth world champion. Duffy, who had set the fastest time in the semifinals, was about to ride through the cloverleaf on his horse, JJ Three Famous Bears. He hit the gates fast and it was looking like he may have a shot at the title but he tipped the number two barrel which fell over, disqualifying his time.

The Gray family jumped up and down embracing Abbey as tears streamed down her face. Sometimes the barrel tips your way and sometimes it doesn’t but for Abbey the barrels were on her side and she is the NBHA world youth champion of 2015-2016.

“I was really nervous and worried that I wasn’t going to do as good as I had done in the first two rounds,” she said. “My horse pulled through for me and I was just trying my best to come out with a good time. On my first ride I qualified fourth with a 14.9. On my second I got a 14.9 to qualify for the finals and I just had the ride of my life with a 14.8. I can’t believe I am the World Champion.”

Gray had never run on the course before this week but she had a little inspiration from her younger sister Chloe, who won the NBHA Youth World Championships in 2012.

“This week has been a week to remember, hanging out with friends and having good runs,” she said.

The NBHA finals are divided into two categories, the youth world championships followed by the teen world championships.

Logan Owens from Kathleen ran in the teen class, and winning more than $1000 over the weekend.

There were a total of 1,100 riders but only 200 possible spots in the final two shows.

Owens’ horses, Guns and Bullets and Famous Panama John, had a tremendous showing at the NBHA for her and gave her a chance at the crown in the finals.

Owens had seven total runs this week, six of them clean runs. On the final run she knocked over a barrel and disqualified her time, but she still walked away with money in her pocket and two proud parents.

In the finals Owens wound up 24th but she doesn’t have time to dwell on the past because she is off to another event next weekend. Besides the NBHA she also runs in the Central Georgia Barrel Racing (CGBRA) and the World Barrel Racing League. Owens started riding when she was only 7 years old and it didn’t take her long to fall in love with the competition side of horse racing.

“I don’t have to be asked to go ride or go practice, I just want to go all the time,” she said.

To learn more about the finals this weekend at the NBHA, please visit https://www.nbha.com.

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