Lily McLeod is Turning Barrels and Turning Heads
Ask Lily McLeod a few questions about horses and this year’s training and competition goals, and you’ll realize that for only 16 years old, Lily’s answers demonstrate wisdom and horse sense beyond her years.
Lily McLeod and Sonnys Volley aka “Bullet”
“I first started taking lessons towards barrel racing in 2019,” Lily said. “My first season competing [2022] was just a fun year, to see if I liked a competative atmosphere.” And like it she did.
In 2023 Lily’s family purchased a 13 yr old sorrel named Sonnys Volley, who goes by “Bullet” around the barn. “Bullet is really good at staying relaxed. Some barrel horses you see competing are blown up and very excited, but Bullet keeps his excitement levels contained and waits for his time to go.”, Lily said when asked about her gelding’s best qualities. “It keeps me, him and the people around us safe.” she added.
Sonnys Volley/”Bullet”
“My favorite thing…is seeing my hard work pay off. At home, I put a lot of time into slow work, so walking and trotting various drills and patterns to keep everything fresh and working.” said Lily about her home training strategy. That strategy is really paying off.
“When I go to a competition, I can put all that muscle memory to the test and see where I need to tweak things, and what’s working well.” she said. “My main training goal for the summer is to improve smoothness around the barrel and pole patterns. For me, I need to work on confidence and really pushing Bullet around the barrel. I mean, I need to be kicking more and being more vocal to really get him moving his feet.”
It’s definitely not all work for Lily and Bullet. “When I’m not competing, my favorite thing to do with Bullet is fun work. I set up different things like trot poles in different patterns to keep it interesting and we work on ground manners.”
Lily McLeod and Bullet share a quiet moment on a beautiful night.
Lily and Bullet train with Chantalle Fortin at 705 Equine, and in 2023, they placed 3rd in 3D Youth Barrels within Ontario’s District 3 of NBHA of Canada.
That placement qualified them for the NBHA Canada Nationals where Lily and Bullet ultimately won the Youth 4D Barrel Racing Championship, and were invited to compete at the 2024 NBHA World’s Show in Georgia.
Lily was pleased with her first outing of the 2024 season, NBHA Canada’s Spring Thaw May 3-5. “It wasn’t our best performace, but lot’s of good points, and things to learn from” she confided.
Lily McCleod and Sonnys Volley competing in barrel racing in Ontario Canada.
We’ll catch up more with Lily McCleod as we get closer to their next competiton on June 1st and 2nd, and how things are developing in their world.
