LIMA — Riders rush from the gate, pushing their horses as fast as possible around three laser-sighted barrels. For those who have never been to a rodeo, the excitement of barrel racing is one of the key events, and a world championship qualifying event for the The National Barrel Horse Association is coming to Lima this Saturday.
The NBHA formed in 1992 and has since become the preeminent organization representing the sport of barrel racing. Today, the organization has over 20,000 members spanning five continents.
Karen Bernard is the director of OH07, the Great Lakes Region of Ohio comprised of northwest and north central Ohio.
Having raced since her teen years, Bernard said she and her two sisters spent most of their lives around horses. Bernard’s daugher, 12, now races in competitions with her.
Competitors, family members and fans will gather in the Schmidthorst Pavilion at the Allen County Fairgrounds for the barrel exhibition that begins at 9 a.m., followed by the pole exhibition that begins at 11 a.m.
The 2022 NBHA Youth and Teen World Championships, with prizes totaling $50,000, will be held Monday July 25 through Saturday, July 30. The youth division is for competitors ages 12 and under and the teen division is for individuals ages 13 through 18. The 2022 NBHA Open & Senior World Championships, with prizes totaling $85,000, will be held Sunday, October 30 through Saturday, November 5. Both events will be held at the Georgia National Fairgrounds, 401 Larry Walker Parkway, Perry, Georgia.
As of April 26, a total of 29 competitors from the OH07 region qualified for the NBHA’s World Open Championships, with their number of division slots indicated in parentheses.
• Open Division Only (13 competitors): Brock Meese (1), Haley Doehrmann (2), Heather Palmer (1), Heather Stolicny (1), Jordan Noftz (1), Karen Bernard (2), Kristen Boltz (4), Mazie Pillips (1), McKenna Velliquette (1), Reba Runkle (1), Renee Runkle (3), Tony Runkle (3), Tracy Rusch (1).
• Open and Teen Divisions (nine competitors): Addison Wilhelm (2+1), Avery Gibson (2+4), Kaylee Fisher (2+4), Kila Stillion (3+4), Liberty Humerickhouse (2+3), Rose Runkle (3+4), Vanessa Ray (1+4), Zane Harder (2+3), Addison Wilhelm (2+1).
• Teen Division Only (two competitors): Emma Guterman (2), Nevaeh Smith (2).
• Open and Youth Divisions (four competitors): Jillian Gnedovec (1+1), Katelyn Chapin (4+5), Kayla Bernard (3+3), Tristanna Humerickhouse (3+3).
• Youth Division Only (one competitor): Avalyn Zehnder (3).
For details, call Bernard at 419-706-7501 or email [email protected].
Follow the Ohio NBHA 07 Group on Facebook.
