Check out all of the photos from the event here.

There are many choice to racing depending on your interests. While we cover a lot of motorsports, and team sports, we’re scratching the surface on the sport of Barrel Riding.

If you’re not familiar with Barrel Racing, it’s horses and a rider flying around course marked with three barrels to see how fast they can go. The event at hand was the 17th Annual SWWA Futurity/Derby hosted at Rocky Top Arena in Sulkum, WA on March 24-26.

The three day event saw riders of all ages competing in a range of race classes to see who would find the podium at the end of the day. Like every sport out there, there are a number of skill level classes riders and horses can participate in. There’s something for everyone to get involved, learn, build their skills, and compete.

Friday nights races were the Sweepstakes race class. To get a general sense of skill level and time, a really solid run falls in the 14-15 second mark. Depending on the race times will be split out to the hundreth or thousandth of a second. The riders in this class reflect some of the top riders at the event.

Division I Top 6

1. Sharon Gow / Horse: Dreamin Ever After / 14.683
2. Kelsie Miller / Horse: DMR Famed BY Fire / 14.806
3. Amerleigh Moore / Horse: Blue Duck Down / 14.861
4. Summer Huston / Horse: Gotta Awesome Idea / 14.911
5. Cheyenne Westwood / Horse: Scotchs Blue Label / 14.951
6. Shirley Cooper / Horse: Count N Out Profit / 15.000

Division II Top 6

1. Kaley Crawford / Horse: Cinchyawazzup / 15.225
2. Kristen Whitehead / Horse: Dashing Jolene / 15.266
3. Jessica Wharton / Horse: KG Need for Speed / 15.267
4. Serena Randall / Horse: Famous Man of Steel / 15.268
5. Kelsey Bault / Horse: THR Bringn Sixty Back / 15.331
6. Josey Auman / Horse: Moon The Jungle / 15.337

Saturday and Sunday races saw a plethora of fast horses and riders in the Futurity, Derby, and Open races. Futurity means, horses that are 5 years old and younger. Derby horses tend to be two years after that, unless they’re old enough as a Derby class. Open races are for anyone interested in racing. There also tends to be a youth, senior, and novice classes as well. Check out the final times for the race at Rocky Top Arena’s Facebook Page.

If you’re a fan of racing, horses, or just watching people who are good at their craft, Barrel Racing is a great way to experience that. Rocky Top Arena and it’s owner Viki Friedrich run a top notch facility and race(s) throughout the year. The SWWA race was a great way to kick off the Spring with an event like this, culminating in their major event Show Me the Money Rarrel Race at the end of September.