Posted: Jul 05, 2021 6:41 PM MT | Last Updated: July 6
Nikki Vanderlee and Ninja are headed to the Stampede to compete in ladies barrel racing.(Wildwood Imagery) comments
Nikki Vanderlee didn t believe it at first when she found out she was heading to the Calgary Stampede.
The day before, the barrel racer from Brooks, Alta., had competed in a Stampede qualifying event in Innisfail, Alta.
Barrel racing is a sport in which a rider and her horse race through a cloverleaf pattern with tight turns around three barrels, trying to get the fastest time without knocking anything over.
Though Vanderlee had the fastest single run time at the event – 15.753 seconds – the total time of three runs was taken, and she came sixth overall out of 140 competitors. The top five headed to the Stampede rodeo, so she was surprised when she received an email the next day inviting her to compete.
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