BARREL RACING’S BACK

Riding competition provides boost to local economy

TEXARKANA, Texas — A green, logo-festooned 18-wheel rig serves as a mobile office and event command post for Lucky Dog Productions inside the the rodeo arena at Four States Fairgrounds. From here, the family-owned production company orchestrates this weekend’s barrel racing event that will see around 500 riders and more than 700 horses race around three barrels as fast as they can, demonstrating horsemanship and finesse.

Hallee Brown, a member of the family that owns Lucky Dog Productions, is riding in this weekend’s competition. She has been riding since she was a young child and has been barrel racing for around six years. She describes her family as a horse family, and she started young, with her first pony given to her by her grandmother, named Little Bit.

Hallee has raised horses for some time, even before she started racing them. Her two current horses, Sugar (the eldest) and Abby (the youngest) both will compete this weekend.

“I’m going to be competing all three days this weekend,” she said. “Its gonna be fun.”

Hallee, who loves the competition, is friendly but focused as she awaits her event. She admits that caring for her horses is the part she likes better.

“Always be loving and patient with them,” she said. “To succeed in these competitions, it comes down to practice, for both the rider and the horse.”

Christy Lewis, Hallee’s aunt, wears many hats in the Lucky Dog Productions organization. She is not only a producer, she handles much of the administration, registering riders, lining up the rosters and so forth.

“We average six events a year, two of them at Four States Fairgrounds,” she said. “Last year’s COVID was very disruptive, but when events got cancelled, the arenas still had weekends to fill with events. We were very lucky that we got to replace the events we lost with other ones.”

Now, as towns seemingly begin the process of emerging from the pandemic, equestrian events, which never halted during those months, is getting back in full swing. As riders began arriving Thursday and settling themselves and their horses in, their license plates indicated they had travelled from places as far away as Florida, Illinois and other locations in the United States.

“Host towns need to appreciate what these events and these riding enthusiasts do for a city,” said Lewis. “They need to support their venues that make these events possible. For they bring lots of revenue to their cities. All these people coming to stay for a few days, with money spent on gas, food, hotel reservations, that’s not a small amount of income.”

Staff photo by Junius Stone ■ A rider tightly circles a barrel at Friday’s barrel racing competition at Four States Fairgrounds rodeo arena in Texarkana. The event runs through late Sunday. It will feature as many as 500 riders from all over the U.S.

Submitted photo ■ Hallee Brown, 13, is a member of the family that own and operates Lucky Dog Productions, an outfit that runs barrel racing events. She is competing in this weekend’s events. She is seen here at a competition in Starkville, Miss., riding her oldest horse, Sugar, who also is competing this weekend at Four States Fairgrounds.