It’s 2014. I’m sitting on my horse in the back of the arena.

The announcer calls the name of the person before me, and tells me I’m up next. My heart goes up another 20 beats, and I wish I had used the bathroom before my friend rubber banded my feet in the stirrups for me. By this time my horse is starting to panic, sensing my nerves. “Why is she so scared? There must be a predator nearby.”

He tries to escape the pressure of the situation as the announcer calls my name. I get him shut down just before he runs into a little girl on a pony. I’m getting dirty looks and I want to crawl in a hole.

Why do I even barrel race? Why can’t I just do this at home for practice? It’s not worth the stress.

At last I get my horse in the gate and he takes off before I’m ready. To be honest, I don’t remember the run. None of them were good back then. I just remember the shame and embarrassment of what others thought of me. 

Fast forward 10 years. I’m sitting on my horse in the back of the arena. I’m calm and focused, she’s calm and focused, and both of us have been on a strict training program.

We have months of training under our belt. I know that we prepared and planted the seeds for success long ago. Those seeds had begun to sprout, and there’s a chance to bloom today; however, I know that if not, it’s just growing to bloom when ready.

As the announcer calls my name I move her to the spot I want to take off at, pick up the correct lead, and we’re off.

The run happens in slow motion; I get to think clearly throughout the run and my body responds when I need it to. On the backside of first I get excited- she smokes it and I keep up with her. I kick to the second barrel and remember to use my inside leg to move her slightly away from the barrel as she snaps back to finish it strong. I ride hard to the third barrel, staying off her face. I sit, she sits, and I will her around the barrel with my legs instead of pulling her off balance with my hands. We round the third barrel with plenty of room and momentum to run home.

The announcer calls out that we’re the new fast time.

What happened in those 10 years? 

Well, a lot. I broke my back and had a baby. You might think those were bad things…. But I know they were the blessing in disguise that I needed. 

Each of those obstacles forced me to re-evaluate my health, strength, and fitness. I used focused exercise to rehab from each of them… 

...And came back stronger than I was before. 

That’s the thing about getting strong. Once you start, it feels GREAT. You realize life is easier. You realize you can perform better. The snowball builds, and you keep going. 

I’m here to tell you that strength training is the catalyst that has transformed me from a nervous, passive, mediocre rider to a confident, gritty, pro-rodeo money earning competitor. 

Prioritize being strong to allow your body to achieve what it’s capable of doing, not exercising to make it smaller. 

If you’re ready to make a change and experience a transformation like I did above, I have 3 exercise program options for you depending on your fitness level:

Easy (6 Weeks to Solid in the Saddle)

Medium (Ride Strong)

Hard (Compete)

I’d love to chat with you about your specific situation and help you choose the course that’s right for you. I also have limited 1:1 evaluation + exercise openings. Shoot me an email at [email protected] and we’ll try to get something scheduled! 

Stay strong, 

Dr. Aleisha