The Barrel Racing Blog began in April 2009 as a place for the Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia barrel racing community to read news and opinion about the sport in this area. Since then, this blog has featured interviews with top local talents side-by-side with qualifiers to both the National Finals Rodeo and the International Finals Rodeo. Aside from interviews, The Barrel Racing Blog has reviewed rodeos and barrel races Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia so barrel racers who weren’t there can get the “real” story on the event.

I decided to move The Barrel Racing Blog over to WordPress.com so that I can feature more permanent content. There are a lot of fantastic interviews that have seemingly been lost in the archives, and I want readers to be able to access that content. I invite you to visit all of the pages on this site, as there will be different content on each.

My mare, Naughty, and my dog, Rena, and I ride out through the field. Photo courtesy Ed Venrick for the Athens NEWS.

I’m a traditional newspaper reporter, so I’m very accustomed to separating myself from my stories and my work. For The Barrel Racing Blog, I take the same truth-seeking approach to reporting, but pair it with my knowledge of this community’s needs. I know for sure that readers want to know what the ground is like, so I take a look at ground conditions based on how horses of many varieties handle it. Most of the time, those horses include my own, who all run differently on different types of ground, giving me added perspective, just like most of us in the barrel racing world.

If you’re interested in submitting a product for review, be aware that I’ll tell the truth about the way the product works, for better or for worse. Readers come to The Barrel Racing Blog to hear the truth, and I am well aware how important it is to know the truth about a product. I try each and every product on my own horses, and those horses are the ones I rely on to get me up and down the rodeo and barrel racing road. So, be sure to know that my word on a product is truly my experience with that product!

I invite your comments, suggestions or criticisms. This blog is a work in progress, and I’d love your help to make it better. Let me know who you think deserves the spotlight, what great shows are coming up and anything else that you may be thinking.

As for a little about me, I’m the managing editor for two awesome Western publications. I’ve been running barrel horses in Ohio and Pennsylvania since I was 10, and I think of many of my readers as a close part of my barrel racing family. Some of you have seen me grow up, get bucked off and win rodeos. I’m always looking for news tips and new friends, so feel free to contact me at chelseaetoy@gmail.com!