Gently is what I was thinking as my white knuckles buckled Raymond’s bridle. This might be my last race, I couldn't believe it. Barrel racing was my life. It was one of the only things that made me truly happy. My mother had died when I was 5 in a car crash; I have lived with my father ever since then. I am now 16 years old, I have been barrel racing since I was 8 years old and I have loved every minute of it. My father rescued Raymond from a horse slaughter house when he was 2. I have been training Raymond since. He is now I loving 7 year old Thoroughbred. My father had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. The doctors say it has a 1 in 10,000 chance of surviving in he doesn't get a lung transplant. I am running this race so I can pay for my dad to have the transplant and all of the other doctor’s bills. If I lose this race tonight I will have to sell Raymond and lose everything I've loved forever. My father is the only family I know so I must do this to save his life.

I must be gentle with Raymond because I can’t get nervous; if I get nervous Raymond will become anxious and jittery and over run his turns on the barrels. I look at the board and me and Raymond are last to go, the first time is 15.34 seconds. I know me and Raymond can beat that, we've beat it many times before! It’s our turn to go, I look down the shoot and I feel unbelievably happy no words can explain how happy I am. So much adrenaline is running through my veins it’s unbelievable! We take off and the wind is blowing through my hair and I know I am smiling. We fly by first and the run is perfect we create the perfect pocket around the barrel and sprint to second. I can tell we are going extremely fast. The crowed is cheering and I know everything is on the line right now. This run will ether makes me or breaks me the pressure is unbelievable. The second barrel is just as good as the first and I know we are going to win this! I can feel it in my body that my dad is okay to be okay and I cluck and Raymond speeds for third. We do a sharp turn and turn around the third barrel and I pull my rein too tight and my foot hits the barrel I try to bend down to fix the barrel and scream this can’t be happening! Not here and not right now. We run towards the shoot I am praying that the barrel stayed up. Right when Raymond stops I look down the shoot and I see that the last barrel...it’s knocked down that means +5 seconds on my time. I look at the clock and see that my time is 19.53 I would have won! Tears start streaming down my face I can’t believe what a huge mistake I had just made. We didn't get dead last but we get no prize money which means. I hop off and load up Raymond and head home, I know after this night my life will never be the same again.