A special event for the horse fraternity is coming to Crookwell Showground this weekend. Barrels f4 Bianca is an annual barrel racing competition held in memory of Bianca Picardi, who was a talented and a highly accomplished horsewoman competing at the elite level. Bianca died from suicide in 2015 and the "Bub for Life" Trust with the Upper Lachlan Foundation was set up by her mother, Sue Kohleis, to honour her daughter and to support others suffering with depression.
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The Australian Barrel Horse Association (ABRA) brings the community a barrel racing competition for this special cause. The event is proudly supported by the Upper Lachlan Foundation with all proceeds going to the trust fund of ‘BUB4LIFE’. January 13 and 14 will see top horsemen and women along with junior riders compete for amazing prizes including one for the fastest local open and junior rider.
The ‘classic’ event will be on the Saturday and the ‘open 4D’ (2 rounds) on Saturday and Sunday plus ‘maturity’ event. The junior 4D (2 rounds) will be run Saturday and Sunday and the ‘tiny tots’ on Saturday. Entries contact Christine Foley on 0406787428. Donations or inquiries on sponsorship contact Sue 48373017 or Garry Kadwell on 0428402476.
Following the success of the Goulburn Tin Spinners competition day, just before Christmas, Dot Dewsbury alerted the Goulburn Post to this event in Crookwell. It is one of the numerous events on the ABRA calendar, many of which the Goulburn Tin Spinners participate in and we can expect a strong representation of local barrel racers this weekend.
Competitors can earn points from participation and their finishing position in the competition that go toward the National Title and the opportunity to compete overseas. Competitors travel from around the country to participate. Last year, it is held in Victoria and this year it is being hosted by Bianca's home town of Crookwell.
Barrel racing is an exciting, full throttle event requiring the highest levels of equestrian skills to negotiate the course over a timed period. Originally timing was done using stop watches and the times manually recorded on score sheets. Accuracy was only to 10ths of a second. With an electronic beam and WIFI communication to the recording desk the timing is automatically recorded and loaded onto the computer score sheets. Accuracy lis far greater with the element of human reaction time removed. The trust between horse and rider is as close as it can gets and both require athlete level fitness to participate. The event includes a dinner and auction to raise funds for the "Bub for Life" Trust.
