Sisters Briella and Jerzee McDonald of rural Scranton are having fun as rodeo barrel racers and pole racers.  Briella is 12 and Jerzee is 10, and the girls are the daughters of Marty and Nina McDonald. Their times have dropped and their placings have gone up over time.

Briella and her horse, Dolly, competed at the Iowa State Fair recently and won her class in barrel racing and was third in poles. She was among just six girls chosen for the Championship Round, where she placed third. She said working every week with the horse is a key to success. “Make sure you ride them at least once a week on the barrel pattern. Do slow work with them, walking and trotting the pattern and making sure they’re turning the barrel the way they’re supposed to.” On placing that high at the State Fair, she added, “It was pretty cool! I was pretty happy when I made it to the Championship Round, then placing third among all those girls was pretty cool!”

Jerzee was too young for State Fair competition, but has made steady progress. When asked what she likes about barrel racing, she answered, “I like going fast and the adrenalin rush”! Her horse is Tia and Jerzee said they are best friends. “Sometimes when I get on her she’s kind of bad and sometimes she’s really good, just like my real friends!”

The girls are members of the Honey Creek Series Youth Rodeo, IMRA (International Miniature Rodeo Association), and IRCA (Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association). Tomorrow night they’ll be in an IRCA event at Adel, followed on Saturday by two youth rodeos in Lisbon at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. with Honey Creek Youth Rodeo. Briella and Jerzee are always looking for sponsors to help with entry fees and travel expenses.