Kiehnem on barrel racing, “There is no age limit”

Lemitar resident Marlys Kiehnem and her mare, Confetti, are regulars on the local barrel-racing scene, and sometimes she comes away with some money, like she did on a side pot at the New Mexico Barrel Racing Association’s Open 4D Barrel Race this past weekend at the Socorro Sports Complex.

But, while the money is nice, that’s not what it’s all about, she said.

“The adrenaline,” Kiehnem said of why she likes to ride. “I like going fast. It’s like a carnival ride.”

The NMBRA, is a nonprofit organization, producing about 28 barrel racing events annually at Socorro, Grants and Albuquerque, said association director Sharon S. George.

This was the organization’s second race in Socorro this year, with 160 entries in March and 70 this time around. Additionally, more local races are set for July, October and November.

“And we are looking to add other dates next year,” George said.

That’s good news for Kiehnem, 41, who is a speech therapist with Socorro Consolidated Schools.

“In the summer time, I get to go pretty regularly, almost weekly,” she said, adding during the school year it’s tougher to get away for the ones that are farther away.

Kiehnem has been riding and barrel racing since she was a youngster and doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.

“That’s the beauty of it,” she said. “As long as you have a fast horse and you can hold on, there’s no age limit.”

Confetti has proven her mettle as a fast horse, usually, over the four years they have been riding together.

“It’s fun to be able to have a horse that’s athletic and can run, and can shut it down to make a tight, fast turn,” Kiehnem said. “It’s competitive but I’m always competing against myself more so than against anybody just to see if I can beat my time. It’s fun to compete.”

The association has about 150 members, George said. The races are co-sanctioned with the Better Barrel Races of America and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.

Among the events is an annual race at Tingley Coliseum during the New Mexico State Fair in the fall, as well as a season-ending race every spring at the New Mexico State Fair Grounds, during which $20,000 worth of year-end awards are at stake.

The 4D system makes it possible for competitors of all skill levels and experience to compete in the same events under three age classifications, with youth through 17, open for any age and senior for those 50 and older, George said.

“All riders, regardless of ability, run in the same barrel race,” she said. “The four divisions are then determined by time brackets. With the 4-D format, the overall fastest time of the race is used to set the time brackets for the four divisions.”

The divisions are then divvied up by succeeding half-second intervals to the fastest time. That gives all competitors a chance to come away with a winning time in one of the divisions, George said.