Barrel Racing

Morgan Jones jets to the barrel racing win at the 2012 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show.

by Larri Jo Starkey
The American Quarter Horse Journal

She had already accomplished a lot.

From the 82 horses in the barrel racing preliminaries, Morgan Jones of Richmond, Kentucky, raced fast enough to get two horses in the 15-horse finals at the 2012 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show.

Then she had a problem.

Through the luck of the draw, Morgan’s horses were 12th and 13th in the draw. She had to chase cans on Jens Ky Jet and then trade horses and run on Money Makin Jet.

“I knew that I had about two minutes to get in the arena, so I just got off and I took deep breaths and did everything I could to relax,” she said. “My thoughts were, ‘If I can go in and get a clean run, I’ll be happy,’ and I did that, and I ended up winning, so I’m really happy.”

Morgan and Money Makin Jet’s time of 17.302 combined with their preliminary round time gave them a two-round time of 34.621 and the world championship in barrel racing.

“It feels – I can’t even explain it,” Morgan said. “when I knew I won, I started crying right away. It’s crazy.”

Her first horse, Jens Ky Jet, ended up fourth. During the preliminaries, Morgan used the need to keep her horses calm to keep herself calm.

“When I get nervous, I feel like they know and they know that we’re at a big show, so I tried to stay as calm as I could,” she said.

Morgan knew right away when she saw Money Makin Jet that they would be a good team.

“I’ve had her for about a year and a half,” she said. “I clicked with her the first time I rode her, and we’ve been clicking ever since then. She’s amazing. I love her.”

Morgan, 14, is her own trainer for her horses, and she understands “MJ’s” needs.

“She’s a very high-strung,” Morgan said. “She loves to prance. She loves to run, and if she doesn’t get her way, she gets very mad.  We mostly run AQHA and every now and then, we’ll hit a jackpot show, but mostly AQHA.”

To celebrate, Morgan plans a little break for herself and her horses before they start turning and burning again.

“I’d like to thank my parents for bringing me this way,” she said. “I know I couldn’t have gotten anywhere without them. They support me through the bad times and the good times, and I’m very thankful for it.”