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Larchill Lass was retired in 2025 after a career on the flat which saw her win once and place five times, amassing over £25,000 in prizemoney. Rehomed to Nicola who lives north of York, her new career will be in Western barrel racing.
Now known as Lassie, she's had all winter and spring off just to relax and be a horse and and loved being pampered.
"Lassie has now started onto western training and she is loving it," says Nicole. "She picks up new thing every day so easily and isn't bothered or fussed about anything I've put her through over the last six weeks. She’s become a yard favourite, we have lots of new things coming up over summer. We're going to be at lots off western novice shows and she's going to do great."
"Thank you so much for selling her to me."
For the uninitiated, Western barrel racing is a fast rodeo sport where a horse and rider run a tight cloverleaf pattern around three barrels as quickly as possible. The pair enter the arena at speed, turn the first barrel in a tight arc, cross to the second, loop it, then drive to the third before sprinting home. The run usually lasts between thirteen and eighteen seconds, and even a slight hesitation or wide turn can cost a rider the win. Knocking a barrel adds a time penalty, so the challenge is balancing absolute speed with precision and control.
The sport grew out of early women’s rodeo competitions in the mid‑twentieth century and remains one of the main events for female riders at professional rodeos, though men compete in many amateur and youth divisions. Horses are trained to accelerate hard, rate their speed just before each turn, and pivot around the barrel without losing momentum. Quarter Horses dominate because of their explosive power and agility, but other breeds compete successfully too.
Barrel racing is popular because it’s dramatic, quick, and showcases the communication between horse and rider. The best runs look effortless, with the horse dropping into each turn and bursting out again in one fluid motion.
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