By Joyce A. Norman
She hears her number announced over the loud speaker and in
mere seconds, all systems are go. She and Fred are thundering down
the alleyway headed for the arena and they have just one focus – to
circle the three barrels faster than anyone else and race back down the
alleyway, all in less than 17 seconds.
This is Mary Burger, 59, of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, and she’s been
the World Champion Barrel Racer nine times, the last win in 2006.
It just takes a minute to see that Mary is at the top of her game, no
slowing down in sight, as she and Fred pack up and travel to rodeos all
across the Southwest.
 Mary, her husband, Kerry, her horse, Rare Fred, and one backup
horse, are on the road weeks at a time, going from one big competition
to another. And when it’s time to travel it’s no small feat. First, Mary
has to pack her riding clothes – always dressy western shirts, jeans,
boots and a cowboy hat, and then there’s Fred and his home away
from home. Fred’s traveling home is a trailer he shares with the backup
horse, and Mary has to make sure the trailer is well supplied with hay,
feed, water and supplements. There is a wall separating the horses from
the on-the-road living quarters of Mary and Kerry, and as Mary puts it,
“We’re just one big happy family.”
Mary is quick to say that Fred is her buddy. “I know him very well
and we’re very compatible. He’s a people-type of horse and gets along
with everyone.”
Fred is now 12-years-old, a strong, athletic quarter horse that has a
pretty enviable resume of his own. He has won the American Quarter
Horse Association Barrel Racing Horse of the Year award four times
and won the National Finals Rodeo in 2006. Barrel Racing is a form
of rodeo event that demands some of the most athletic horses in the
world.
Of course, this has to be combined with superb horsemanship skills
of the rider in order to safely and successfully maneuver their horses
in a cloverleaf pattern around three 55-gallon metal barrels placed in
a triangle in the middle of the arena. Barrel racing has no judges. It is
just a race against the clock and the horse and rider against themselves
to become better.
“Fred and I are both competitive and we’re out there to win,” says
Mary. “He runs well on clay, sand or even in mud. He’s been shod for
barrel racing and he wears a rim horseshoe that helps him grip the
ground, whatever the conditions.” Mary explains that she uses a very
light saddle on Fred because the lighter Fred’s load, the faster he can
run. “I’m not very big so that helps him out.”
Mary started riding in barrel races when she was eight years old and
in the 4H Club in Indiana where she grew up. “I never thought much
about how long I would be doing this,” says Mary. “This is the love of
my life, my recreation, my joy. Looks like I’ve been riding for 51 years,
doesn’t it? I love it more every day and work hard to stay on top. Fred
and I work out together every day, early in the morning. It’s like the
Olympics. You stay in shape and never give up.”
Mary didn’t start out her life on such a good note. When she
was almost six years old she was diagnosed with Perthes, a disease
usually seen in children between four- and ten-years old. Perthes is
inflammation and softness of the hip joint and the only cure for this
is immobilization. So Mary’s parents bought her a pony, and when she
wanted to go outside she rode her pony.
“In the house, my dad rigged up a little square scooter and I could
just scoot along the floor,” Mary recalls. “However, I spent most of
my time on that pony and got to know a lot about horses during the
time I couldn’t walk. I really learned to depend on that pony and I got
to know his mannerisms, got to learn balance in riding. Everything I
know about horses I learned from all those years I spent so much time
on a horse.”
One would think that training with Fred, traveling and competing
would be a busy schedule. Well, for Mary Burger that’s just a piece
of cake. Every morning when she’s at home on the Burger’s 80-acre
ranch, she’s up by 5:30 a.m., has a good breakfast and is at the stable
and riding Fred by 7:00. After this workout she rides and trains the five
other horses she has. Then comes the daily cleaning of the stables and
the barn.
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