©Bee Silva Photo
Courtesy Barrel Racing Report
October 9, 2019 – The 2019 WPRA/AQHA Barrel Horse of the Year is High Valor (Valor) (*2010 Fall Mixed Sale Graduate) owned and ridden by Dona Kay Rule. The 10 year old gelded son of Valiant Hero out of the Rare Form mare, Rare High was bred by Lana Merrick. Anyone watching the barrel horse world closely knew this pair was sitting on the edge of a breakout over the last couple years. After ending up #51 in the World with $24,601 in 2018, High Valor and Rule had that breakout this year winning $96,507 at 64 rodeos qualifying to the 2019 NFR in the #9 position.
High Valor sire Valiant Hero has recently started to produce a number of top barrel horses with High Valor leading that pack. His dam, Rare High earned a speed index of 93 and earned $30,381 on the racetrack and she has produced 3 triple A runners, including 1 Black Type/Stakes Placer and the earners of $63,667 on the racetrack.
We caught up with Rule to get her reaction to the news of High Valor winning Horse Of The Year for 2019. “Oh my goodness, I am stunned! There are so many great athletes; I cannot express how happy and honored I am for Valor to be recognized like this! He’s been a trooper that’s for sure but so have lots of others! We are so proud and so very honored, thank you!” Said a grateful Rule.
The owner of the Horses of the Year in each category are awarded $5,000 and an AQHA bronze trophy. Second place will receive $3,000 and third place will receive $2,000.
In second place was Kn Fabs Gift Of Fame (J Lo) ridden by Ivy Conrado Saebens; owned by Kenny Nichols & Dale Barron.
Third place was a tie between Freckles Ta Fame (Can Man) ridden Shali Lord; owned by Joe & Carla Spitz and An Oakie With Cash (Louie) ridden by Lisa Lockhart; owned by Lisa & Grady Lockhart.
Below is and excerpt from the Barrel Racing Report article from August 20th written by Tanya Randall that covered where High Valor came from and his development:
“Rule purchased Val from his breeder and her good friend Lana Merrick-Bailey when he was 6. Merrick-Bailey, a former National Finals Rodeo qualifier herself and the benefactor of the Scoti Flit Bar award given to the rising equine star of the season, had planned on keeping the gelded son of Valiant Hero, out of Rare High, by Rare Form, for herself, but life and her breeding business got in her way.
“Her words to me were, ‘I’m going to ruin him doing like I’m doing him, home two weeks and then gone a week. It’s just not fair to him. Would you like to buy him?’ I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, would I ever!”
The one stipulation was if Rule ever wanted to sell him, he would go back to Merrick-Bailey. That one condition actually made it easier for Rule, who had always trained and sold her horses.
“Honestly that took a load off my back, just knowing that it was all on me,” she said. “I didn’t have to keep him groomed up for anybody else, just put him together for me. So that was nice. Everything I’ve ever had I trained and sold to pay for my kids schooling or whatever, help the family with money. There was never that horse that was just mine no matter what, and Valor is.”
Initially, Rule wasn’t sure if she could keep up with Valor, but she was forced to turn to the gelding when her current rodeo horse Juice suffered a career-ending injury from a freaky non-performance accident.
“He was just the other guy in the trailer,” she said. “He was difficult. I wasn’t 100 percent sure I could stay with him. He’s very stout and has a very long stride.”
In 2017, they went to winning the 1D at the large jackpots and the following year, they had earned the right to run at this year’s winter rodeos. In hind-sight, Juice getting injured was the turning point for her professional rodeo career. It’s now or never.
“I finally gave myself permission to go,” said Rule, who has qualified for numerous Women’s National Finals Rodeos as roper. “I dug deeper to see if I could make a go of it.”