Young contender Rookie of the year ?

Natasha Haddad and her horse Lexie run the barrel race at the county fair in Crescent City in August, 2009. Photo courtesy of Roger Schultz

At only 13 years old, Crescent City resident Natasha Haddad is well on her way to living her dreams and being successful in something she loves with a passion — barrel racing.

Natasha can already do this sport so well that she is competing professionally against adults on the California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association rodeo circuit.

Natasha has done such a good job she has already won a few races and is in contention to win rookie of the year honors.

She has won numerous cash prizes in the races, totaling up to more than $3,000 and has earned enough money to pay her way to compete throughout the state.

Natasha Haddad and her horse Lexie , Photo courtesy of Roger Schultz

Not bad for someone that is still in eighth grade at Redwood School.

Currently, Natasha is $315 behind the top rookie on the circuit, and she says she hopes to overtake her and win rookie of the year honors.

“That’s my goal,” Natasha said. “That would be very exciting. It would be an honor.”

Natasha is in eighth place overall in the CCPRA barrel racing standings out of 35 listed participants.

Natasha has traveled all over California on the CCPRA circuit since June and has more than held her own, earning first place twice.

This weekend she will take part in a race in Mendocino County.

In barrel racing a horse and rider attempt to complete a pattern around arranged barrels in the fastest time possible.

Jeanna Haddad said barrel racing is a challenging sport, where every move makes a difference and one move just a split second off can be the difference between a first place finish or being low in the final standings.

“You just go boom, boom, boom and hold your breath wondering ‘was I the winner?”’ Jeanna said.

“You and your horse always need to be at your best to do well,” Natasha added.

Natasha has been surrounded by horses her whole life and remembers riding ponies as early as when she was 3.

At five years old Natasha already was taking part in local riding and gymkhana events and has been at it ever since.

“It was nice starting young because there’s so much to learn,” Natasha said.

In 2008 Natasha received Lexie, now a 7-year-old horse that Jeanna Haddad said was supposed to be a “stepping stone horse.”

A top-of-the-line barrel racing horse can go from $30,000 to $100,000, but Lexie’s value was much lower when they got her, Jeanna said.

Natasha and Lexie quickly bonded and proved it with a vengeance at the elite “California Dreamin’” race held in Santa Rosa in March.

Against top-notch adult competition Natasha shocked everyone by placing third overall and earned $1,300 for her efforts.

“They were like ‘are you kidding me, who are you? Who is your trainer?,”’ Jeanna Haddad recalled, adding that Natasha trained Lexie herself, which is quite unusual.

When asked what makes her horse so special Natasha said it’s her spirit.

“We work well together and I treat her well and she treats me well back.”

Natasha said a key to their success is that Lexie enjoys racing and does not get fazed competing in front of large, loud crowds. In fact, she seems to enjoy it.

“When we go out, she gets focused and we just go,” she said.

The plan, Jeanna said, was to start off slow and let Natasha get used to competing against adults. While the CCPRA season started in April she did not start competing until June.

But after Natasha took first in a race in Garberville, fourth in a Eureka race and first in a race in Willits, they decided to take compete as much as possible.

“We were like, ‘We need to do this now, this year,”’ Jeanna Haddad recalled, saying they now go out pretty much every weekend.

Jeanna said that the entire family feels blessed that Natasha is doing so well and fulfilling her dreams at an early age. Jeanna is grateful that they were fortunate to get a horse like Lexie that has bonded so well with her daughter, and she believes a higher power is watching over Natasha and the family.

“We give God all the glory,” Jeanna said. “That’s where our hearts rest. God blessed us with that horse. It definitely was an awesome match.”

Trisha Melvin is a local gymkhana rider who has known Natasha since she was eight years old.

Melvin has gone to rodeos to watch Natasha perform and is thoroughly impressed with the poise, skill and confidence Natasha has displayed in this challenging sport.

“I’ve never seen a young lady as dedicated as her,” Melvin said. “You don’t see very often young kids dedicated like that. We’re all just so proud of her. She’s my hero.”

Last month, Natasha took part in a CCPRA rodeo in Crescent City at the Del Norte County Fair. In front of a large group of home fans cheering her on, Natasha took third place.

“I loved it,” she said. “It was probably my favorite race. All my friends and fans were there cheering for me. The crowd was really loud.”

Natasha hopes to continue to barrel race and make a career out of it.

Her goal is to be like Charmayne James, who has won 11 world barrel racing championships. Recently, Natasha met her idol at a racing clinic in Medford, Ore., and received advice on barrel racing from James.

“She helped me a lot,” Natasha said. “She’s my biggest inspiration.”

Natasha said James gave her advice on ways to ride her horse better and to improve her barrel patterns.

The community has been amazing with their support for Natasha, her mother said, with a large group of fans following how Natasha is doing and giving her support, including helping with her expenses.

“It’s overwhelming,” Jeanna Haddad said about watching her daughter take part in barrel racing. “I’ve cried and I’ve jumped up and down for joy for her... My hope is she succeeds in whatever she does and that nothing is impossible.”

For information on helping with Natasha’s expenses call Jeanna at 951-4922, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .