He’s nine years old and drives a palomino so fast he could give lady racers a run for their money. Ainslee Meise competes in the peewee rodeo barrel racing division and is ranked first on the BC Rodeo Association competitor list. Ainslee’s most recent competition took place June 17-19 at an event hosted by The Prince George Western Heritage Society at the fairgrounds where she won her event with a time of 16.242 seconds. “I mostly started riding horses at first and mom was barrel racing,” Ainslee said of how she got her start. Her mom is Kim Meise and she raced Ainslee’s palomino, Speedle, but made the switch to another horse when it became apparent that Ainslee and Speedle were a perfect match. “They take care of each other,” Kim said. Kim said Ainslee has been in the saddle since she could hold on to the horn and that was at one year old. Ainslee rode her first solo barrel race at the age of three. Speedle came into the family when he was five years old through Kim’s mom, but it quickly became clear he was too much of a horse, Kim said. “They just didn’t fit right,” Kim said. “So I rode him for a year and fell in love with him and knew he had to be ours, so I bought him from my mum when Ainslee was six weeks old and he’s been with us ever since and will be with us.” until the day he dies.” Speedle is 16 years old now and Kim said he is still in his prime, as evidenced by the success Ainslee and Speedle are enjoying during this racing season. Ainslee has won about $2,000 as a result of her pageants so far this year, and the money mostly goes toward entry tickets and vet bills, she said. “Ainslee has a bank account and we put some of it into her own account and when she’s older she can decide what she wants to do with it,” Kim said. “Then it puts a little bit back into the entry fee envelope because it costs money to enter and it costs money to look after a horse really well. We’re taking Speedle to a vet in Alberta who is probably one of the top horse vets in western Canada and his name is Chad Hewlett.’ Ainslee rides the Speedle five or six times a week to keep him fit. Caring before and after riding is also of the utmost importance, Kim said. “Every animal at a rodeo is treated like an athlete — they eat better than me most days,” Kim laughed. So what’s next for Ainslee? “I’m still going to rodeo,” he said. The next races are at Pritchard and Williams Lake. “Ainslee is aiming for the BC Rodeo Association finals,” Kim said. This event takes place in Barrier over Labor Day weekend. For Ainslee it’s not just the competition. “It’s mostly just hanging out with my friends, watching other racers and spending time with my horse,” Ainslee said. “They’re just a bunch of kids who are crazy about horses,” Kim laughed.
