Meet the Atkinsons: Mother and daughter competitive barrel racers

Brooke (left) and Jen Atkinson, daughter and mother barrel racers, will be in action at the NZ Taupō Rodeo on December 29.

It is quite rare to find a mother and daughter competing in the same sport, but when it comes to barrel racing, Jen Atkinson and her daughter Brooke are as competitive as each other.

Both will be in action at the Taupō Rodeo, on December 29, at the Centennial Drive and Broadlands Rd intersection.

Spectators will be in for a day of action and fun with all the usual rodeo events on offer, such as bull riding, bronc riding, and timed events.

With seven New Zealand titles under her belt, Jen has been competing on the rodeo circuit, solely barrel racing, for 39 years.

Meanwhile Brooke, a Year 9 student at Taupo Nui A Tia College, and an avid horse fan since the moment she could sit up, has been racing for four years.

She is also the 2023 and 2024 Junior Barrel Racing Champion and was selected for the New Zealand Youth Rodeo team that travelled to Australia in September.

Brooke Atkinson competing in Australia.

Both have been around horses all their lives with Jen growing up in the country and attending her first rodeo at 5 years of age.

Her brother was a saddle bronc rider, and she loved to watch him in the ring.

Jen started when a friend offered to lend her a good barrel racing horse, and, apart from time off to have her children, she has never stopped competing.

Brooke competes on Methven, a horse her mum bred 15 years ago, and Jen is riding Methven’s full sister, who is a newbie to barrel racing, with this being her first year competing on the rodeo circuit.

“Doing something both you and your daughter love is something really special,” Jen said.

The breed of horse used for barrel racing is usually a quarter horse or a quarter horse-thoroughbred cross.

Barrel racing requires the horse to be quick off the mark, athletic, race at full speed and for the rider to be in complete control at all times.

The rider and horse need to work as a partnership, it’s all about horsemanship and connection.

Brooke and Methven, a partnership between horse and rider is key to barrel racing.

There are about 200 female barrel racing competitors across the country and they have the opportunity to compete at more than 30 competitions, as the junior division (Under-15) is open to girls and boys.

Competitions are held between October and March when the rodeo season is in full swing and this year there will be eight finalists competing at Kihikihi to be the winner of the open final and gain the title of New Zealand champion.

Taupō is an important qualifying rodeo for these barrel racers to make that final cut as it is home to a number of past and present NZ champions.

Justine Gibson is the current NZ all-round champion cowgirl and NZ Barrel Racing champion.

Competing at this year’s rodeo will be a line-up of well-known local riders such as Justine Gibson, the newly crowned NZ Barrel Racing champion and New Zealand’s first all-round champion cowgirl, her son Waylon Gibson, a two-time steer wrestling champion and past team roping champion, Mel Church, a past barrel racing champion, Ty Blake, only 15 years old and the current novice steer riding champion, Aaron Church jnr, the 2023 rope and tie champion and all-round champion cowboy, and the Halley family who have a string of titles between them.