Maintaining a successful career in the highly competitive world of Canadian professional barrel racing takes the management skills of a corporate executive. Not only do these women have to be well-tuned horse trainers and riders, with the drive of a professional athlete, but they also have to oversee “home” operations, while executing a travel schedule of 20 or more rodeos across western Canada.
Gaylene Buff does all that, and then some. She truly is a woman of the west, as she rodeos from her home base in Westwold, B.C. That means she has to journey across the Rockies for all but a handful of her events. She just wrapped up a very successful season on the circuit, finishing third in Canadian barrel racing standings. But Buff is also a dedicated mom and wife, and does the books for the family’s logging company.
And because she does all that with a smile and determination, her fellow racers presented her with the prestigious Cowgirl of the Year award in Edmonton this November.
Buff made a name for herself in 2008, when she burst onto the pro-rodeo scene and claimed Rookie of the Year honours, with her bay gelding Vador. He was a horse that had been described by many as “more than a handful”, but Buff spotted a winner in him that others couldn’t see. She brought him along and took him all the way to a Canadian championship in 2009.
The 2010 season was more of a struggle and Buff learned first-hand what barrel racers often say — it takes more than one strong horse to keep you on the road to championships. In 2011, she proved that adage true, and with the assistance of her now seasoned other mount, Duke, she’s ready to tackle the world in 2012.
But it took some perseverance to get to that point. “In 2010, I knew Vador wasn’t quite right. I knew it in my gut,” recalls Buff. “Everyone said it was just the pressure of my 2009 win. Vets couldn’t find anything for so long that I began to think ‘maybe I’m crazy, maybe it is me.’”
But Buff stuck to her instincts, and eventually took Vador to Washington for an MRI, where bone chips in the hind fetlock were finally discovered. Surgery came next. “When they got in, they found two of the chips were hindering the movement of the ligament on the outside of the fetlock. So they cleaned that up, and an old shoulder injury. He was on six weeks stall rest, then I had to hand walk him for a month.”
While Vador was recovering, it was Duke’s turn to step up. In the past, when her number one gunner was so healthy, Buff’s backup man didn’t get the call as much. But Duke delivered in 2011.
Vador, now 13, was chomping at the bit to go again later in the spring, and having both horses at the top of their game gave Buff options and choices to manage her rodeo schedule. “I use Vador in the hard pens. He’s faster and his barrels aren’t as ‘pretty,’ while Duke is more ‘turny.’ If one or the other needed rest, I could switch them off,” explains Buff. “It takes a while to adjust to their different styles, which is why I didn’t want to get off Vador in the past.”
Last year, Buff travelled hard, competing in 36 Canadian rodeos. Of all the 2011 CFR barrel racing qualifiers, only Debbie Renger went to more rodeos than her. In the end it was Buff’s success farthest from home that paid off. For the second time in her pro career, she became the Prairie Circuit champion. It was at the CPRA award presentations during CFR week when she went to claim that award, that she was surprised with the Cowgirl of the Year award.
“My mouth dropped open when I heard them talking about someone from Westwold,” laughs Buff. “I’m the only cowgirl from there! I was pretty honoured to receive it, because it’s not only for your success, but also for how you are outside the arena. It says something about your character.
“I never even thought about winning that award, even in my wildest dreams. It’s very humbling. It was pretty special too, because my mother and two sisters had flown in from Utah to watch me compete this year,” she says. “I hope I set a good image for young people. You never know who’s watching.”
Although it’s not easy, Buff strives to keep a balance in her life, and family remains a top priority, as well as her family’s business. Buff is the office manager for her husband Erik’s family logging company. And their two children Peter and Gloria also keep her busy. “They have hockey and dance, and Gloria jumps in with me on the road some.”
In addition to that, Buff also helps other young people develop their riding talents when she does get to spend some time at home. “Every time I give lessons, whether they’re my daughter’s age or teens, I tell them you’ve got to believe when you enter the arena. I learn from watching them. Often they’re so busy worrying about what can go wrong, that they make it go wrong.”
Instead of finding things to worry about, Buff encourages her protgs to power through the challenges. Another important philosophy she applies to her own experience is if you don’t like a situation, do something to change it.
“Sometimes you don’t even know what the right direction is, but if you keep doing the same thing, you’ll get the same reaction. So you’ve got to change something up.”
Buff put a $46,000 cap on her year with her earnings at the CFR in Edmonton. Now with Duke in competition form as well, Buff is considering travelling to some more U.S. rodeos this season, perhaps even chasing an NFR berth. She knows having two great running horses at once doesn’t happen often, and such opportunities need to be seized.
“Life is like a chess game, and just as you try to better yourself at the game, it’s the same with life. Every day you have to trust in yourself and believe that you can do anything you set your mind to. Never doubt what you’re capable of doing.”