Ristene Courkamp
– Rodeo News
Like a bullet, Ristene Courkamp shot into the CPRA and finished the season as the 2014 barrel racing and Rookie Of The Year champion with over $7,000 in year-end winnings. “The CPRA was very welcoming with very friendly and helpful people. Everyone was very gracious and the association, on a whole, was just awesome to deal with,” she said.
Taking to the cloverleaf pattern on her gelding (“Jimmy”), Ristene was able to place first in the first and second go-rounds to win the finals average with a 48.5 on three runs and beat her closest competitor by almost $1,000 in the standings. “I feel that my horse and season are a blessing from God and I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams,” she said.
The season was not complete smooth sailing and the pair struggled through the first part of the year. “It was all very challenging for me. I was getting my tail kicked, because I wasn’t preparing properly for the conditions,” said Ristene. Finally, at the Adams County Fair and Rodeo, with the arena flooded, Ristene and Jimmy won their first season check. “It was Teresa Jessop [2013 barrel racing champion] who changed my riding style and mind set. She told me that if I wasn’t going to go out and give it my all, I might as well load my horse. At that moment, I realized that Teresa taught me that I was running in my comfort zone and I needed to change my attitude,” Ristene said.
Having grown up riding on occasion, Ristene only started running barrels about three years ago. “I am toward the end of raising my children (two in college, one a high school senior) and I just felt that it was time that I do something for me,” she said. New to it all, Ristene originally bought Jimmy to trail ride and experience recreational sorting. “He turned out to be a rocket ship and was very easy to train,” she said. The pair then joined the Mile Hi Barrel Horse Association (MHBHA), where Ristene has competed for about two years and finished as the 2014 1D year-end champion. “He [Jimmy] was very consistent and I had tons of success on him. I was very lucky to have found such a great horse,” Ristene said.
Shaking things up, Ristene received a call a week before the WNFR and sold Jimmy to WPRA barrel racer Samantha Lyne, who ran the gelding throughout the NFR. “I believe that everything happens for a reason. I feel that Jimmy is in the right place and will be better than I could ever offer,” she explained. For the future, Ristene received a mare from Samantha and is working on another young horse. “I will start working on my new projects and hopefully have them ready for next year. I am ready for the challenge,” she said.
When she’s not kicking tail in the arena, the 50-year-old cowgirl works as a high school math teacher at Dakota Ridge High School. Her and her husband (Kirt) reside in Bailey, Colo., with enough acreage for Ristene to work on her “projects”. “My husband is a complete city kid and doesn‘t know anything about horses or rodeo, but I couldn’t have done any of this without him. He is very supportive and positive; picking me up when I’m down. He helps me with my horse and hauls me everywhere. He has just been amazing through this whole journey,” Ristene credits. While her children showed livestock throughout 4-H, she says that they do not have the desire to compete in rodeo. “I think that if I would have started earlier, they would be more interested. I just wish that I had started earlier,” she said.
For next season, Ristene hopes to have her two new horses seasoned and ready to go. “I really love the rodeo atmosphere versus that of barrel races. One way or another, I plan on returning to the association,” she said.
