WXXV Student Athlete of the Week: West Harrison Middle School Barrel Racer Brylee Viars

It’s not everyday that we get to grab our gear and head to the Harrison County Arena, but that’s exactly what happened today!

This week’s WXXV Student Athlete of the Week is Brylee Viars, a very successful barrel racer from West Harrison Middle School.

Belt buckles, jeans, and a pair of cowgirl boots is the daily uniform for Brylee Viars. Brylee is an eighth-grader at West Harrison Middle School and it didn’t take her long to find her passion because she’s continuing a family legacy. “Barrel racing was a lot of the family, so my mom’s mom did it and then my mom did it, and then I was just kind of born into it through that whole thing, so I started when I was born practically.”

Brylee’s mom said she’s been on a horse ever since she was able to sit up straight and she continues to flourish in the sport.

Starting at such a young age and staying committed to her horses, Brylee has already learned the importance of responsibility. “The responsibility comes in a lot. Like even if you can’t compete that day, or you can’t ride that day, you still have to go out. It can be raining, it could be storming, there could be a hurricane, and you still have to go out and feed. It’s definitely a partnership too between you and your horse because if you don’t have that at all and if you don’t take care of your horse, you’re not going to have anything in this sport if you don’t have a good partnership with your horse.”

By taking care of her horse Vegas and making sure he receives proper care, she’s constantly building up the trust between the two of them. “At this point he just listens. He doesn’t really care, but you can definitely tell he loves the sport as much as I do and that’s a great thing to have with your horse.”

Vegas hasn’t always been this easy to work with and Brylee has truly had to lead him in the ways he should go, but she says that makes winning even sweeter. “It’s definitely a lot more rewarding to know that you did all the work for that horse to go in there and actually win something, and you can know that all your hard work is finally paying off.”

Brylee’s been very successful throughout her barrel racing career and one thing that she’s especially proud of is winning the NBHA Louisiana State Show 2020.

When Brylee’s not competing, she’s busy showing her goats and cows.

By winning barrel races and competing in various shows, Brylee is saving up her earnings to hopefully attend law school in the future. “I’m trying to go to law school. It’s always been kind of my dream is to go to law school, and I’m trying to balance that with being a horse trainer.”