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From rodeoing to roping to barrel racing, horse riding is in Isabelle McDonald’s blood. The young Valley native has recently achieved a lifelong accomplishment by becoming a world champion barrel racer in the Southern Professional Rodeo Association (SPRA).

McDonald, daughter of Green Gables Stables owner Ginger Day in Valley, has been around horses her entire life. It made sense to her parents when she decided that she wanted to compete in rodeo sports. 

The young athlete has been training for as long as she can remember and even began helping her mom give lessons at the stables when she turned 16. Now, in her first year in college, she has won a world title, which is the highest award you can get in the sport — with the help of her partner, Gus. 

“You’re on a 2,000-3,000 pound animal,” McDonald said, “And he can take those reins away from me at any time and do as he pleases. But it is just the same thing, like if somebody would go and get an airplane to skydive. It’s just a thrill.”

In 2024, McDonald spent every weekend competing in the barrel racing division at rodeos, moving up the ranks based on her performances. Then, at the finals in Mississippi, the top 15 girls battle it out for the world title. 

“It takes a lot of work,” McDonald said. “It does mean a lot, because you can go to a lot of people in the rodeo world, and not a lot can say that they have won a world title.”

The hard work of her horse, XR Shawne Poco Streke aka Gus, didn’t go unnoticed this year either. He was crowned Horse Of The Year for the Southeastern Professional Rodeo Association for barrels. 

“That is a huge accomplishment for my horse. All the barrel racers voted for him because they thought he was the best of the 2024 season,” McDonald said.

In addition to her schooling and giving lessons, she also competed in the Junior Rodeo, Southern Association Youth Rodeo Association and the National Little Britches Rodeo Association.

It hasn’t always been an easy road. Though she’s seen some kids take to it easier than others, McDonald always teaches the students that this sport takes a lot of hard work and even more dedication. Rodeo sports can be dangerous and physically demanding. 

“It’s not like any traditional sport, for sure,” McDonald said. “It’s life-risking for sure. Because, I mean, you’re on an animal. He can do whatever he wants to.”

Finding the right horse and building a deep bond with them as partners is the first step. For McDonald, her relationship with her barrel racing partner, Gus, has been a long but rewarding journey. 

“I teach all the time, that sometimes it’s better off just bringing them here, brushing them and putting them back up, not so much riding. Because you’re creating that bond,” McDonald said. “If you can create a bond, you’re gonna go a long way with you and that horse.”

When times get hard, McDonald said, that’s when she pushes herself even harder. Last year, she achieved the reserve champion, meaning the second-place winner, in the SPRA. But clearly, she didn’t let that stop her.

“Obviously the winning powers me and keeps pushing me forward. But also, the losing does too,” McDonald said. “Because my parents always tell me, you have to lose to win, and so losing is the biggest part of this, because to me, losing always pushes me to push harder. It always makes me come back even stronger.”

With so much accomplished at such a young age, McDonald has become a role model for a lot of young rodeo kids, and her advice to young athletes is just that: “You can get knocked down so many times, but it’s always gonna make you jump back up even harder. Don’t ever give up on what you’re striving for.”

In the past, rodeo sports have been overlooked where McDonald grew up. Many of the children who come to Green Gables Stables for lessons are from out of town. However, McDonald said the popularity seems to be growing and she hopes to be a part of that change.

Looking ahead, McDonald is finishing up her last year in the junior rodeo and has already begun this season with the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association. She hopes to continue achieving titles and eventually competing in the NFR, the premier championship rodeo of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).