N.B. teen lives for the grit, grime and gut-wrenching speed of barrel racing

Grace Johnston isn't afraid of a little dirt and a little speed.

In fact, the more of that you can throw at her, the better.

Johnston, 17, is a barrel racer, and if you've ever watched the hit cowboy drama Yellowstone, you're fully aware of how gritty and gut-wrenching the sport can be.

For Johnston, who lives in the southeastern New Brunswick village of Salisbury, just west of Moncton, that's a big part of its charm.

At age 13, she was already an accomplished rider trained in the formal English style when she paid a visit to Upshaw Performance Horses in Mill Cove. The western sport of barrel racing was underway and the owners, friends of Johnston's mom, suggested she give it a try.

She was hooked instantly.

"I think it was just the thrill of going so fast that really got me into it," Johnston said.

But it was also the exhilarating mess of it all.

"With English riding, my horse had to be super, super clean all the time, I couldn't have any bling on me, it was really slow," Johnston said.

With barrel racing, "I loved that my horse could have poop stains all over her. She doesn't have to be the prettiest horse, she just has to be the fastest. Which I really loved."

From then on, Johnston spent as much free time as possible honing her barrel-racing skills, and this year, she'll get a chance to showcase them on the international stage.

A few weeks ago, Johnston qualified for the barrel-racing world championships.

In October, she and her beloved racer, The Backup Plan, will head to Georgia, where they'll face off against hundreds of competitors from around the world – and hopefully come home with "the bling."

If you've never seen barrel racing, here's the Coles Notes version: a horse and rider run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in a large arena, and the fastest time wins.