Senior horse unexpectedly saves the day for Calgary Stampede barrel racer

When barrel racer Jackie Ganter of Abilene, Texas arrived to compete at the Calgary Stampede, she envisioned success would come atop her trusty steed Sailor.

When barrel racer Jackie Ganter of Abilene, Texas arrived to compete at the Calgary Stampede, she envisioned success would come atop her trusty steed Sailor.

That changed when a severe medical issue, the twisting of an intestine around his colon, sent the six-year-old horse to the veterinarian for emergency surgery.

“It’s fine as long as (Sailor) makes it through everything,” Jackie told Global News. “He doesn’t owe me anything. I’m just happy for him to be alive. I feel like something’s kind of been taken away from him.”

Jackie had been with Sailor — the offspring of Jet, her previous barrel racing horse — since birth and had trained him. The pair had experienced significant success on the rodeo circuit this year and there was optimism their winning ways would continue in Calgary.

Angela Ganter, Jackie’s mother and a barrel racer herself, was heartbroken for both Sailor and her daughter.

“That’s her number one horse and for the rest of the year he’s over.”

The procedure proved successful but forced Jackie to alter her approach and select another horse from her stable. Sailor’s ‘best friend’, 15-year-old Tycoon, was called into action.

“We’ve spent years keeping (Tycoon) sound,” explained Angela of the older horse’s health concerns. “He has a lot of issues and we can’t run him in certain setups, certain grounds.