Racing horses in her sister's memory

Nighttime arrived on a beautiful fall day in Stockbridge, as riders competed in barrel racing at the SSC Arena.

The tall lights mimicked a football field, and riders raced around the barrels.

The temperature was dropping as Darby Young, 20, of Ida, was cuddled in blankets with her boyfriend, Jason Weber.

Her mother, Tammi Kamprath; granny, Pat Kirby; and friends Norm, Chelsea Seegert and Emily Botsford were waiting for Darby’s turn to ride.

It had been a long day of waiting for Darby and her supporters, as she planned to race in honor of her sister Darrian Young.

Darrian died from injuries sustained after her marked Animal Control Division vehicle was struck by a suspected drunk driver June 4.

Just 10 days after her sister’s death, Darby completed her first barrel race with Darrian’s 10-year-old horse Demi.

During the race, the announcer honored Darrian, who had barrel raced for several years.

As we waited with a cool mist in the air, Darby’s race finally arrived at nearly 11 p.m. While Darby warmed up, Demi had a lot of energy, possibly due to waiting all day to race.

When Darby took off out of the gate, I knew I only had one barrel to catch the photograph I wanted due to the lighting conditions.

Darby raced around the barrels with so much enthusiasm.

“You get a good adrenaline rush when you come through the ally,” she said. “I am very proud of how I have done this year, especially coming from a whole different side of the horse world.

“I’ve won a good amount of money that goes towards upkeep on Demi.”

BONDING THROUGH HORSES

Darby started riding horses when she was 3 years old. She began showing English and Western styles at 4 with Darrian.

“When we showed together, we’d spend our whole summer out at the barn from morning to dark, putting in work,” Darby said.

“Even though I was younger than her – and who wants to spend time with their younger siblings – you could always find us with our horses.”

Due to COVID-19, Darby did not have the opportunity to show this summer, with the exception of during a Tri-County Horseman's Association open show in Milan, where she showed her horse Tommy, who is 16.

She showed Western and English, but as she was warming up with Tommy in the practice arena, heavy rains arrived, which unfortunately ended her showing that day.

“Western is my favorite,” Darby said, adding that she and Darrian showed together for at least 10 years. “We were close when we showed, but we were in different age groups. We definitely got a lot closer when we got older.”

“The past five years when I got back into showing, she (Darrian) would try to convince me to start barrel racing, and I was like, ’no I wouldn’t like it,’ and here I am now,” Darby added.

“We kept our horses down at the same barn so we could ride together since we don’t have an indoor arena. We rode together almost every day and then we’d go to horse auctions and tack sales.”

Wearing a T-shirt that says, “Ride for Darrian" during competitions, Darby continues to ride, keeping her sister’s memory alive in the sport of barrel racing.