Nevada cowgirl Rachel Primm, now making her home in the Lonestar state of Texas, has made a name for herself since the early ranks of high school rodeo. Like most little girls, Rachel loved horses from a young age. She also knew she wanted to be a barrel racer.
Rachel’s success came at an early age through the ranks of high school rodeo. Though she was fortunate to have great horses and a strong support system, she had her fair share of trials. Rachel knows that to keep barrel horses and developing foals healthy starts with total digestive health, that’s why she trusts SUCCEED for her rodeo horses down to her up-and-coming superstars.
Rachel Primm’s Barrel Racing Passion Started Young
When Rachel was about 5 years old, her parents put her in riding lessons at an English riding center. Rachel enjoyed being on horseback, but even at that young age, she knew English was not what she wanted to do. “I refused to wear the English attire. I was so determined to ride western and be a barrel racer!”
Fate would have it that Rachel’s dad attended the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) one year, where he ran into ex-girlfriend Lita Scott, an NFR qualifier herself. Lita only lived a few miles from Rachel’s family and quickly offered to help Rachel get her start in barrel racing. Lita was kind enough to mount Rachel on her NFR horse so Rachel could feel what a real barrel horse felt like, and Rachel was hooked!
My dad always made sure I rode multiple horses and didn’t get used to just one horse or one style so that I could ride anything. He also never over-mounted me. I started with 4D horses, and when I had gotten all I could out of them, he mounted me on the next-level horse. That continued until I was able to ride 1D horses.
Rachel started making a name for herself early on in high school. After the purchase of her horse Proud Red Pepper, better known as Pepper, Rachel claimed not but back-to-back National High School Rodeo Association barrel racing champion titles.
“When the high school finals rolled around, I had really only made about ten runs on Pepper. I knew I had the horse, but I thought he was too inexperienced, and we were too inexperienced together, to come away with the national title.”
Winning at all Levels
Rachel headed to college in California, where she furthered her career by competing in college and professional rodeo. Navigating school, college rodeos, and her WPRA rookie year made for a busy year juggling schedules.
Pepper continued to prove he was Rachel’s once-in-a-lifetime horse. Together, they qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) and made the short rounds at prestigious professional rodeos such as Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and Cheyenne Frontier Days.
After a great start to their rookie year and a win in the first round of the Ponoka Stampede, Rachel’s plans came to a screeching halt when Pepper broke his pelvis and was retired at only 8 years old.
“I had a whole plan for my life, and everything seemed to be lining up perfectly. It all seemed within reach. Pepper was my dream horse and I thought we were going to make the finals. I was so confident on him, and then it was ripped out from under me in the blink of an eye.”
A New Chapter on Breeding Barrel Horses
Rachel took a break from rodeo and found a new passion: breeding and raising colts. Dashing Jolene was the mare that started it all for Rachel’s breeding program when her first colt proved a tough competitor in the arena. Jolene has continued to be a proven producer that leaves her mark on her foals in their demeanor, style in the barrel pattern, and quirks.
Not only does Rachel have a strong breeding program on the mare side, but she also has a young stallion prospect that looks to have a bright future. Rachel saw qualities she liked in thoroughbreds and wanted those traits crossed with her quarter horses, such as lung capacity, demeanor, and bone structure.
We have many of the same issues and ailments in our barrel horses, and they are all bred similarly in some shape or form. I wanted to bring in some new blood and see if that wouldn’t eliminate some of the issues and add some valuable qualities.
SUCCEED for Happy, Healthy Horses—Young and Old
In the past, Rachel’s horses have struggled with the typical stomach and hindgut issues that plague performance horses. She wanted to try a product that helped with total gi tract health to avoid some of these issues.
Jolene, a nervous mare that had trouble maintaining weight, was the first horse Rachel started on SUCCEED. She also started Pepper on SUCCEED around the same time. Pepper would show digestive distress at feeding times for years, and Rachel had been working closely with her vet on his stomach health.
After starting these horses on SUCCEED, they no longer showed any signs of digestive distress. Jolene became an aggressive eater, put weight on, and had a shiny, healthy hair coat. Pepper also saw significant changes by no longer having stomach issues at feeding time.
Rachel now keeps her whole string of horses on SUCCEED, including her mares and foals.
With raising many colts each year, Rachel has a different perspective on some of her favorite benefits she sees with SUCCEED.
“I x-ray all of my colts to know if there are any issues we have to deal with so we can get a head start. Since starting SUCCEED, I have had clean x-rays, and my colts’ bone structure and size are amazing.”
Rachel has also experienced the expected benefits that other users share, such as all her horses eating and drinking better than they used to. She also loves when her horses are shiny, healthy looking, and have slicked-off haircoats. With SUCCEED, they stay looking that way year-round.
My favorite thing about SUCCEED, especially for the colts, is how it helps them absorb their nutrients. My babies don’t get any joint supplements; they are all big, healthy babies because I had my broodmares on SUCCEED while the colts were in utero. For my finished horses, it is important they feel their best. If their guts are healthy, their overall health is better, and they will perform better.
