By CAELA FOX, Staff Writer Pinal Central

CASA GRANDE — Riding horses is a way of life for many in Pinal County, and some competitors do it fast around barrel obstacles.

The Central Arizona College rodeo team will put on the women's barrel racing event as part of Cowboy Days & O'Odham Tash on Saturday, Feb. 24.

The barrel racing is free to spectators.

"It's a fun event to come out for local barrel racers to enter, and then for those people who don't want to enter and they just want to come out and cheer on the barrel racers, then we are happy to have them, too," said CAC assistant rodeo coach Skyla Teel.

For the racers, there will be a $45 fee to participate.

For the CAC rodeo team, this is a big event that will help support the program.

All 50 members of the team along with head coach Joe Moody and assistant coaches Kayse Mahoney and Teel will be out there helping and participating in some of the events.

"Barrel racing is a timed event, it's basically a clover-leaf pattern around three barrels," Teel said.

This version will be what's called a 4D barrel race. That is a way to handicap the race. So, the first division is set by the fastest time of the day and then the second, third and fourth divisions are half a second off of that.

"Everybody goes out and runs, and the fastest horse of the day might be 16 seconds — but you can still win a check in the 4D with an 18-second run," Teel said.

Teel is expecting a pretty big crowd and a lot of participation in the events.