To go to the Annual American Quarter Horse Youth Association World Championships Show you need a good horse and you have to be a good companion.

Marty Barry, a 16-year-old junior at Advance High School, has a good horse and a good relationship with it. That combination has led her to the annual competition every year since 1997.

Raised by parents who have trained horses for as long as Marty can remember, she fell in love with the hobby and the sport that's been passed down from one family generation to the next.

"Since my parents trained horses, I grew up around them," Barry said. "I've always been around them. My summers are spent in the barn, and you have to love horses to spend summers in the barn -- it gets hot in there."

This year's competition will feature about 2,000 youths ages 18 and under from several nations, the majority from the United States and Canada. To qualify for the world championships, which are in Fort Worth, Texas, competitors must first do well in qualifying shows that last from March through June. Competitors compete in 10 shows and take their best eight performances. The top two performers in every state qualify for the championships.

Moving toward the finals

After qualifying through the state event, Barry and her horse, War Bars Danny, will compete next week for a world title. During this event in which Barry and Danny will compete in the barrels and the poles, they will get one run. If the two are in the top 15, then they will come back for the finals later in the week.

Barrel racing consist of racing through barrels in a clover-leaf pattern for the fastest overall time. Poles are more of an agility course, Barry said. Six poles are set in a straight line, and Barry and her horse will run to the end and start a weaving pattern through the poles back to the first pole.

"I started doing this as soon as I was old enough," Barry said. "Right when I started I fell in love with it. I just like working and getting ready for the shows. I enjoy going out there and doing my best and then being able to see how my work has paid off."

In previous years, Barry also competed in the cutting show, which allows the horse to mock the actions of a cow to attempt to keep the cow from getting back into the herd from which it was cut. Barry said this competition takes extra prep time in order to properly train the horse.

Of course, Barry's ultimate goal is to win the competition one year. Her previous best is a tie for 14th.

"That is my biggest goal," she said, "but either way I still have fun doing it."

Getting through to her first finals was a big step for Barry. Getting her nerves out of the way makes her think maybe the next time will result in a better finish.

"It was all or nothing out there, and I was nervous," she said. "The horse could tell. The horse knew the difference. Whatever I'm feeling, my horse is feeling."

The team approach

Although having a good horse is crucial, Barry said that being on the same level with the horse is the key to success.

"You have to get along with the horse," Barry said. "If you get mad at the horse before a show, then chances are good that the horse isn't going to put on a good show. You have to keep your horse in good spirits. You have to run a level of communication with the horse, and you have to be compassionate with it."

This trust took Barry three years to build with War Bars Danny. She plans to make her trip to the world championships prove it was time well spent.