Another class of barrel racing students recently got the opportunity to climb into the saddle and learn from one of the best.

Last week legendary barrel racer and clinician Charmayne James, as well as Heather Heath, were at the Ponoka Ag Event Centre teaching the finer points of barrel racing at a clinic hosted by Lisa Nault.

“The clinic’s going really good. People are working hard and really paying attention to what they’re doing with their eyes and hands and body,” said James. “They’re a great bunch, real willing to learn.”

James did her first clinic in 2001, in Brazil. There were 40 students, most spoke Portuguese and had interpreters. “It was a great way to break into clinics,” James said.

James had a passion for helping horses and the riders. With the clinics she’s bringing to the masses the style of riding that brought her so much success.

Another big part of James’s success was her partner Gills Bay Boy, known to the rest of the world as Scamper.

Scamper took his last ride to greener pastures and died July 4. “He was tough. He was the toughest horse that ever lived. We miss him,” James said.

But Scamper will never really be gone. Five years ago James cloned him and Clayton was brought into the world.

After Scamper the bloodline would have been lost, that’s what made James decide on cloning.

“We’re just really glad to have those bloodlines passed along,” James said.