story by Lily Weinacht
“Following my dream, staying true to what I really want to do, and setting a goal early in the year keeps me motivated,” says 17-year-old barrel racer Shiloh Marchand. “I really wanted to make the APRA finals in something other than 12th place – that was my goal for the year – and right now I’m sitting fourth!” The cowgirl from Middleboro, Massachusetts, has qualified for AFR 38 and AFR 39 in the barrel racing, with another two qualifications under her belt to the SEBRA finals in barrel racing. Shiloh also competes in breakaway roping and barrels in the NYSHSRA, where she was the reigning state barrel racing champion three years in a row.
The saddle was already a second home by the time Shiloh turned seven and started competing. Her dad, Leo Marchand, rode bulls, and her mom, Jane Marchand, ran barrels. “I grew up riding in local events, and I always saw the APRA girls competing,” says Shiloh. “Joining the association was that next step up, and that made me want to be better.” She looks up to her friend Shelby Nastri, a fellow barrel racer she met through high school when she joined the NYSHSRA in eighth grade. “Shelby has really pushed me through everything I’ve faced so far. I go to her house for practice and she gives me a lot of moral support – she’s always at the finals for me whether she’s competing or not.”
Though she occasionally enters pole bending, breakaway roping and barrel racing are equal favorites for Shiloh, each with their own speed and bursts of adrenaline. She’s been riding her barrel horse, Maria, less than a year. “She’s really pushed me forward and tested my limits in riding this year, and that’s put me at the top of places I never thought I’d be. We’ve even placed amongst the IPRA girls. Vikki is my breakaway horse, and she tests me daily, especially since I just started roping three years ago.” Shiloh also has two other horses, Dyna, her main barrel horse who’s recovering from an injury, and Smoke, her all-around horse. “I didn’t haul him much this summer because we had a really tough time with trailers. We were stranded a few times and people had to come a long way to rescue us and get me to my rodeos, and once our trailer caught fire, but the horses were fine!”
Even though Shiloh attends an agricultural school, she’s one of only a handful of students that rodeo. “But I like that it’s really rare to come across people doing the same thing you do – it gives you your own individuality,” she explains. “And I know enough people in the sport in New York that are there for me.” Shiloh is learning the business side of the horse industry at Norfolk County Agricultural High School, where she’s a senior. “It’s very hands-on. I’m in the animal program, so we have cows, sheep, and horses, and we ride and learn about everything that incorporates into running a farm. It’s vocational and academic, and I love my English class. We’re working on college essays. I really want to be an equine chiropractor, but college rodeo is definitely on my mind.”
Shiloh further enjoys horseback riding with friends, and seeing movies after reading the books they’re based on. Her main goals this year are going into AFR 39 in the top five, and winning the NYSHSRA barrel saddle one more time. “I’m definitely looking forward to Nationals next summer, and going out with a bang,” she finishes, “and I want to throw in a big thanks to my parents and my friend Beau Drobot for supporting me all year long.”
