story by Lindsay King
Self-taught colt starter and barrel racer, Sandy Hickey found her way into the saddle at age 30 to fulfill her childhood dreams. Rodeo wasn’t exactly on the agenda when Sandy got started in the horse industry, but it certainly sunk its teeth into her life. She’s thankful every day for it. “I’ve loved horses since I was little and when I married Shane, he had horses and I fell in love with training colts,” said the Comstock, Nebraska, native. Finding an interest in all things pertaining to horses, Sandy became a quick study on everything from hoof care and nutrition to the finer details of groundwork and those first rides. For about ten years she trimmed all her own horses’ feet. And for those same ten years, she started colts for the public.
“During that time our kids were doing junior and high school rodeo, so we were busy hauling them all over the place. I would just throw the colts in and take them with us.” It was in 2007 that Sandy made her first turn around a barrel; unknowingly finding her place in the rodeo community. “Barrel racing came as a complete surprise to me. I never had competed in any horse events. I just had a mare that was really athletic and really talented.” In her modesty, Sandy puts it simply: “I just started barrel racing.” What she actually did was take horses that knew nothing about the sport and turned them into high performing athletes. Sandy herself also didn’t know much about the event when she started. “My daughter (Katie, now 31) did all her own training so I never even trained a barrel horse. I was just playing around and felt like maybe I should try it with this mare.”
That same mare produced Sandy’s current mount, Pearl, who is now 9. That Appaloosa mare Sandy called Fancy, introduced her to the clover leaf pattern and competitive barrel racing. Each year Sandy steps up her rodeo game a notch and she’s at a point where making the finals is a real possibility. “Making one or both of the Nebraska finals is a goal of mine this year. My mare really stepped up last year, we both did, and I think we are ready to go harder this year.”
Despite the delayed rodeo season, Sandy hasn’t changed her goals for 2020 even a little. “When things get up and running, I am going to have the same opportunity to go to the same number of rodeos as everyone else. I am just going to pick up where I left off in March and go from there.” Sandy is hopeful that the committees for the canceled rodeos will take this time to make improvements on their arenas or to make their event run smoother in hopes of bringing more contestants in 2021. “They might as well try to find a positive way to go along with all of this.”
Growing up in town, Sandy never could’ve dreamed the trajectory her life would take. Perhaps that’s why she takes so much inspiration from those around her at rodeos. “I was always kind of shy, so being in front of people has never been my thing. But when it’s me and my horse, that just brings out my confidence.” The inexplicable feeling of clocking with the big dogs in the M-SRA on a homegrown horse is also a sort of confidence booster for Sandy. “I really love the environment of rodeo and the training aspect of it all.”
It’s taken Sandy some time to really feel like she belongs in rodeo, but this last year she finally found her place in it. Being around people who have spent their lives in the sport made it clear Sandy always fit in, she just didn’t know it. “Rodeo gives me a purpose with my horses and I really feel like it is a platform that God has blessed me with to shine and be the person that he’s wanting me to be. To be a reflection of who he is and hopefully I can inspire people by my good attitude and friendliness.”
