story by BreAnne Benson
Alyson Meuth signed her six-year-old daughter, Scarlett up to be a member of KK Productions because she liked the idea of getting to travel across the country and run barrels in arenas they otherwise might not get to experience. There was also the exciting opportunity to qualify for the finals in Las Vegas; however, it’s not an easy feat. That’s why Saturday, May 20 in Amarillo, Texas, is a day Scarlett’s parents will never forget. Aboard her relatively new horse Scarlett not only qualified for the finals in December, she won the open race against 350 other competitors. While everyone gets lucky now and then, it was no fluke what happened, and she proved it the next day by winning the open again. In all, Scarlett ran the fastest time of the weekend with over 700 runs.
She started riding when she was two years old. At the time she had a mini pony that served as a babysitter at races while her mom was competing. “She’d sit on her mini in the holding pen while I would make a run.” Scarlett was just four years old when she entered her first super show on a full-size horse. She never showed any hesitancy towards horses and seemed to have a special connection with animals in general. Her parents are very picky about the horses they out her on to ensure that she wouldn’t lose confidence or become fearful. Alyson works part-time in her own salon and she also breeds and raises barrel horses. It allows her the flexibility to travel and help Scarlett with her horses. Her father Jason is the vice president of a commercial construction company, and while he isn’t as involved with horses, he still makes it to support her at shows. Scarlett will start homeschooling in the fall, so she’ll have more time be able to ride horses. Although her barrel racing career is starting off strong, she wants to grow up to, “be a veterinarian because I love animals.”
Scarlett’s horse Val is a “monstrous” 15.3 hand, bay gelding. They purchased him in the spring of 2022, Alyson was impressed by how broke he was in the videos they had watched which really caught her attention. “I knew his style was going to be complimentary of what she needed, I felt like he’d be a good fit for her.” As the team started at five and 13 years old, Val took care of Scarlett. “He felt super nice,” she said. He never went faster than what she was ready for. As she gained confidence and picked up the pace, they started placing in the 1D, then eventually winning open races. “I knew he was fast, but I didn’t realize how fast he would be,” Alyson said. Scarlett has never felt nervous on Val even though her mom has to help her up into the saddle because of his size, “he’s protective of me.” Although she has found more success in the horse world than a majority of kids, especially at her age, she still enjoys playing with friends, going on trail rides and being a normal kid.
