Charmayne James is still very active in the Rodeo world. She is following the passion of barrel racing by conducting barrel racing clinics years in advance.
She is also a very popular speaker/clinician at horse expos and events worldwide.
She is an eleven time barrel racing champion in the WPRA association. She was the first ten consecutive year barrel racing champion, from 1984-1993.
She returned 9 years later and became the 2002 WPRA barrel racing champion again.
Who Is Scamper?
Any barrel racer knows a very important part of the event is your horse’s performance. The union of the woman and her horse is vital for a World Champion Barrel racer.
Charmayne’s first horse was Scamper, as she called him. Scamper was a huge part of the first 10 championships. Her last championship in 2002 was with her horse, Cruiser.
Scamper passed away in 2012, but not before Charmayne had him cloned, and Clayton is up for hire for stud today. So Scamper’s clone Clayton lives on.
Why Is Charmayne’s Record So Impressive?
Since the WPRA was founded in 1948, in looking at the history of it’s past champions, shows us no one else has even come close to her phenomenal success in barrel racing.
When looking at the Association’s history there have only been consecutive winners five other times previously outside of her 10 consecutive championships. [loc]
There was Billie McBride four years 1955-1958, Jane Mayo three times 1959-1961,and Gail Petska 1972-1973. Then we go to Kristie Peterson 1996-1997, and most recently, Kelly Kaminski 2004-2005.
So in total 6 consecutive championships, two woman won three years in a row, and two women won two years in a row.
One woman won four times in a row, then there was Charlmayne with her huge accomplishments.
Some people have compared her accomplishments to Michael Jordanish, Babe Ruth like, or even like Lance Armstrong’s domination of the Tour De France.
I say just let the accomplishments speak for themselves. Her feats will probably never be duplicated again.
Is She Much More?
The answer to this question is definitely yes, as a young girl growing up in a small northeastern New Mexico village of Clayton, she stood out as an extremely caring person.
She cared very deeply for her horses. When she was training and working with Scamper it is reported that she sought out expert veterinarian advice on such things as food supplements for her horse.
In bucking the system and seeking out these alternative and holistic forms of caring for her horses, she often set herself apart from her competitors.
At times when she felt like her horses were not getting the proper nutrition, she met with vets and created her own all-natural supplement, years before supplements became popular.
Also when a horse was struggling around the first turn, she refused traditional methods and sought out a more humane form of equine dentistry. This brilliance to think outside the box and seek answers from leading experts.
She is not only known as a great barrel racing all time pro, but she is known broadly as a great Horse person. What a high compliment.
What Lies Ahead for Her?
As the future unfolds it is obvious that cares very much in giving back, and helping upcoming generations, to learn to be better horse people.
In her clinics she also shares first hand experiences, and teaches how to be better a barrel racing.
She has written a book, “Charmayne James on Barrel Racing” which was written in 2005, has been a great guide for young students. It was written to share her vast knowledge of Barrel Racing.
A proud owner of the book, as an Amazon customer, the purchaser states “This book is awesome.
It explains in depth her training techniques, feeding programs, exercise programs, etc. Also, it’s like an inside view of her life with barrels.”
Another Amazon customer says, “I have been barrel racing for 12 years and this book includes many ideas and practices that I have never heard of before.
She covered many different aspects of the sport like choosing a prospect and bloodlines, training and conditioning for the horse and rider, dealing with anxiety, sportsmanship and professionalism, nutrition for the horse and rider, troubleshooting, and many more things, including an overview of her career and the great horses she has ridden.”
So as you can see, her passion comes through again, in her book as well as the teaching clinics she puts on throughout the year. To check her schedule you can go here, http://www.charmaynejames.com/, and you will be able to get the latest information on her clinics.
