to my folks ’ ranch near Duncan where the horses are , filming my life .”
Next thing Clark knew , she and three of her horses were on their way to Texas to begin filming a reality show . That ’ s how Clark spent the first two weeks of 2022 .
“ I knew I was going to be competing in barrel racing and that was it ,” she said . “ Every one of the show ’ s 12 cast members has a story . I ’ m 41 , divorced , raising two kids . One of the girls on the show lived in a horse trailer , one had moved back home to help with her father who ’ d had a stroke . They ’ re real stories , not made up . It ’ s what makes viewers want to follow along .” Show production involved sixteen hour days in the freezing cold outdoors .
“ I knew going in I would likely be the oldest competitor and not by just a little bit ,” she said . “ The majority were in their 20s . One was 19 and one was 32 . One of the girls said she didn ’ t think I ’ d be as competitive as I was because I ’ m older .”
Clark has kicked her competition ’ s butts in the first three episodes which have aired as of this writing . “ I ’ m the mom on the show and hopefully the wiser one ,” she said . “ I think my experiences have been an advantage . One 17 degree morning in the dark I had to go hook my trailer up and get my three horses by myself . I can do that and have all my life . This wasn ’ t part of the competition . It was just working with the Los Angeles producers and their 71 crew members in a big production .”
That kind of work ethic came straight off the Morgan Ranch in Stephens County .
“ I grew up in southern Oklahoma on a horse ranch ,”
Clark said . “ We have Quarter horses , over a hundred right now . My family raises , breeds and trains them and I ’ ve been around it my whole life . We put Quarter horse shows on for years at our house and I was the announcer . It ’ s a family business . We ’ re entrepreneurs . Mom took me to youth rodeos and it was a great way to grow up . I ’ ve only competed on horses we raised , not going out and buying a high dollar barrel horse .”
Her folks also own and operate “ Stockman ’ s the cowboy store ” in Duncan . Clark began barrel racing competition at age 5 .
I was competitive throughout high school and went to High School Nationals and won it my senior year .
Clark came to OU and was on the Pom Squad . “ I took a break from riding when I was going through school both here and at U / T ,” she said . “ When I moved back to Oklahoma I started riding with my mom but couldn ’ t stay away from the competitive side of it . I can compete now , live here , have a business and raise two kids because my family helps me do that . My mom still rides horses every day . She ’ ll meet me at a rodeo with my horses . I have a luxury that I don ’ t take for granted .” Clark relishes her life now and the multi-faceted satisfactions it holds .
“ I love being a mom and taking my 7 and 12 year old daughters to their dance competitions ,” she said . “ I opened my first store in 2007 and know what I ’ m doing running a retail business . It ’ s not a hobby but 100 % how I pay the bills . I love my store , people can come in and touch the clothes . I tried doing business on-line but didn ’ t enjoy it . Covid was tough but in retail you ’ re always having to reinvent and keep fresh . I started going to market in Dallas with my parents for their store when I was a kid so that ’ s in my blood too .”
Clark finds Norman to be a good home base at this point in her life . She hasn ’ t yet had to tell Los Angeles muses to turn their big eyes out to sea .
Breeding and raising horses is woven deeply into Oklahoma ’ s social fabric .
“ I love Norman ,” she said . “ It has a good small town feel . It would be easier being closer to the horses in Stephens County . But I have a great circle of friends and support group here in Norman and it would be really hard for me to leave .”
NormanMagazine . com | MARCH / APRIL 2022 15