by Josie Correll | Photos courtesy of Bailee Snow
Down the alley they flew with a natural partnership, smooth, fearless and fast. The clock stopped at 16.7 seconds — a moment born of countless hours in the saddle and a bond many trainers dream of having.
Oklahoma barrel horse trainer Bailee Snow has spent her life chasing speed, precision and heart. What began as a family tradition grew into a lifelong career that’s taken her from the rodeo circuit to the top levels of futurity competition. None of her success would have been possible without her once-in-a-lifetime partner, Goose, who left an unforgettable mark on her story.
The arena is where Snow, of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, has spent most of her life. When she was 3 years old, Bailee’s parents, Hank and Shawnna Snow, bought their daughter her first pony.
“I was born into it,” Bailee says. “My entire family either roped or barrel raced.”
By age 5, she began competing in local jackpots and quickly found success, Shawnna says. She gained recognition through junior high and high school rodeos, even qualifying for nationals. At 14, she earned reserve champion honors at the Barrel Futurities of America and went on to win the 2014 Josey Junior World Barrel Race.
After high school, Snow attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, competed as a member of the rodeo team, and won the Central Plains region in 2014 to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo. She also earned her professional rodeo card and made the circuit finals a few times before shifting her focus to futurity horses.
Snow decided to explore the futurity route, which led her to work for Ryann Pedone. It was a new challenge, but she wasn’t new to training. Her family had always bought and trained young horses.
“My parents had taught me everything up until I went to work for Ryann,” Bailee says.
The Snows encouraged their daughter to take advantage of the opportunity offered to her.
“I thought it was great,” Shawnna says. “I don’t think you could ever learn enough.”
Snow worked for Pedone for nine months in 2020, soaking up everything she could during her time in Texas. It didn’t take long with Pedone for her to discover she wanted to train futurity colts.
While working for Pedone, she bought and sold a few colts, trying to find the right one. She kept learning and gaining experience before starting with horses of her own.
Following her work in Texas, Snow spent two years with well-known futurity trainer Cody Bauserman in Sallisaw, refining her skills and expanding her connections in the industry.
“While I was working for Cody, I bought Eysa Slick Eddie,” Snow says.
She purchased Eysa Slick Eddie, better known as Goose, for $3,000, unaware that this little “wild” colt would soon change her life.
“I just took a gamble on a cheap colt,” Snow says. “He was paid up and everything, so I just tried it.”
A halter had to remain on the colt as he proved almost impossible to catch and uninterested in most human contact, causing her to attempt to sell him at one point.
“He was just pretty wild and would paw and kick — the whole deal,” Snow says.
Thankfully, she didn’t sell Goose. Instead, she sent him to a colt starter, where, as a 2-year-old, he started under saddle in the fall of 2021 and stayed for 60 days. Once Goose was back home, Snow did little with him through winter. Still young and small, Goose was allowed to grow before beginning barrel training in the spring of 2022.
“When I started him on the barrels, he was pretty sensitive,” she says.
Snow took her time with Goose, and he proved he wasn’t hard to train. She feared rushing him could hinder performance later, so she didn’t show him until August 2022.
Snow and Goose made their futurity debut in December 2022, and he performed strongly in the first few competitions they entered through January.
“I knew he was great, but it was hard to tell his full potential,” Snow explains, “since I had to go so slow with him for a while.”
In April 2023, Goose ran a time of 17 seconds on a standard pattern at the Ruby Buckle Barrel Race in Guthrie. At only 4 years old, Goose placed fifth in the 1D average and won $5,950 — a promising start to his career.
“From then on, he just stayed that good,” Bailee says.
During his futurity year, Snow seldom practiced barrels with Goose, only exhibitioning him to keep his nerves in check.
“He didn’t like us to do anything with him,” Shawnna says, “other than maybe tie him up.”
As Goose progressed, he became faster and more confident, which led to both more wins and a few losses from hitting barrels. Despite hitting some barrels along the way, Goose excelled in many races, winning $80,000 overall his futurity year.
Goose also proved he did not like anyone but Bailee. If anyone else rode him, he would act wild and be spooky, she says.
“He acted scared of me when I was on his back,” says Shawnna. “He was not like that with Bailee.”
At the 2024 Pink Buckle Barrel Race, Goose proved just how talented he had become.
“We had all the confidence in him going into the Pink Buckle,” Shawnna says. “He was just doing everything perfectly.”
The Pink Buckle Barrel Race consists of Futurity, Derby, 5D Open and Youth competitions, and a horse sale. Of about 380 horses competing in the Derby, Eysa Slick Eddie, aka Goose, placed second in the Open and Derby.
“Oh, my goodness!” Shawnna says. “It was life-changing.”
After the Pink Buckle, Goose won reserve at the American Quarter Horse Association World Show and the Ruby Buckle Barrel Race Derby in Memphis, Tennessee.
Today, Goose is retired from barrel racing; however, Bailee says his legacy continues to shape how she trains her horses and sets future goals.
“Honestly, Goose was pretty life-changing,” Bailee says. “Everything gets compared to him.”
