Veteran status helps Kinsel stay on track

The fact left Hailey Kinsel taken aback.

In the lead-up to the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the barrel racer was doing interviews with media outlets and reading up on her competitors. Along the way, she stumbled upon this tidbit: fellow barrel racer Lisa Lockhart has qualified for the NFR 18 consecutive years. The next closest is Kinsel with eight straight appearances.

This year, five of the 15 barrel racers competing at the Thomas &Mack Center are first-time qualifiers, and another five weren’t in the field last year. So Kinsel finds herself mentally navigating this reality: she’s competed in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association for almost a decade. And even at just 30 years old, she has to consider herself an experienced competitor.

“I’m not old enough to be a veteran. I don’t feel mature,” the Cotulla, Texas, product joked.

Kinsel is also the only barrel racer running this week who knows what it’s like to celebrate a world championship. In her previous seven trips to the NFR, she concluded the season atop the standings four times, winning a trio of titles from 2018-20 and another in 2022. She entered the 2024 Wrangler NFR as the leader, and she’s done nothing but massively improve her standing this week.

Kinsel won the first three go-rounds, for three checks worth $33,687 apiece. She and super horse Sister clocked 13.38 seconds in Round 1, and 13.48 in Rounds 2 and 3. Kinsel has already cleared $100,000 this week, with plenty more money to be won.

For the season, Kinsel has pocketed $315,164, about $90,000 clear of second-place Kassie Mowry. Kinsel and Sister are firing on all cylinders, but even Kinsel didn’t foresee winning the first three nights.

“It’s fun for me, but I definitely wouldn’t have expected it right off the bat,” Kinsel said. “It’s really surprising, because this is an incredibly tough field of girls. And they’re right on my heels every night.”

Getting back to this point each year requires a constant mantra for Kinsel: reminding herself that the professional rodeo season is “a marathon, not a sprint.”

This season, that strategy added another layer as she developed a plan that would keep her elevated in the world standings while also making sure her primary equine partner stayed fresh. Sister, who’s full name is DM Sissy Hayday, is a 13-year-old palomino mare regarded for her blazing speed and quick turns around the barrels.

The duo have become one of the sport’s most dynamic partnerships, pairing up since before Kinsel’s first NFR appearance back in 2017. It’s been Sister who Kinsel has ridden to each of her previous world titles.

Success, however, isn’t guaranteed by just showing up. Kinsel has long figured out that while Sister is capable of running anytime and anywhere, there are situations that fit her better than others. And there are moments when Kinsel needs her star to shine brighter than others.

“Every run is her idea and keeping that fun for her, keeping her craving it. If I was running her somewhere every weekend, she wouldn’t be craving running barrels,” Kinsel said. “She’d be fine with it, it’s her job. But I feel like the biggest thing I’ve learned with her is to stoke that fire and make her crave it a little bit, make her want to run barrels, because we took a couple weeks off and only asked her for the big run when I need the big run.”

To onlookers, that appears to be a plan that worked well. Kinsel and Sister picked up some sizable paydays late in the season, most notably more than nearly $50,000 in earnings between the North Dakota Roughrider Cup and CINCH Playoff Series Championship events in late September..

But for Kinsel, the path also included strong results at places such as the Cody (Wyo.) Stampede, the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo and the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver, among many other stops. There always seemed to be a big payday, giving her the right outcomes at needed times. Those results made her the only barrel racer to clear $200,000 in earnings during the regular season, despite only being credited with five wins throughout 2024.

Now, she’s got three more wins at the NFR, a familiar setting where Kinsel and Sister have had tremendous success. While she plans to run Sister in all 10 rounds, Kinsley also has two backup horses ready to go, in case her primary mount needs a night off to relight the fire. Those are the sort of preparations a veteran makes.

Coming in No. 1 is nice, but it’s also meaningless. Finishing the regular season atop the standings, or leading during the NFR, doesn’t earn you a buckle. It’s where you stand after 10 rounds at the Thomas & Mack. Kinsel knows the path forward. After all, she’s been here before.

“We all know what the end goal is and I don’t have to sugarcoat that. For me, it’s kind of like if I came in second or fifth or 1oth, I would still go at the NFR the same way. I’m going to go at the NFR and give it all I’ve got and know that there’s gals behind me that have as good a shot as any,” Kinsel said. “I don’t ever want to feel like I’ve got it won and I’m just defending. I haven’t won anything. I’m not defending anything yet. I’m in a good spot, but I definitely have a lot of work to do.”