Hailey Kinsel could join an extremely exclusive club this week

As the 2021 Wrangler National Finals rolls along this week, Hailey Kinsel and her trusty horse Sister are literally chasing history.

Those familiar with barrel racing are likely familiar with the name Charmayne James. From the mid-1980s — just around the time the Wrangler NFR arrived in Las Vegas — through the early 1990s, James dominated barrel racing in a way no one had before and no one has since. James won 10 straight world championships.

James remains the only barrel racer to string together four or more consecutive gold buckles — and aboard the same horse, no less — in the modern era. Way back in the 1950s, Billie McBride did so, from ’55 to ’58. Kinsel is hoping to join that extremely exclusive club at the 2021 NFR while trying not to give it a second thought until the rodeo ends.

“I think it’s really cool and all, but I definitely don’t think about that. That’s not the goal,” said the 27-year-old rodeo superstar from Cotulla, Texas. “The goal is to have the best possible NFR, make the best runs round-by-round. It’s exciting that we’ve been capable of doing that the last three years, but I’m not fixated on it.”

This is Kinsel’s fifth straight year qualifying for the NFR, and the past four have been nothing short of remarkable. In 2017, she sat seventh among 15 qualifiers at the beginning of the year-ending rodeo. Ten nights and $189,335 in winnings later, she was second in the world, with Nellie Miller taking the title.

The 2018, ’19 and ’20 seasons all ended with Kinsel raising the gold buckle. For good measure in 2020, she also won the 10-round NFR average while finishing the year with $349,076 — the second-most ever, barely behind her 2018 championship total of $350,700.

And yet, Kinsel doesn’t think she and Sister have peaked yet.

“Every year, the NFR is different, every day of the NFR is different, every day the horse can behave different,” Kinsel said. “It’s neat to see how my horse has worked over the years. We’ve improved as a team. I think we’re only getting better. If we do our job this week, the scoreboard will reflect that.”

The two certainly did the job during the regular season. Kinsel entered the NFR as the No. 1 qualifier, with $113,529. And she earned that slot by playing it smart with Sister, giving the 10-year-old mare rest early in the season. Part of the reasoning for that: uncertainty with the schedule because of lingering pandemic concerns.

“Last year was tough because we didn’t know which rodeos we were gonna have. This spring was the same. We didn’t yet know which rodeos we’d have for the summer,” Kinsel said.

But what she did know is that, for whatever summer rodeos were available, she wanted Sister to have a full tank.

“So I rode younger horses early in the year, to keep Sis fresh for the summer. I think that was a really smart move. We had a big summer, and we were lucky to have all the big summer rodeos back,” Kinsel said. “When summer rolled around and we sure as heck had good rodeos to go to, she was rested and ready.”

Indeed, about 20 percent of Kinsel’s season earnings came just during the Fourth of July week, when she netted more than $22,000. On Aug. 1, Kinsel and Sis wrapped up a big Cheyenne Frontier Days with a $10,546 check, allowing Kinsel to stick to what’s become her regular pre-NFR game plan.

“I came home in August in a good position. I like to start preparing for Vegas a little earlier. That’s how we approach this,” Kinsel said.

So much like heading into the summer, Sister is a rested and ready horse this week in Las Vegas. And make no mistake, Kinsel — like so many of her peers among the 115 NFR contestants — is grateful to be back in Vegas. Recall that last year, because of COVID restrictions in Nevada, the NFR was contested in Arlington, Texas.

“I’d be thrilled to go anywhere to compete in the NFR. With that said, I’m very excited to (be) back in Las Vegas,” Kinsel said. “The energy at the Thomas &Mack is just different. It’s been in Vegas for so long. That known factor is exciting and kind of just gives you jitters, the good kind. Making 10 runs in the Thomas &Mack, that is the most exciting time you have, making barrel runs in that venue.

“And I’m really excited for those who qualified for the first time last year, and made it again this year. Now they get to go to Vegas.”

Whether Vegas newbies or Vegas vets, the rest of the 15-contestant barrel racing field has Kinsel’s respect. She knows how hard it will be to collect that very rare fourth straight crown.

“The fact is that going into Vegas, anyone of us has a chance. At the NFR, that’s the majority of money you win in a year. I’m well aware that there’s 14 other girls who are all on super horses,” Kinsel said. “My only job is to do what I can do. I just try to stay really pretty calm, let the week shake out, focus on my horse. It’s a long 10 days. I just want to have 10 great rodeos.”