Hailey Kinsel and Sister have proven to be one of the most formidable barrel racing partnerships this century and they will return to the Thomas & Mack for their eighth straight trip to the National Finals Rodeo.
Kinsel sits No. 1 in the WPRA World Standings with $204,103 to her name after the regular season. With Sister remaining her No. 1, Kinsel also broke out a few different horses once again to add to her arsenal as she looks to win her fifth Gold Buckle since 2018.
National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, $11,086
The season started in Denver when Kinsel dominated the National Western. Her 14.63 set the pace in Round 1 and would remain the fastest run of the entire rodeo. She placed in all four rounds and ended up tying with first time NFR qualifier Halyn Lide in the Finals with a 14.73-second run.
Old Fort Days Rodeo, $3,014
A trip up to Arkansas landed Kinsel in the No. 2 spot behind Carlee Otero. Kinsel lost out by just five hundredths of a second, with 16.65. She and Otero were more than two tenths faster than the rest of the field.
Strawberry Days Rodeo, $3,748
Kinsel’s next win after Denver came in June at the Strawberry Days Rodeo. She clocked a 17.23-seconnd run and the win came by a small margin as the next fastest time was just two hundredths of a second behind her..
Reno Rodeo, $16,081
The unofficial kick off for the Summer Run is another that Kinsel can now add to her long list of accolades after finishing second in 2023. This year, Kinsel and Sister got faster every run. They were 17.27 in Round 1 and a 17.06 in the Finals. The dynamic duo ended up topping the Average by just five hundredths of a second.
Cody Stampede, $8,839
For Cowboy Christmas, Kinsel visited the pay window in Wyoming when she finished second at the iconic Cody Stampede behind Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi. This kickstarted the week for her as it was followed up with another payday.
From Wyoming to North Dakota, Kinsel trailed Pozzi Tonozzi for the second time at the Killdeer Mountain Roundup PRCA Rodeo, this time by only two hundredths of a second.
The Calgary Stampede, $22,750
Kinsel and Sister had a strong start that set their pace in Canada as well. They clocked the only sub-17-second run of their Pool in Round 1 with a blazing fast 16.94. Kinsel was the No. 2 barrel racer advancing from Pool C and she wound up finishing second when the dust settled on the Final 4.
Mountain Valley Stampede, $7,747
Kinsel’s August started off with a win in Heber City, Utah. With a time of 16.59 seconds, Kinsel was almost one tenth of a second faster than first time NFR cowgirl Ashley Castleberry to win it all.
This win was followed up with a second-place finish at the Famous Preston Night Rodeo in Idaho. Kinsel took home almost $4,000 there.
North Dakota Roughrider Cup, $8,891
Kinsel made a 17.11-second run to finish third at the inaugural rodeo in Mandan behind Tiany Schuster and Summer Kosel.
Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup, $41,000
On the final weekend of the regular season, Kinsel and Sister put on their game face. Although that had already locked in their NFR qualification, the veteran barrel racer knows every penny counts when running for gold. Kinsel won Round 1, the Semifinals and the Finals in Sioux Falls to cinch the biggest paycheck of her regular season and take over the No. 1 spot in the WPRA World Standings.
Meet the NFR Athletes is presented by Montana Silversmiths #EveryBuckleHasAStory #BrandOfChampions #FromGreatToGold
