9 minute read
BARRELS & BREAKAWAYS (WOMEN’S RODEO RECAP
It’s been an eventful year for the women of rodeo as they continued to astonish audiences across the country. Each time they ride out into the arena, these ladies break down barriers to reimagine what’s possible in barrels and breakaway. With ever-growing support from the overall rodeo community, including more high-profile events and bigger prize pools in both sports, there’s never been a better time to saddle up and take the reins as a female rodeo athlete. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening in barrel racing and breakaway.
SPOTLIGHT ON JORDON BRIGGS: BARREL RACING’S NEWEST SUPERSTAR
Jordon Briggs is having quite a year. She’s presently the front-runner for the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association World Champion barrel racing title, with more than $175,875.84 in earnings as of mid-August. That puts her more than $57,000 ahead of second-ranked Wenda Johnson. Her fellow barrel racers have their work cut out for them if they want to try to surpass her earnings and claim the World Champion title this year.
Photo: Alexander Rod Connor
Photo: Phill Kitts
Photo: Rod Connor
Photo: Rod Connor
Photo: Brian Gauk
Her stellar 2022 season run comes after she won the 2021 World Champion title, beating out three-time World Champion Hailey Kinsel. Briggs set a world record at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with ten clean runs in 136.82 seconds on her horse, Famous Lil Jet “Rollo.” She netted a bonus for winning the event average, raising her NFR earnings to $194,842 for a total of $297,460 throughout the 2021 season. Her lifetime earnings are over $1 million.
Briggs went full force into 2022 with the same energy and effort she brought to the WNFR. Early in the season, she scored a big win at RodeoHouston for $60,000. She also took the average title at the NFR Open in Colorado Springs and placed second overall in that event.
Barrel racing is in her blood. Briggs is the daughter of Kristie Peterson, who won four WPRA barrel racing titles from 1994-1998.
A ROOKIE RISES TO THE OCCASION: BAYLEIGH CHOATE’S RACE TO THE TOP
A newcomer to the professional scene, Bayleigh Choate is already making a splash in the barrel racing world. As the WPRCA 2022 Resistol Rookie of the Year front-runner, she’s raked in $78,473.04 throughout the season. The 19-year-old Georgiaborn superstar, now living in Fort Worth, has 65 rodeos under her belt for the season as of midAugust. She’s ranked 10th in the overall standings.
You can bet Choate will be a racer that people talk about for years. Choate earned the National Barrel Horse Association world champion title at age 16 and has only continued to improve as a racer since. And, with her earnings, it seems she’s well on her way to a spot at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo come December.
She and Boozer, the fan-favorite horse she’s ridden for many of her top placements, show no signs of slowing down. Choate is currently the only rookie in the top 10 in the 2022 barrel racing standings and is only behind longtime barrel racer Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi by a few thousand dollars in earnings.
Coate’s consistency is vital to her success. After a rough start to the season, things began to turn around for her at Rodeo Austin in March, where she scored a second-round win and placed third in the finals.
She was also the top earner at Cowboy Christmas, which takes place in the time period around July 4, edging out Shelley Morgan and pocketing $25,506 for her efforts. Additionally, Choate earned a big win on her horse Hail to be Famous at the Ponoka Stampede, where she had a clean sweep that netted her $26,267.
BREAKAWAY’S BREAKOUT YEAR: NFBR’S $250,000 PRIZE POOL
Rodeo fans’ interest in breakaway continues to grow among the rodeo community. The number of rodeos featuring a breakaway event is steadily increasing as there’s more and more demand to see the women rope alongside the boys. Throughout 2022, more than 300 PRCA rodeos will have breakaway events.
In a big win for women’s rodeo, fans can check out the ladies of breakaway at the 2022 National Finals Breakaway Roping in the days leading up to the WNFR. The big event takes place Nov. 29-30 at South Point in Las Vegas and will put the top 15 names in breakaway against one another for $250,000 in prize money over two days and ten rounds. The NFBR kicks off just before the WNFR, which runs Dec. 1-10 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas.
But even before then, cowgirls can look forward to the WPRA World Finals. That rodeo will be held in Waco, Texas, with events in barrels, breakaway, heading, heeling, and tie-down roping, and will run from Nov. 10-13 at the Extraco Event Center.
Fortunately, there’s still plenty of time for the women of rodeo to continue rope and ride their way into qualifying for the NFR and the NFBR.
Martha Angelone Keeps the Competition on Their Toes
On the PRCA women’s breakaway circuit, Martha Angelone takes the lead with $95,992.98 in earnings as of mid-August. That’s more than $30,000 ahead of second-place Erin Johnson, who currently has $62,396.56 in qualified money. Always focused on progression, Angelone never hesitates to address her mistakes and constantly strives to improve.
The Stephenville, Texas, cowgirl, who won the inaugural National Finals Breakaway Roping in 2020 and claimed the reserve World Champion title that year, is having a remarkable season. But it was a big win at Fort Worth’sCowtown Coliseum in May that catapulted her to the top of the rankings. There, she earned $70,900 over three days at the 2022 Women’s Rodeo World Championship, with runs of 2.05 seconds and 2.04 seconds.
Angelone also competes in team roping and tiedown roping, making her a triple threat in the arena. Clearly, she’s driven to be the best of the best and is working hard to earn the distinction of being 2022’s best breakaway roper.
Photo: Click Thompson
Photo: Brian Gauk Photo: Rod Connor
ROPING A ROOKIE TITLE: JOSIE CONNOR LEADS THE PACK
When it comes to breakaway’s Resistol Rookie of the Year competition, Josie Connor seems determined to claim her spot as number one. As of mid-August, she stood at $31,053.86 in earnings, more than $2000 ahead of second-place Tiffany Schiek.
At only 18 years old, Connor celebrated a win and set an arena record with a 1.85-second run at the Days of ’47 Rodeo in Utah, beating out a record that HobbsCrawford previously set. She also won the 2022 BFI All-Girl Breakaway Championship title at Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, taking home $11,000. Her finalround time of 3.74 seconds cinched her that victory.
But Connor will have to work hard if she wants to retain her spot as breakaway’s number one Rookie of the Year contender. A big win from Schiek or third-ranked Rookie of the Year candidate Bryana Lehrmann could easily displace Connor. These ladies have made it clear they’re hungry for the title.
And that’s a wrap on what’s happening in women’s rodeo. We wish the best of luck to all the ladies roping, riding, and chasing their rodeo dreams.
Tyler Wade
5X NFR Quali er
“We were introduced to Equinety while researching the best options to rehab our horse with a fractured co n bone. Recovery time was cut down by a substantial amount and we feel Equinety was a large factor in that! We continue to see amazing results with this product and feel as if we are giving our horses the very best with this in our program.”
Ultimate OEC help keep my horses stay sound and ready to do their job!”
Wesley Thorp
World Champion Team Roper, 6X NFR Quali er
“Since using Equinety, I’ve noticed a big di erence in the range of motion on my horse in the back end. He has a lot more con dence when he travels and the way he works. Equinety is a solid foundation supplement for me to use on all the di erent horses I have. It bene ts them in all the di erent aspects of what I’m asking them to do. e Equinety Horse XL and Equinety Ultimate OEC help keep my horses stay sound and ready to do their job!”
Miles Baker
Professional Rope Horse Trainer
“ e Equinety products are a go-to for me and all of my horses whether it’s the two-yearolds or the six-year-olds. With our program, it’s important to manage their health and their soundness. e eight amino acids in the Equinety products help my horses through all di erent stages of my particular program. Having partners like Equinety is vital for me.”
Patrick Smith
2X World Champion Team Roper
“I started using Equinety because I have heard success stories on so tissue problems in performance horses. My two best horses have both had issues over the last year and I wanted to help them with recovery time. Equinety helped me get them back in the arena and performing better than ever!”
-2X World Champion Team Roper, e American Rodeo Champion, 2X BFI Champion, 12X NFR Quali er
Equinety Ultimate OEC and Horse XL support the following:
Faster Recovery Joint Support Ulcer Prevention Increase Focus Soft Tissue Repair Increase Relaxation Stronger Immune System Improve Hoof Growth Anti-In ammatory Senior Horse Care Allergy Reduction Weight Management Improve Bone Health Improve Coat Condition and more...
