With four WPRA World Championships and nearly a decade of dominance, DM Sissy Hayday“Sister” has officially been named the 2025 AQHA/WPRA Horse of the Year beneath Hailey Kinsel for the second time in her career—seven years after her first.
BarrelRacing.com caught up with Kinsel just hours after she got the official call from the WPRA, while she was hanging banners for her second annual youth race in South Texas.
“I’m feeling extremely humbled,” Kinsel said. “(Ann Bleiker) called and I honestly wasn’t thinking about Horse of the Year—I thought, ‘Oh, she has a pre-NFR question.’ Turns out it was so much better. I got choked up right there… maybe I’m exhausted, maybe I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude, maybe both?”
Kinsel ran Sister at 21 rodeos this year, placed at 20, and won five.
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“It was as close as we’ve gotten to a perfect season by percentage,” Kinsel said. “She’s 14 this year and just keeps craving it more. I can’t even believe it. And then to have the other barrel racers recognize her—and it’s not just at voting time, they’ve been hyping her up and showing her love all year long—when I know they all feel the same, that their horses deserve it, is incredible. They were so intentional about it and helped give us both confidence all year long, and that doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Although Sister’s name has rarely left the top three in Horse of the Year voting since 2018, Kinsel enters what will be her ninth National Finals Rodeo in 2025—seven years removed from her first title. Sister is a living display of longevity in a sport that rarely sees it that dramatically.
“I took her to my veterinarian before the season started, and he flexed her and slapped her on the butt and said she looks as good as she ever has,” Kinsel said with a laugh. “How do you even top that? I keep telling people I’m feeling old, but I can’t quit going on the road because my horse just keeps loving it more. She’s never given me a sign she wanted to stop. If anything, she wants it more now than she ever has. It’s wild.”
Sister has lit up the ProRodeo trail for nearly a decade, and her $3,429,801 in recorded lifetime QData earnings stand as proof of a rodeo-centered career that’s not slowing down.
“I think back to where I was when I started her, when I was busy going to college classes,” Kinsel said. “My mom and I took our time with her. I don’t think that decision would change if we started 10 years later. She’s the perfect representation of where teh (PC Frenchman Hayday’s) stand out. They’re tough and they last. I’ve prioritized Sister and her needs for a long time, and she’s more than paid me back for that—and continues to every single day.”
When Kinsel saw the final Horse of the Year standings, she found herself beaming with pride for the variety of horses and stories represented among the top three. Runner-up honors went to Megan McLeod Sprague and Seis Corona (“Jagger”), whose comeback year captivated fans across the country, while Kassie Mowry and Force The Goodbye (“Jarvis),—the reigning World Champions—rounded out the top three after banking nearly $90,000 at the Pink Buckle Derby during the same week awards were announced.
“This field of horses is proof that every horse has their own path in this industry, and they’re all important,” Kinsel said. “Nobody thought that Jagger would be running barrels ever again if you asked a year ago. But Megan believed in him, never lost that faith, and put in the work to get him back. And Jarvis? He’s incredible. Watching him go back and forth between rodeos and incentive events is a testament to what a great horse he is, and Kassie was made for him. It shows that when you team up the right person with the right horse, magic will happen.”
Back home in Texas, Kinsel is producing her second annual youth race this weekend—a project she says was inspired by the impact Sister has had on her career and the sport.
“This race is my way of giving back to the industry that’s given Sister and I so much,” she said. “But these kids don’t come here because of me. They love her. She’s built this. I’m getting to show off my stallion, Brother Hayday while I’m here, and he’s my way of sharing her with the industry. He’s a carbon copy of her, and he shows all of those traits that we love about PC Frenchmans Hayday and her. I’ve taken my time with him, too—and she taught me that. I’m just in awe that one horse could build so much, and give not only me, but so many people, so much. It’s a huge full-circle moment.”
2025 AQHA/WPRA Horse of the Year awards
1. DM Sissy Hayday “Sister,” ridden and owned by Hailey Kinsel
2. Seis Corona “Jagger,” ridden and owned by Megan McLeod-Sprague
3. Force The Goodbye “Jarvis,” ridden and owned by Kassie Mowry