Four-time World Champion barrel racer Hailey Kinsel added a set of Reno Rodeo’s iconic silver spurs to her trophy collection when she won the event for the first time on June 29, 2024, worth $16,081 and solid movement up the WPRA world standings.
But wait, there’s more.
With a big team of supporters to thank and some new accessories, Kinsel and Sister headed to the Dakotas, where they earned $4,001 for second place at the Killdeer Mountain Round PRCA Rodeo on July 4 and racked up considerable Cowboy Christmas earnings. They also won second at the Cody Stampede, worth $8,839 and drew a check in Livingston for $1,133.
Now, they’re now holding down No. 5 in the WPRA World Standings with $82,029. And fans will be happy to know that yes, that means Hailey Kinsel and Sis are back in the 2024 gold buckle conversation with just over $11,000 separating them from the No. 1 athlete, Emily Beisel.
Here’s how things are shaping up at the top as of July 10, 2024 (standings from www.wpra.com)
| 1 | Emily Beisel | Weatherford, OK | $93,958.57 | 36 |
| 2 | Abby Phillips | Marshall, TX | $86,932.93 | 42 |
| 3 | Leslie Smalygo | Skiatook, OK | $84,024.99 | 37 |
| 4 | Wenda Johnson | Pawhuska, OK | $82,602.25 | 29 |
| 5 | Hailey Kinsel | Cotulla, TX | $82,029.15 | 35 |
| 6 | Lisa Lockhart (G) | Oelrichs, SD | $78,404.73 | 20 |
| 7 | Ashley Castleberry | Montgomery, TX | $77,794.21 | 42 |
| 8 | Shelley Morgan | Eustace, TX | $66,376.84 | 42 |
| 9 | Kassie Mowry | Dublin, TX | $64,465.01 | 8 |
| 10 | Sara Winkelman | Big Lake, MN | $64,062.86 | 43 |
And now, back to the regularly scheduled Reno Rodeo recap.
Table of contents
Sister v. Reno, in review
2017 (Nope)
Kinsel and her legendary mare, DM Sissy Hayday, made their first attempt at the Reno title 7 years ago.
- Hailey Kinsel Takes Back Center Stage, Wins Fourth World Championship
- Gold Buckle Reflections and Life in Barrel Racing’s Spotlight, with Hailey Kinsel
- Keep Calm, Sister is Back—Here’s Why Hailey Kinsel Wasn’t Worried
“The first time I went to Reno was 2017,” Kinsel said. “It didn’t go well. I showed up with a tired horse, and I was tired. Sis didn’t clock great in the first round, so I didn’t even run her in the second. I was just like, ‘Okay, Sis doesn’t like Reno.'”
2021 (Almost)
Kinsel and Sister returned to Reno in 2021 to be just 0.01 seconds off the arena record at that time of 16.73 to finish in second place.
2023 (The Drama)
The duo skipped Reno in 2022 but, in 2023, they led the pack into the short round with a 0.4-second lead. But when the dust settled on a controversial go-round, they landed in the reserve champion position once again.
Note: In 2023, Reno Rodeo suffered multiple electric timer malfunctions that resulted in hand-flagged times with stopwatches being used to clock certain performances of the WPRA barrel racing, including during the short round.
“I’m not saying I deserved to win it last year, but it was kind of a thing that lit a fire under me,” Kinsel said. “I wanted to go back and win it. I knew Sis had the ability.”
2024 (The Redemption)
Reno’s 104th rodeo proved successful for the cowgirl from Texas. In Round 1, Kinsel rode Sister to a 17.27 to tie fellow NFR qualifier Kassie Mowry for second place. They each took home $3,921 for their runs. That put Kinsel higher in the first round than she ever had been, setting a great pace for the rest of the rodeo.
Kinsel piloted Sister to a 17.21 during the second round to win $1,901 for sixth place while sending her into the final round with a time of 34.48.
“I was in a really fun spot going into the short round,” Kinsel said. “At that point, you can just go for it because whatever happens, happens.”
Kinsel and Sister ran a 17.06, the second fastest time of the night, for $2,773. They bested the field by 0.05 in the aggregate to take home $7,486 that night, bringing their total Reno earnings to $16,081.
Emily Miller Beisel and Teasin Dat Guy, “Chewy,” earned the Finals fast time, the reserve title and total earnings of $14,629.
Sister surges toward $3 million
Prior to Reno, Kinsel also won the Strawberry Days Rodeo in Utah and pulled three other checks worth more than $2,500 aboard Sister in June.
Sister, the mare by PC Frenchmans Hayday and out of Royal Sissy Irish (by Royal Shake Em), has racked up more than $2.8 million in winnings and is quickly approaching the $3 million mark. Sister was bred by Dillon Mundorf and has been owned by the Kinsel family since she was a 2-year-old.
“It’s one of my goals this year to get her over that mark,” Kinsel said. “I within reachable distance right now, especially after Reno and that good bump [in June],” Kinsel said.
Sister doesn’t seem to be slowing down, either. Kinsel works to keep the mare in top form, no matter where they’re at in the country.
“I definitely take every precautionary measure I can to make sure she stays that way,” Kinsel said. “Hydration is, of course, a big deal out here and even at home, but I like to make sure that they have an adequate amount of salt in their diet and electrolytes close to running, and keeping forage in front of them 24/7. I mean, they don’t really go without having hay in front of them.”
How Hailey Kinsel keeps her barrel horses healthy
This summer, Kinsel’s hauling a few horses across the northern states, and their health is a top priority. The seasoned ProRodeo champ even drew out of a rodeo after making the finals in Reno, knowing that she would have to shorten Sister’s rest period to make it. Kinsel tries not to haul at night so that all her horses get a full night’s rest in a stall or pen off of the trailer.
“I can’t go to as many rodeos as some people would, but I’m just very careful about it,” Kinsel said. “I know that when [Sister] shows up feeling good, she’s going to win or pull a check.”
Kinsel has great help out on the road and friends that provide good places for her and her horses to get some rest. Back home in Texas, a few of her other horses are being kept up by her family so she can call on them this Fall and give Sister and the others in her trailer a little break.
