The first barrel racing practice for the 2024 qualifiers took place early on the morning of Dec. 3, 2024, where the barrel racers had the opportunity to get their A-list strings of horses ready to compete in Round 1 on Thursday, Dec. 5.
Hailey Kinsel was the first to kick practice off—15 minutes early—with a slow walk through on DM Sissy Hayday, “Sister.” The brunette and blonde duo looked at home inside the Thomas & Mack. While Kinsel was cracking jokes with the production and contracting crews, Sis was calmly admiring the yellow banners with her ears up. She repeated this slow work once again on her second run through, then swapped up mounts.
Next up was KN Fabs Gift Of Fame for Kinsel. She worked to help the spicy “JLo,” stay relaxed and get settled, and at one incorporated a figure eight drill into her first barrel work, slowly circling the first barrel, then swapping directions a few strides in front of the turn, completing an opposite turn before coming back to the barrel.
Leslie Smalygo started her work off on JustAHeartBeatToFame, “Gus,” opting to trot through her first pass. On her second, she let the large gelding ease through a pattern. Smalygo barely had her fingers wrapped around the reins, but Gus was light, ran true to his spots and worked honest on the walls.
Watch Smalygo practice on Gus before NFR 2024 on Ride TV
After Gus, Smalygo climbed aboard Blazin Boss, the stallion she recently stepped on to bring to NFR 2024. Smalygo trotted through, then came back to breeze Boss through. Boss looked tight on every turn.
Watch a practice session with Blazin Boss on Ride TV
Ashley Castleberry and Skyy Blue looked at home in the Thomas & Mack from the first step on the dirt, despite it being their first trip. The large gelding was snappy on the backside of his turns, and Castleberry gave him a significant pocket when approaching his turns, exaggerating the spacing they would need to maintain clean runs throughout the week and allowing him to power out of the final step of the turn in a straight line to the next. At a few points, Castleberry exercised a tecnhique used on many of the NFR practice go’s, stopping Skyy Blue at points throughout the arena and allowing him to relax while petting his neck. They looked to be working out any kinks or jitters they may have arrived in Las Vegas with smoothly.
On her final pass, Castleberry used the tail end of practice to breeze through her younger gelding, TMM Hi Do Man on a smooth pass.
Kassie Mowry kicked off practice aboard Force The Goodbye, the 2024 WPRA Nutrena Horse of the Year, on a slow walk through. She held him with her inside leg all the way to the wall on the second barrel, and allowed him to relax and explore the spaces around each turn. He was a little nervous about the quiet roping boxes at the far end of the arena, so she walked him from side to side for a while, gently rolling him back along the fence until he calmed down, and finally exited the arena.
After another pass on “Jarvis,” Mowry came back on CP He Will Be Epic. She gave the nearly 17-hand gelding ample space at all points around the turns, almost touching the walls on the backside. Her slow work was textbook as always, with even, round turns and both geldings ultimately ending their passes in a relaxed state.
Emily Beisel brought three horses to practice, and rode all three. First up to bat was Ivory On Fire, “Liza,” whom Beisel trotted through the pattern. Next up was Namgis D 33, Chongo, whom missed his first barrel by a step on his first pass at a lope. He recovered smoothly, however, and Beisel applied some changes to get him on track.
After Chongo, Beisel stepped aboard Teasin Dat Guy. “Chewy,” made a rare lope through the pattern, excited and aggressive even in the nearly empty arena. Beisel explained during her Ride TV shoot that she rarely practices on Chewy, but it was obvious that Beisel had a carefully constructed game plan to maximize on her light tuning session.
Watch Beisel work Chewy on Ride TV
Lisa Lockhart entered the arena on foot, leading Promise Me Fame Guys, “Levee,” in a full circle around the perimeter to acclimate him to his surroundings. After that, she worked him at a walk or trot (on his back), never increasing intensity.
The next horse for Lockhart up to bat was Blazin Ta Betty, or “Sasha.” The mare—a full sibling to two-time WPRA Nutrena Horse of the Year, Famous Lil Jet—and the two looked as in sync as any in Lockhart’s A-list lineup.
Stay tuned for Part 2 dropping tonight, when we work through the remainder of the barrel racers’ first practice sessions.
