The No. 16 spot in the PRCA Barrel Racing Standings is an all too familiar spot for cowgirl, Sara Winkelman. She finished one spot out of making the National Finals Rodeo last year and is pushing hard this last month of the 2024 ProRodeo season to find a spot in the Top 15.
“This year, has been a little different in that I was able to get some nice wins early on that held me higher in the standings for quite a while,” she said.
However, the past month or so has not been the greatest for Winkelman. On July 1, she was sitting in the No. 8 spot with $60,543. Now, she sits in the dreaded No. 16, just $41 behind Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi.
She is riding a horse named Rory that she raised from a baby and he is her money maker. With him feeling good, Winkelman is ready to hit these last seven weeks hard.
“I just loved him from the very beginning. And he just took to every part of training like a fish to water and just is a real natural athlete. He’s got a big, big heart that aims to please, as well,” she said.
While most start their barrel racing careers early, Winkelman did not find herself competing until later on into her life. As a speech pathologist and mother of two children, it was not exactly an easy decision to dive into the role of a professional athlete.
Winkelman can be found on the road, experiencing everything with her two children, which is a blessing to her.
“It’s just absolutely amazing. You know, I think of all the places that they get to see. We get to do all these fun things together, as well as the hard work of going up and down the road. I hope that now as they are getting older and older that they’ll be able to remember all of these cool places were getting to see. But, you know, its a lot of work to have them along too, but they try their best to be really good helpers for me in the end.” Winkelman said.
