Hailey Kinsel and Sister thrive in Reno, and it was no different on Short Go Saturday. It was an almost identical setup to 2024 when Kinsel and Emily Beisel were neck and neck in the Aggregate, battling against one another for the Silver Spurs. Once again, it would be Kinsel and Sis that came out on top after a 17.14-second run put them twelve hundredths of a second above Beisel on three runs.
“She’s one of the greatest friends. Mainly because we made a deal beforehand, we said ‘if you win, I’ll take your horse back to the trailer, if I win, I’ll take hers’. So she was back there waiting, and we were trying to figure out who won, and it didn’t matter. Somebody was going to take care of a good yellow mare tonight, whether it was Chewy or Sister,” Kinsel said.
The competition in barrel racing continues to get better every season, and Sister is proving she will stay at the top of the horsepower. While Kinsel is more selective with where she runs the once-in-a-lifetime mare, the duo seems unstoppable.
“I was a little worried being last out. I knew I had a little bit of a cushion, but more than anything, she always shows up. Win, lose, or draw, she tried. She tried her heart out tonight like she always does. Sister is 14, I’ve had her at Reno five times. We’ve won second twice and first twice. Reno, I don’t take that horse just everywhere. She’s the winningest barrel horse of all time, and I want you to know that it means a lot to me that you welcome her here,” Kinsel said.
Kinsel sat No. 5 in the World going into Reno Rodeo, and it is safe to say after racking up $14,800, she is moving closer to the No. 1 spot.