With the arena record changing hands a total of three times during the 2024 National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, the barrel racing in Denver was salty tp say the least.
The two cowgirls that came out with the win did so by almost one tenth of a second when Hailey Kinsel and Halyn Lide both stopped the clock at 14.73 seconds in the Finals.
“It’s been a blessing to be back in Denver. It’s been a few years since I’ve come and I just want to make a point that the only way we could be this consistent and fast in the Finals and have three arena records broken this week is because the ground conditions so huge thank you to National Western for prioritizing the horses and putting them first,” Kinsel said.
As for Lide, her horse, Keeper, stepped up and kept up with one of the industry titans.
“Keeper is just outstanding and to keep up with Sister is a pretty big accomplishment so I’ll go give him some cookies,” she said.
Kinsel walked away with over $11,000 while Lide added over $7,000 to her earnings and this has bumped both cowgirls into the Top 15 in the WPRA World Standings.