BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
After winning three straight World Titles from 2018 to 2020, Hailey Kinsel was denied a four in a row by Jordon Briggs in 2021.
Now, Kinsel will have to work from the No. 5 spot in the WPRA World Standings to win another Gold Buckle.
BIGGEST PAYDAYS
Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, $19,520
Kinsel made the rest of her year fairly easy based on how she performed at some of the winter’s biggest rodeos, starting with Fort Worth. Kinsel won the first three rounds she competed in before finishing second in the Finals behind Wenda Johnson.
San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, $24,000
Kinsel won both the Semifinals (13.70) and Finals (13.76) in San Antonio to take home her biggest payday of the season. All five of her runs were 14.8 seconds or faster.
RodeoHouston, $18,000
Kinsel placed in two of three rounds in Super Series 5 and ultimately made the Finals, where she finished third behind Jordon Briggs and Kassie Mowry.
FASTEST RUNS
Central Wyoming Fair & PRCA Rodeo, 17.09 Seconds
Kinsel placed second in Round 2 with her fastest standard pattern time of the season in Casper. She ultimately finished sixth in the two-head Average and won more than $6,000 at the rodeo.
ABC Pro Rodeo, 17.13 Seconds
Kinsel’s time at the Texas rodeo was good enough to tie Emily Beisel for second. They were only two hundredths off of Cheyenne Wimberley.
Kistap Stampede, 17.19 Seconds
Kinsel took second place at the Washington rodeo to bank $3,246. It was part of a stretch in which she placed on 9-of-10 runs from late August to early September.
Horse Heaven Roundup, 17.21 Seconds
The run that kicked off the aforementioned late August stretch came in Kennewick when she finished second in Round 1. Kinsel would ultimately finish second in the Average behind Cheyenne Allan.
NOTABLE WINS
Guymon Pioneer Days, 34.22 Seconds on Two
Kinsel was second in both rounds at the May rodeo to finish with a two-head time of 34.22 seconds, more than a tenth faster than Wenda Johnson. Kinsel pulled in over $5,700 from her victory.
Ellensburg Rodeo, 51.51 Seconds
Following the success at the Kitsap Stampede and Horse Heaven Roundup, Kinsel had her ultimate triumph in Washington over Labor Day Weekend by winning Ellensburg. She placed in all three rounds and finished with an aggregate time of 51.51 seconds. Fellow NFR qualifiers Stevi Hillman, Lisa Lockhart and Leslie Smalygo made up the Top 4.
MEET THE NFR ATHLETES IS PRESENTED BY MONTANA SILVERSMITHS #everybucklehasastory #goldbucklebound