Tayla Moeykens and her equine partner, Lizard, have gotten faster every year at the Pendleton Round-Up and this year, that extra gear was enough for the title.
“The pattern is basically double, the time is double a normal pattern. So to be able to run like that, and Lizard loves to run on top of it, so it’s just the biggest adrenaline rush you’ll ever have,” she said.
Moeykens was the No. 11-ranked barrel racer in the World coming into the Pendleton Round-Up with sights set on a first National Finals Rodeo qualification. Her win in Oregon unofficially added over $16,000 to her name, moving her well into the Top 10 of the WPRA World Standings.