The Texas Swing and winter run has officially come to an end. We saw blazing fast times laid down at every rodeo by some of barrel racings best. It is still early in the season with plenty of money left to be won but the winter run left no doubt that the horsepower in the barrel racing is top-notch this season.
1. Jordon Briggs, $87,894
Brigg’s winter run consisted of only the Texas Swing rodeos. In Fort Worth, Briggs and Rollo made it through to the Final Round where they finished fourth. Moving on to San Antonio and the duo won every round of their bracket and they carried that momentum into Rode Houston where they were repeat Champions.
2. Kassie Mowry, $65,322
After not having the best luck in Fort Worth, Mowry took San Antonio by storm. She won the Wildcard Round to come back in the Finals and win it all after making the only sub-14.00 second run of the Final Round. She left San Antonio with $22,500 added to her earnings. RodeoHouston and rodeo Austin added to it while San Angelo brought another big win for Mowry and her great horse, Will.
3. Jackie Ganter, $50,370
Ganter kicked off her Texas Swing with a huge win in Fort Worth. Aboard the big bay, Tycoon, Ganter hustled to make a 16.3 run that was worth $20,000. From there, Ganter broke out her young horse, Sailor, in San Antonio and the two went on to make it to the Finals after winning the first two rounds of their bracket. Ganter pulled checks at both RodeoHouston and San Angelo on top of traveling to smaller Texas rodeos.
4. Hailey Kinsel, $43,287
At every Texas Swing rodeo but one, Kinsel and the yellow dragon, Sister, consistently found the pay window. The pair made it to the Finals in Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and San Angelo. Kinsel’s 14.04 was enough for a third place finish in San Angelo to round out her Texas swing.
5. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, $43,035
Pozzi Tonozzi’s Texas Swing came with some momentum after a successful National Western. Pozzi Tonozzi’s main mount is still Birdie, but appearances from Pickles came during the Texas Swing, a trailer full of horsepower being undeniable. An almost $3,000 pay day also came Pozzi Tonozzi’s way in Montgomery, Alabama when she stopped the clock at 15.44 for a third-place finish.
6. Sissy Winn, $41,451
Winn’s first three rodeos of the Texas Swing added to her season earnings. She blew into Fort Worth on Scoop to make it to the Finals for the second year in a row before the two also advanced out of their bracket in San Antonio. Their third taste of success in the Texas Swing came at RodeoHouston where they cashed in $12,000.
7. Molly Otto, $38,261
RodeoHouston brought most of Otto’s 2023 earnings but she also had money making runs in Fort Worth and San Antonio. Otto and Chewy went on to the Finals in San Antonio with $6,500 to their names before they captured $20,000 for a second-place finish in Houston.
8. Jimmie Smith-Tew, $35,682
It was a win at Denver aboard the speedy red mare that she calls Nicky that Smith-Tew found out just how much success the two could have indoors. From there, her faithful mare Lena got the call at Fort Worth for Round 1 and Nicky took Round 2. Smith-Tew went on to win Round 1, finish second in Round 2 and win the average in Tucson, Arizona before taking home over $10,000 from the final Texas Swing rodeo, San Angelo.
9. Kelly Allen, $33,400
Allen’s biggest payday of her 2023 season came by way of a Texas Swing rodeo. After a 14.23 and a 15.96, the Stephenville, Texas barrel racer ended up fifth in the average of the San Angelo Rodeo to walk away with another $4,701 to her name.
10. Dona Kay Rule, $32,752
With 11 rodeos under her belt for this season, Rule and multi-time Horse of the Year, Valor, found their groove again in San Antonio and the duo remained consistently adding to their season earnings from there. It would be a $12,500 payday in San Antonio and $12,000 in San Angelo on top of picking up two smaller rodeo wins, one in Levelland, Texas and the other in Ada, Oklahoma for Rule.
11. Margo Crowther, $32,448
Crowther had a big wave of momentum come her way in February and March. She found success in San Antonio to qualify for the Finals and earn a total of $10,500 before she went on to win the Dixie Nationals Rodeo in Mississippi and place at the 150th Silver Spurs Rodeo and 94th Annual Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo.
12. Jessica Routier, $31,866
Routier’s successful Texas Swing rodeos were San Antonio, RodeoHouston and Rodeo Austin. At both, she qualified for the finals and combined added $12,500 to her 2023 season earnings. Routier and her mare, Sissy, have remained consistent throughout their career and they continue to do so.
13. Lisa Lockhart, $31,680
Lockhart and Levee continue to find their stride. San Antonio was good to the duo, they took home over $7,000 before they picked up another almost $5,000 in Tucson, Arizona. From there, Lockhart picked up a small win at the ABC Pro Rodeo in Levelland, Texas.
14. Ilyssa Riley, $28,023
After success in Denver and winning the Los Fresno Rodeo in Texas, Riley found the pay window in Houston, Goliad and San Angelo. RodeoHouston was a $3,750 check and the Goliad County Fair and PRCA Rodeo added another $700 to her earnings. In San Angelo, Riley picked up a Round 2 check for fifth place that was worth over $3,000.
15. Taycie Matthews, $27,463
Matthews’ best rodeo of Texas Swing was the last. In San Angelo, she had a fourth-place finish in Round 1 that was worth over $4,000 and she placed to pull checks in San Antonio and Houston that would add up to over $10,000 combined. In the middle of San Angelo, the Arkansas barrel racer picked up a win in El Paso, Arkansas with a time of 15.11.
16. Sara Winkelman, $26,640
Winkelman has found herself just outside of the Top 15 with success that came outside of the Texas Swing. She made an eastern swing in Mississippi, Florida and Georgia that added over $6,500 to her earnings. A 15.62 and a win came her way in Mercedes, Texas at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo that was worth almost $5,000.
17. Emily Beisel, $26,009
Beisel and Chongo have been chugging along through the Texas Swing picking up checks that have kept them in the game. Two second place finishes in go-round of Fort Worth earned them over $5,500 before they won two more go-rounds in their bracket of San Antonio. Average money came their way in San Angelo and also from La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros in Tucson.
18. Shelley Morgan, $24,687
Morgan and Kiss’ biggest Texas Swing success came at RodeoHouston and San Angelo Rodeo. The duo added $10,000 to their 2023 earnings in Houston after placing in two rounds and winning one in their Super Series and winning the Semifinals. In San Angelo, Morgan laid down a smoking run and found herself with over $6,000 from a go-round check and an average check.
19. Wenda Johnson, $24,005
With only eight rodeos attended this season, Johnson has made them count as she remains inside the Top 20. She finished inside the Top 4 in Fort Worth before she earned $7,500 at RodeoHouston. Her biggest payday of the season so far came recently. It was a 17.09 in Logandale, Nevada at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo that added over $8,000 to Johnson’s earnings.
20. Amanda Welsh, $22,485
With the return of her good horse, Fire Fly, Welsh had an emotional win at Rodeo Austin, the first of two Texas Swing rodeos that she made runs at. A 14.88-second run added $9,870 to the $3,652 that they had already won. In San Angelo the duo clocked for a seventh-place finish and is headed west to keep up the success.
The California run is underway soon with the start of Red Bluff but until then, here is your Top 20 in the WPRA Barrel Racing Standings.
Current as of WPRA on April 17, 2023.