Hailey Kinsel facts for kids

Hailey Kinsel, born on October 3, 1994, is an American professional rodeo cowgirl. She is famous for her skill in barrel racing. Hailey competes in the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA). She has won the WPRA barrel racing world championship four times. These wins happened in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022. She earned these titles at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR).

Hailey also won the NFR Average title in 2020. This means she had the best overall time across all rounds. She and her amazing horses have qualified for the NFR eight times in a row. This streak started in 2017 and continued through 2024. Hailey has been competing in rodeo since she was a kid. She won many awards in high school and college. Her horse, Sister, was named Barrel Racing Horse of the Year in 2018.

Hailey's Early Life and Rodeo Start

Hailey Kinsel grew up in Cotulla, Texas. Her parents, Dan and Leslie Kinsel, owned a cattle ranch. They both had rodeo backgrounds. This helped Hailey get interested in horses and rodeo. Her mom was even Miss Rodeo Texas in 1980.

Hailey and her brother learned to compete in horse sports. They also did other sports and academic events. Hailey first liked gymnastics. But when she turned 11, she became very interested in barrel racing and rodeo.

Hailey's Rodeo Career Journey

When Hailey was 13, she got her first special barrel horse named Josey. Hailey and her mom trained Josey together. Hailey competed with Josey in junior high and high school. Later, she rode a horse named Thunder Stones, or TJ, during college rodeo. TJ also helped her start her professional career.

Hailey and her mother bought her main barrel racing horse, DM Sissy Hayday, as a young horse. They call her "Sister." Sister was one of many young horses they trained themselves. Sister's father was PC Frenchman's Hayday, known as Dinero. Hailey's family chose Sister because they liked her family line.

Hailey became a professional rodeo competitor in 2015. She joined the WPRA. The WPRA organizes barrel racing and breakaway roping events. Other rodeo events, mostly for men, are run by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). All the big championship rodeo events happen at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). The NFR is held in Las Vegas, Nevada, every December.

In July 2017, Hailey qualified for her first NFR. This happened at the Days of '47 Rodeo. She also won The American Rodeo in 2017. She won it again in 2019 and 2021.

Early Professional Years: 2015 and 2016

In 2015, Hailey finished 19th in the WPRA Rookie of the Year standings. In 2016, she won several rodeos. These included the Elizabeth Stampede in Colorado and the Longview PRCA Rodeo in Texas.

Breakthrough Season: 2017

Hailey and her mother started training Sister when the horse was two years old. They worked hard to train Sister. Sister showed natural talent. They waited until Sister was five to start her in bigger competitions. In 2017, Hailey qualified for her first NFR with Sister.

Hailey won a gold medal at the Days of '47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also won the West of the Pecos Rodeo in Texas. Hailey competed at The American Rodeo for the first time in 2017. This big rodeo is held in Arlington, Texas. Hailey and Sister won the semi-finals. They then moved on to the finals.

In the finals, Hailey and Sister made a fast run. They won the event. Hailey was one of three competitors who shared a special $1 million prize. She won $433,333.33 that day. This was a world record for a BBR member. Hailey was very excited about her win. She said, "God is good, and my horse is awesome."

First National Finals Rodeo Experience

Hailey qualified for her first NFR in seventh place in the world standings. She competed in Las Vegas in December. She finished second in the world standings. This made her the reserve barrel racing world champion. Hailey set a new arena record in the third round. She won four out of ten rounds. She placed in eight of the ten rounds. Hailey was the top money earner at the NFR that year.

Becoming a World Champion: 2018

In 2018, Hailey and Sister competed at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. They broke the arena record there. Hailey said this win was special because she grew up attending this rodeo.

She won many other rodeos that year. These included the Sanders County Fair in Montana and the Clovis Rodeo in California. She also had a big win at the Calgary Stampede in Canada. Sister earned over $1 million in her career this season. Hailey said Sister "really is that fast and that athletic."

First World Championship at the NFR

On December 15, 2018, Hailey Kinsel won her first barrel racing world championship. This happened at the 60th NFR in Las Vegas. She finished the competition with a WPRA record for season earnings. Hailey was very happy. She said, "It was definitely surreal and was pretty awesome." She had secured the title before the final round. Hailey chose to ride her backup horse, TJ, in the last round. She wanted to rest Sister.

Continuing Success: 2019

Hailey won the Sioux Falls Premier Rodeo in South Dakota. She also won the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo for the second time. She won the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in Texas. Hailey also won her second American Rodeo championship. In July, Hailey matched the arena record at the Calgary Stampede in Canada.

Second World Championship at the NFR

Hailey finished the 2019 season ranked second in the world. At the NFR, she won two rounds. She placed in five other rounds. Hailey and Sister won the World Barrel Racing Championship for the second time. This made her the first barrel racer to win back-to-back titles since 2005.

Record-Breaking Year: 2020

In 2020, Hailey and Sister set a new WPRA rodeo record. They had the fastest time on a standard barrel racing pattern. This happened at the Dodge City rodeo. Hailey also won Nebraska's Big Rodeo and the Iowa Championship Rodeo. She set another arena record at the Lawton Rangers Rodeo in Oklahoma.

Triple Crown at the NFR

Due to COVID-19, the NFR was held in Arlington, Texas, in 2020. Hailey and Sister set a new NFR record for the fastest run. Hailey earned more money than any other contestant at the NFR that year. This broke her own record from 2017. She also won her first RAM Top Gun Award.

Hailey won her first NFR Average title. This means she had the best total time over all ten rounds. She also won her third barrel racing world championship. Hailey became the first WPRA member to win all these titles in one season. She won the world championship, NFR average championship, RAM Top Gun, and fast-time award.

After her win, Hailey was allowed to ride Sister on her victory lap. This is not usually allowed. Hailey said Sister "loves it, she continues to love it, she has a blast out there."

Another Strong Season: 2021

In March 2021, Hailey won The American Rodeo for the third time. She took home $100,000. In June, she won the reserve barrel racing championship at the Reno Rodeo. She also had the fastest time there.

In July, Hailey competed in the Fourth of July rodeos. This time is called "Cowboy Christmas" because of the large prize money. Hailey earned the most money during this period. She placed second at the Cody Stampede in Wyoming. She won the Livingston Roundup Rodeo in Montana.

Hailey also competed at the 125th Cheyenne Frontier Days. This rodeo is known as "the Daddy of 'Em All." It is one of the biggest rodeos. Hailey won first place in barrel racing at the finals. She also won the average title. This was her first time winning this famous rodeo. Hailey gave all the credit to Sister. She said, "My horse is amazing... and tries so hard no matter what the job."

Hailey Kinsel's Career Highlights

• 4 WPRA barrel racing world championship titles (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)
• 1 NFR Average barrel racing title (2020)
• 8 NFR qualifications (2017-2024)
• 1 RAM Top Gun title (2020)

Hailey's Amazing Horses

Hailey Kinsel has ridden several talented horses.

• DM Sissy Hayday "Sister" is a beautiful Palomino mare. She was born in 2011. Sister has won many awards:
  • 2017 Scoti Flit Bar Rising Star Award
  • 2018 Horse with the Most Heart
  • 2018 AQHA/PRCA/WPRA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year
  • 2019 Horse with the Most Heart (shared award)
  • 2021 Second place AQHA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year

• Thunder Stones "TJ" is a Quarter horse gelding born in 2004. Hailey rode him in college and as a backup horse professionally.

• DH Jess Stellar "Jules" is a Palomino mare born in 2013. She is also a Quarter horse.

Hailey Kinsel's Awards and Honors

• 2022 WPRA World Champion barrel racer
• 2020 WPRA World Champion barrel racer
• 2020 NFR Average Champion barrel racer
• 2019 WPRA World Champion barrel racer
• 2018 WPRA World Champion barrel racer
• 2016–2018 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) barrel racing national qualifier
• 2018 NIRA College Champion barrel racer
• 2014 Texas High School Finals Rodeo Champion barrel racer
• 2014, 2016 National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) Finals qualifier in barrel racing and breakaway roping

Hailey's Personal Life

Hailey Kinsel used to live in her hometown of Cotulla, Texas. Now, she lives on her ranch in Stephenville, Texas. She graduated from Texas A&M University in 2017. She earned a degree in Agriculture Economics. While in college, Hailey was very busy. She took classes, cared for her horses, led a Bible study, and competed in rodeos.

Hailey Kinsel was married to professional bull rider Jess Lockwood. They got married in October 2019. She used his name professionally for a time. However, her current profile on the WPRA website shows she is no longer using his name. This suggests they are no longer together.