Hailey Kinsel

Hailey Kinsel (born October 3, 1994), is an American professional rodeo cowgirl who specializes in barrel racing and competes in the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA). She won the WPRA barrel-racing world championship in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). She has also won the NFR Average title once in 2020. Kinsel and her horses have qualified for the NFR nine consecutive times in her years in professional rodeo from 2017 through 2025. She has been competing in rodeo since adolescence, winning awards through high school and college in both barrel racing and breakaway roping, as well as professional rodeo. Her horse, Sister, won the Barrel Racing Horse of the Year Award in 2018 and 2025.

Early life Hailey Kinsel was born on October 3, 1994. She grew up in Cotulla, Texas, with her parents Dan and Leslie Kinsel (née Walker). Her mother, who has an equestrian background, is a former Miss Rodeo Texas in 1980. Her parents own a commercial beef cattle ranch, In July 2017 at the Days of '47 Rodeo, she cinched her first qualification to the NFR. She won the American Rodeo in 2017, came in second in 2018, won in 2019, and again in 2021. The rodeo is held in Arlington, Texas, at the AT&T Stadium. In the semi-finals, Kinsel and Sister scored a time of 14.08 seconds to win and move on to the second round of semi-finals on Thursday.

Kinsel had qualified for the American Rodeo at the Better Barrel Races Regional (BBR) Qualifier in Glen Rose in November 2016. Due to that qualification, Kinsel became the first BBR/The American Qualifier to split the $1 million payout. Because Kinsel holds a BBR membership, her total winnings for $433,333.33 is a world record for members.

2018 season In February, Kinsel competed at the AT&T Center, in the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo in Texas. Kinsel and Sister swept Bracket 1 to start the semifinals as the high money winners and finish as the same. They won $7,134 in their bracket. The first round of the semifinals she won $2,230. When they competed on Wednesday night, their run was almost perfect, garnering them a time of 13.60 seconds. They broke the arena record of 13.67 seconds set by Sydni Blanchard in 2013. Kinsel said it was special because she grew up attending this rodeo, which is near her childhood home.

She won the Sanders County Fair and PRCA Rodeo in Plains, Montana, the Fallon County Fair and Rodeo in Baker, Montana, That Famous Preston Night Rodeo in Idaho, the Home of Champions Rodeo in Red Lodge, Montana, the Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, the West of the Pecos Rodeo in Texas, and the Clovis Rodeo in California. She finished second at RodeoHouston and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

This season, Sister earned more than $1 million in her career, including significant money for winning both the Calgary Stampede and the Days of '47 Rodeo. Kinsel said about Sister, "She really is that fast and that athletic, and I can't take credit for that. Some horses just have it, and she has that 'it' factor."

Kinsel had the title locked up after new nine rounds. "We had (the world championship) won, and I could have run (Sister) to try for that Top Gun deal, but she owes me nothing", Kinsel said. "We accomplished our main goal, and we are getting ready for 2019. So, she had the night off and I ran my backup horse, TJ. He proved that he deserves to be here, too." Kinsel's seventh-place finish in the NFR Average earned her $11,423. Kinsel's total winnings of $350,699.83 also outdistanced second-place finisher Jessica Routier's total winnings of $251,704.23 for the championship.

2019 season She won the Sioux Falls Premier Rodeo in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the Pioneer Days Rodeo in Utah, and the Old Fort Days Rodeo in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She won the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo in San Antonio, Texas, for a second time. She came in second at the Hugo PRCA Rodeo in Oklahoma. She also took second place at the Annual Cowboy Capital of the World PRCA Rodeo in Stephenville, Texas.

In July, Kinsel competed at the historic Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Kinsel took first place in the Ladies Barrel Racing event on Tuesday, July 9. When she finished her winning run, the clock confirmed that she had matched the arena record, which is 16.99 seconds.

2019 National Finals Rodeo When Kinsel finished her 2019 season, she was ranked second in the world standings. At the NFR in Las Vegas, she won NFR rounds 7 and 8 and placed in five other rounds. With her championship win this season, she became the first barrel racer to win back-to-back titles after Kelly Kaminski did it during the 2004 to 2005 seasons. Kinsel earned a total of $290,020 for her entire season. That day, they also set a new WPRA rodeo record for a standard barrel racing pattern with a time of 16.63 seconds. They also came in second in the average.

Kinsel finished in second place at the Mineral Wells PRCA Rodeo in Texas. She won Nebraska's Big Rodeo in Burwell, and the Iowa Championship Rodeo in Sidney.

Kinsel had total NFR earnings of $270,615 this season, which was more than any other contestant. The amount broke her own 2017 record of $189,385 and gave her first RAM Top Gun Award. Kinsel finished the 2020 season with $349.076 total earnings, coming close to her own 2018 record of $350,700. Kinsel won her first NFR Average title this season with a time of 170.95 on 10 rounds. She won her third barrel racing world championship. Kinsel is the first WPRA member to win all these titles in a single season: world championship, NFR average championship, RAM Top Gun, and fast-time award.

2021 season In March, Kinsel competed at the American Rodeo another year. She won for the third time and took home $100,000 in prize money. Since no qualifier won their event, there were no competitors to win the $1 million bonus this year; thus, it carried over to the next year. In June, Kinsel competed at the Reno Rodeo, winning the reserve barrel racing championship and running the fastest time of the 2021 rodeo.

In July, Kinsel competed in the Fourth of July rodeos, a time of year known as "Cowboy Christmas" because of the large amount of prize money available to contestants. Kinsel's largest check was $8,099 from the Cody Stampede in Wyoming where she and Sister placed second with a 17.05 second time. They won the Livingston Roundup Rodeo in Montana with a time of 17.09 seconds for $7,200. She also came in second in St. Paul, Oregon, with a time of 17.51 seconds, for $6,705. After that, she gave Sister a break while she rode TJ in West Jordan, Utah, earning a check of $234. She also competed in Oakley, Utah, the only rodeo where she didn't place. Her total earnings during Cowboy Christmas were $22,238, making her the highest money earner for the event and, placing her back at the No. 2 spot in the World Standings as of July, 2021.

The 125th Cheyenne Frontier Days took place from July 23 to August 1 this year. The event is back after a hiatus last year due to COVID-19. It always takes place at Cheyenne Frontier Days Arena in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It bills itself as the world's largest, best, and most authentic rodeo. It boasts attendance of more than 250,000, and the rodeo includes all of the major events plus more.

In her opening round at Frontier Days, Kinsel's time was 17.56 which earned her fourth place and $3,404. She then competed in the second round with a time of 17.22 seconds and earned $5,499. In the third round, she took eighth place and earned $916, earning her a place in the finals on Sunday, August 1. In the finals, she and Sister clocked a run of 17.30 seconds in the short go, which won her first place in barrel racing in the rodeo. She earned $5,819 for winning. She also won the average, where she won an additional $10,997. This is her first time winning the "Daddy of 'Em All". There were 205 barrel racers entered in the rodeo this year. Kinsel gave all the credit to her horse Sister. "My horse is amazing... and tries so hard no matter what the job", praised Kinsel after her win. "By the grace of God she has carried me to some amazing places. She is truly the best thing in my life."

She also won the Tri-State Fair and Rodeo in Amarillo, Texas. She won the Tri-State Rodeo in Fort Madison, Iowa. She won the Kansas' Biggest Rodeo in Phllisburg, Kansas. She set the arena record on a standard pattern of 16.61 seconds. She won the Sheridan Wyoming Rodeo. She won the Ogden Utah Pioneer Days. She won the Livingston, Montana Round-Up. She was the co-champion at the Guymon, Oklahoma, Pioneer Days Rodeo. She finished second at the St. Paul Rodeo in Oregon. She finished second at the Cody, Wyoming, Stampede. She finished second at the Dinosaur Days Rodeo in Vernal, Montana.

Career summary 4 WPRA barrel racing world championship titles (2018-2020, 2022) 1 NFR Average barrel racing title (2020) 2017 Scoti Flit Bar Rising Star Award 2018 Horse with the Most Heart 2019 Horse with the Most Heart - Three Way Tie for the Award with Freckles ridden by Shali Lord and Valor ridden by Donna Kay Rule

Thunder Stones "TJ" was born in 2004. He is by Sticks and Stones and out of See F Jets Candy who is a daughter of Pines Easter Jet. He is a Quarter horse gelding.

DH Jess Stellar "Jules" was born in 2013. She is by Mighty Jess out of PC Frosted Stellar who is a daughter of Sun Frost. She is a Palomino mare Quarter horse, owned by Hodges Farm. 2020 WPRA World 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 Champion Kinsel graduated in 2017 from Texas A&M University (College Station) with a BA in Agriculture Economics. According to Lockwood, they had been dating for a year at that time. On October 25, 2019, Lockwood and Kinsel were married at Kinsel's parent's ranch in Cotulla, Texas. She took his name, and used it professionally as Hailey Kinsel Lockwood. They used to split their time between winter at her ranch in Stephenville and spring at his in Montana. According to her profile on the WPRA website and her self-published sources, she is no longer using his surname.