RODEO READY

Hailey Kinsel is a four-time World Barrel Racing Champion, winning the title in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 at the National Finals Rodeo. Hailey also won the NFR Average title in 2020. Kinsel and her horses have qualified for the NFR six times in her years as a professional rodeo rider: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. From racing as a teenager to competing through college to scoring awards in both barrel racing and breakaway roping, Hailey has been on top of her game since she started competing. Her horse, Sister, won the award for Barrel Racing Horse of the Year in 2018, making it clear her work had paid off handsomely.

Jess Pope got into rodeo when he was in first grade, working his way up to calves and steers. When he decided he wanted to focus on rodeo, he quit playing other sports altogether. Competition drives Jess to be the best, which is why he focused on developing a competitive edge, building muscle memory by repeating the basics on the spur board for hours at a time. In 2021, Jess won the average at the Wrangler NFR for the second year in a row. Not to be done there, in 2022, he captured his first PRCA Bareback Riding World Championship.

During his senior year in high school, Tyler wanted to try steer wrestling for the first time. He didn't just dip his toes in the water. His father, Michael, had been a steer wrestler and was an all-around supporter of Tyler's decision, including giving him support during practice. Tyler ended up winning three state high school steer wrestling titles, testaments to his dedication and practice. When he graduated high school, Tyler started shoeing horses as a side gig. He qualified for the WNFR competition in 2014. In 2022, Tyler earned his fourth PRCA Steer Wrestling World Championship, winning for the second straight year.

Stetson Wright, son of a legendary rodeo champion, has established himself as one of the best in the business. Although Stetson's name and legacy have given him a head start in rodeo, he is an impressive bull rider and saddle bronco rider in his own right. Last year alone, Stetson won three rookie titles: All-Around World Champion Bull Rider, All-Around World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider, and World Grand Champion Rookie Bull Rider. Stetson has already accomplished more than many cowboys do in their entire careers, and he’s just getting started.

Cullen Pickett has been involved in the rodeo business for his entire life. Now, he and his wife own Pickett Pro Rodeo, one of the most successful bucking horse operations in the country that has made its presence known during recent National Finals Rodeo. In 2019 and 2020, they broke the record for the most bucking horses at the NFR. They had 15 horses at the 2021 NFR, two short of the record set in 2020 but still were the most-represented stock producer at the rodeo. Purchasing the super stud Night Jacket has been one of their best investments. They raise horses, including mostly bucking broncos, on their ranch just outside Fairfield, TX.

Having grown up on a ranch, Josh is well versed in the art of roping. Josh learned how to rope with his brother. His cousin, Lane Frost, is legendary in rodeo circles and helped inspire Josh to succeed. In college, Josh was named a two-time Linderman Award winner. He also won money in tie-down roping and steer wrestling. These awards reflect the skills of the ultimate cowboy.

Nineteen-year-old Rocker Steiner is an expert bareback rider and a third-generation cowboy. His family's roots are deep in rodeo. From his world champion grandfather and father to his barrel racing grandmother, mother and sister, it's safe to say the Steiner family is rodeo royalty. Rocker won the Resistol Rookie of the Year Award in bareback riding in 2022 and finished 10th in the world standings.

Tim O’Connell is the three-time reigning PRCA World Champion Bareback Rider. With his father, Ray O’Connell, being a 16-time Great Lakes PRCA circuit pickup man of the year, to his brother, Will O'Connell, being a well-known bullfighter, saddle bronc rider and more, it’s fair to say rodeo is in Tim’s blood. Bareback riding is one of the most physically demanding sports out there and Tim knows how to put in the work.

John Douch won the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in 2012. He grew up in the same hometown as world champion Joe Beaver and was raised among rodeo folk. John had the opportunity to sell Joe a horse and had a chance to ride together, deepening their friendship. In 2016, John excelled at Permit Holder of the Year Challenge in Las Vegas, finishing 43rd in the world standings. John has been riding a sorrel gelding known as "Boss" for more than two years now.