The end of the 2026 rodeo season has come and the top 15 barrel racers in the world battled hard to earn their place at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in December. Legendary barrel racer Kassie Mowry is now set to race again in the Thomas & Mack Arena for her third straight world champion title.
Mowry's Biggest Wins of the Season
With just 27 rodeos under her belt, the lowest of any other top 15 athlete, Mowry landed at No. 4 in the world with $170,868. Despite there being over a $30,000 gap between her and Carlee Otero in No. 3, Mowry is a once in a lifetime athlete that knows how to close a gap like that at the NFR.
Mowry earned her second straight world title at the end of 2025 with $403,882 earned when it was all said and done ($200,437 won at the NFR alone). Now, after another amazing season, Mowry is back to do it all again.
Fresh off her run last year, Mowry stepped into the arena at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo to show how exactly she became the ninth back to back WPRA world champion. With her run of 16.04 seconds in Texas, she blasted through the arena record for the win.
Mowry continued to stay hot all season long, she stayed in Texas for her next major win at RodeoHouston. She earned her third straight title there, running with breakneck speed and winning it all with a 14.19-second run. She kept the momentum rolling as just days later, she pulled in the win at Rodeo Austin as well.
Just in time for summer, Mowry went on a red-hot run that earned her a good chunk of change. By the time the Calgary Stampede rolled around, Mowry was ready to pull ahead once again. She led Pool C the entire competition and ended up in the semi-finals, just to fall short by the end. That doesn’t negate the fact that she still pulled in nearly $20,000 that weekend to add to her prize pot.
If there’s one thing Mowry knows how to do is make a lot count in a short amount of time. With just 27 rodeos, compared to her top competitors going to upwards of 82 (Otero), some might say that Mowry sells herself short, but the world champion does just the opposite by giving her horses time to rest and blazing through the highest payouts all season long.
Mowry and Her Horsepower
Mowry herself is the all-time leading rider of barrel horses with more than $8.9 million to her name. It's from this line that her geldings come from and she couldn’t have made it this far without this horsepower underneath her.
She rode Will (11-year old gelding) during five rounds of the NFR last year, leading them to success despite having the sideline him by round six. It’s her main mount Jarvis (8-year old gelding) that fans have seen her on the most this season.
This duo pulled in the wins in Texas and more throughout the summer, and fans can only hope that they’ll take the stage together once again in the Thomas & Mack Arena. Not to mention, she was riding him when she won both of her world titles (2024-25).
In the meantime, ahead of the NFR, Mowry won the 1D Average at the Pink Buckle Derby, adding a quick $27,500 to her name, despite it not counting toward her WPRA earnings.
As one of the most iconic barrel racers of all time, fans are sure to be excited for Mowry’s name to once again be up in lights in Las Vegas. Although she has her work cut out for her to reach No. 1, this cowgirl has the grit and the knowledge to pull it off and earn her third straight world title.
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