STRATEGIC PLANNING Beisel Banks over $25,000 Over Fourth of July By Ann Bleiker E mily (Miller) Beisel joined the WPRA in 2013; in 2019 she qualified for her first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. That was the same year she won the most money of all barrel racers during what is known in the rodeo world as Cowboy Christmas. This is the week covering the Fourth of July, where more than 30 sanctioned rodeos are held.
Now, with a few more years of experience under her belt and sporting her married last name, Emily took the top spot once again over the Fourth, collecting over $25,000 in earnings. “It was pretty neat that it was the same three horses that I rode in 2019,” said Beisel “I have been out here and tried every route with them. It wasn’t the same route exactly I took in 2019 just because every year the dates change just a little bit, but I tried to put the horses in the same arenas that they have had success in. They are creatures of habit, and there are arenas they like and ones they don’t like. Their styles really complement each other, which makes it nice because where one doesn’t like an arena the other does. I am able to rotate them, which keeps them fresh and keeps the miles off of them. “When I went to make my plan, I focused it on Chongo’s run of rodeos, the ones I knew he would do well at. I filled in with whatever my best draws were back in the States with Pipewrench and Beau.” Beisel does her own entering and now with six summers with these three horses, she leans into the strategy that works best for her team, and then lets the chips fall where they may. “One has to find the strategy that works best for them,” said Beisel. “This is the strategy that works for me and just because it works for me doesn’t mean it will work for someone else. Everybody has a different strategy, and I think the most important is knowing where your horses are the strongest. For me, it has been those Fourth of July rodeos.” The Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede was a key rodeo for Beisel in 2019 and again in 2023 to accomplish this feat. In 2019, Miller won the first round in a time of 17.240 seconds and followed that with a 17.342 in the final round to win that round and easily take the average title with a total time of 34.582 seconds. The only round Miller didn’t win was the Showdown round, where she finished fourth in a time of 25.932. All totaled Miller won $14,953. In 2023, Beisel got a little redemption north of the Border winning the Showdown Round. She finished third in the first round in a time of 17.420
seconds, was 17.66 seconds in the final round finishing out of the money but was good enough to land her second in the average in a total time of 35.08 seconds. She and Chongo then won the Showdown round in a time of 17.28 seconds. The team added $16,835 to her 2023 earnings. “It was redemption for us,” said Beisel. “This was a bucket-list win after coming so close in 2019. I was smarter this year, which comes with the experience of being on the road and knowing my horse that much better. I knew when it mattered this year. It is about being consistent and progressing.” It also brought things full circle for Beisel to think back to her first thought of running Chongo in Ponoka four seasons ago to now having him carry her to the title there. “Chongo surprises me sometimes,” said Beisel, who works as a dental hygienist when not racing around the cloverleaf pattern. “I remember when I got to Ponoka in 2019 and was riding in the arena thinking I had messed up and brought the wrong horse for that arena, but he did amazing at Ponoka. He is typically not a horse that loves the barrels out in the wide open like that and the ground is a little tricky up there. “I thought maybe 2019 was a fluke, but he went back this year and worked just has hard so he must like it, which I cannot complain. It is like him liking the Thomas & Mack – I never dreamed he would like that small arena, but he does so no complaints from me.” Beisel is hoping her trio of horses will carry her to a fifth consecutive NFR qualification; sitting seventh in the world as of the first of August, she is well on her way. While there are world champions that never add the feat of winning the most money over the Fourth of July to their resume, Beisel has mastered it twice. “It is a testament to the team of people that have helped me and the team of horses I have,” said Beisel. “There is a lot of planning that goes into it, and I try to organize it the best I can, but it still takes people to help me. My mom stayed with Chongo in Canada, and my friend Karen Jones helped me with my other rig and horses in the United States. Without those two, it would not have been possible. I am not going to lie; I was exhausted when it was all said and done. “I really know those rodeos for these horses. That is such a small window to capitalize on, and to me, it is definitely worth giving 150-percent effort Emily Beisel raced her way to the top of the Cowboy Christmas leaderboard for the second time in her career. Beisel tallied $25,277 during the Fourth of July with her largest check coming in Ponoka, Alberta, with her largest United States check coming at the Cody (WY) Stampede (shown here) banking over $4,000. Photo by Hailey Rae
Emily Beisel and Chongo finished in a tie for fifth at the Cody Stampede over the Fourth of July run of rodeos with a time of 17.48 seconds. The money they won in Cody helped carry them to the top of the leaderboard for that week of rodeos amongst all barrel racers. Photo by Hailey Rae
14 WPRA NEWS AUGUST 2023
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online