BUCKET LIST WIN Briggs Banks $60,000 with RodeoHouston Victory By Joe Kusek, Photos Courtesy RodeoHouston by Impulse Photography (Mallory Beinborn) J ordon Briggs’ extended family will be seeing more of her this summer. A year ago, Briggs was
a tad busy and had little time for visits. She missed four months of the rodeo season with a broken ankle that required surgery and physical therapy. “I couldn’t even walk,” said the Tolar, Texas cowgirl. Returning to the arena in April, Briggs frenetically traveled around the United States, placing first or second at 12 different rodeos in eight states for her second Wrangler National Finals Rodeo barrel racing qualification. She would place in nine of the 10 rounds at the Thomas and Mack Center, win the NFR average and win her first WPRA world title, following the boot prints of her mother, four-time world champion Kristie Peterson. Briggs was mulling another run to the NFR but with diesel fuel $5 a gallon, was a little cautious. “I don’t want to spend a lot of money to chase money,” she said.
Jordon Briggs and her 2021 AQHA Horse of the Year Famous Lil Jet “Rollo” was up for the challenge in RodeoHouston and the duo left town $60,000 richer. Briggs and Rollo won the Championship Shootout round in a rodeo best time of 14.33 seconds.
Shootout against a star-studded field. She won the Championship Shootout with a blistering time of 14.33 seconds, the fastest of the event. Briggs also did something very uncharacteristic. “I did a fist pump,” she said with a chuckle. “I never do a fist pump.” A win like that deserves two fist pumps. Briggs left Houston with $60,000 and a potential berth in the Wrangler Nationals Finals Rodeo with six months remaining in the regular season. “I am very grateful to be able to do what I do,” said Briggs. “To make that kind of money, sixty-thousand dollars is a lot of money to win. “After you win, they make you run back into the arena. I was super emotional. So many thoughts were running through my mind … the money, having the NFR pretty much made, being able to spend more time with the family … just all those emotions, all the gratefulness.” The money won rocketed her to first place in the WPRA world standings. Briggs had $90,614 to her name by the end of March. The same money would have put her fourth in the 2021 regular season standings. “It (the victory) became real when I saw the money in my automatic checking account,” Briggs said. She breezed through the Super Series with times of 14.75, 14.84 and 14.67, finishing first, second and second in each round for $7,000. “I was playing it safe the first couple of rounds,” Briggs said. “It is the NFR pattern in a huge arena. Usually, the barrels are so close to the fence. There, there are no fences in sight. It’s a blind entry into the first
Briggs took care of her NFR qualification for 2022 and having enough fuel with a stellar run through RODEOHOUSTON, Feb. 28-March 19 at NRG Stadium. Aboard her superstar sorrel gelding Rollo, Briggs maneuvered through the Super Series, Semifinals, Super Shootout andChampionship
Jordon Briggs and Rollo breezed through their Super Series with times of 14.75, 14.84 and 14.67, finishing first, second and second respectively in the three rounds to advance to the next round with $7,000 in earnings.
14 WPRA NEWS APRIL 2022
DECEMBER 2021 WPRA NEWS 14
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