ALL THE ENVY Emily Ward takes Permit Race at the WPRA World Finals just one month after purchasing her permit. By Josie Mac Fladager E mily Ward did not waste any time after purchasing her permit just one month before the WPRA World Finals in Waco, Texas. The 18-year-old placed in all three rounds and won the average in the Permit Only race to win a total of $2,336. This easily
filled the $1,000 requirement for her first permit. Aboard Frenchmansnvousangel, Ward continued to get faster with each run inside Extraco Events Center and put the cherry on top in the short round with the fastest time of the permit race — 15.902 seconds. This team has only been working together since the Wards purchased “NV” in May, just after Ward graduated high school. “Everyone tells me that she just loves me, and she just wants to work hard for me. She’s just been a blessing,” Ward said. Ward’s original rodeo plans after graduating high school never included NV. But the young, up-and-coming horse she had been training tragically got hurt and had to be put down. Ward found herself without a good barrel horse and signed to rodeo with Cisco College in the fall. With the high-priced barrel horse market, Ward was unsure of what the future would hold. But Ward says the 11-year-old palomino mare came into her life at precisely the right moment. The team struggled to work together at first, but when they clicked — the duo quickly became poetry in motion. They did well at the Texan Race in Abilene, Texas the middle of October. Friend and fellow competitor Sophie Dunn was confident the duo could compete at the professional level and highly encouraged Ward to look into getting her WPRA permit. After some research, she purchased her permit and entered the Permit Only race at the World Finals. And as it turned out, Dunn was right. Ward and NV placed eighth in the first round. After a chiropractor adjustment from Lisa Hall and treatment from a PEMF machine, NV
ran two-tenths of a second faster in the second round to place third. They were sitting No.3 in the average going into the short round. Ward knew NV’s method of operation was usually to get faster every run they made, but she didn’t quite expect what was to come in the short round. “The last run she really just went in there hunting those barrels and really felt like herself,” Ward said. Ward and NV shaved off another three-tenths of a second to win the short round and the average. “I didn’t expect to go in there and win it, even though Sophie told me I had a high chance,” Ward recalled. “NV is just something special she deserves all the recognition.” For 2024, Ward has purchased her second permit and plans to slowly begin running at pro rodeos with NV alongside her college rodeo career. Without a backup horse, she has chosen to delay her rookie card, but plans to run at the San Angelo and San Antonio qualifiers and attend the pro rodeos she can in Texas this winter and into the spring. Ward, who won the barrel racing title at the Junior NFR in 2017, Emily Ward won the WPRA Permit Only Race at the WPRA World Finals in Waco, Texas, the second week of November but has decided to extend her permit delaying her rookie season for another year due to her school schedule. Ward finished eighth in the first round in a time of 16.461, was third in the second round in a time of 16.264 and won the final round in an event best time of 15.902 to land atop the average leaderboard in a time of 48.627. WPRA photo by Rodeobum.com
knows none of this would be possible without the incredible support of her parents (Brant and Renee Ward), her sponsors, and the team surrounding NV. She is incredibly grateful and cannot wait to see what the 2024 season has in store. Emily Ward collected her first of what she hopes is many more WPRA buckles. Ward gladly accepted the Permit Only Race buckle from WPRA President Jimmie Munroe. WPRA photo by Rodeobum.com
Emily Ward of Miles, Texas, didn’t waste any time filling her WPRA permit. She purchased her permit in October and entered the WPRA World Finals Permit Only Race. She won the final round in an event best time of 15.902 and average title in a time of 48.627 seconds on three runs. WPRA photo by Rodeobum.com
42 WPRA NEWS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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