The last time I interviewed Jordon Briggs, of Tolar, Texas, it was on the eve of the 2024 American Rodeo at Globe Life Field when Briggs shared news that her sensational equine partner “Rollo” (registered Famous Lil Jet) would miss rodeo’s richest single day due to a small ligament tear. Needless to say, her mood after cinching the Cheyenne Frontier Days barrel racing championship with Rollo was one of grateful optimism. Briggs, who was forced to sit out all of this season’s major winter and spring rodeos, has been hot on a rollercoaster summer rodeo roadtrip.

Speaking of rodeo roadtrips, Cheyenne welcomed Teton Ridge’s Rodeo Roadtrip sideline coverage featuring 2024 American Rodeo Tie-Down Champion Shad Mayfield, who ultimately topped the tie-down finals at The Daddy, among many rodeo notables. Check it out HERE.

“I probably needed more runs outside before heading out to the rodeos,” said Briggs of she and Rollo’s comeback tour. “I got a no time at Greeley! He ran so hard to the first barrel, and of course I have no notion that he’d ever do anything wrong, so off we go, and he just couldn’t turn. He was going so fast, so we did a huge circle around the arena. I won Greeley last year, so my sucker was definitely in the dirt!”

Briggs left the Greeley Stampede devastated, but quickly turned things around in St. Paul, Oregon. However, the dream team still had a few wrinkles to iron out.

“Winning second at St. Paul and that $10,000 saved my Fourth. Then Rollo ran off with me in the alley the first go at Calgary and we got by first. It occurred to me I’ve never owned a 10-year-old barrel horse in my whole life,” she chuckled. “I never really imagined you’d have to tune an older barrel horse much, but it just proves you have to be very committed to keeping even these veteran horses working to compete at this level. It’s so tough.”

The futurity trainer extraordinaire says there’s just as much mental gymnastics involved in tackling the rodeo road as seasoning colts, but she knows she can always turn to her horse trainer husband Justin for solid counsel.

“Justin holds my head together. After Greeley, I said, ‘You ride him, and he did,’” she explained. “I think as barrel racers we get things so bendy and lifty, and not that that’s bad, but when Justin got on Rollo and straightened him up, got him balanced and back on his butt it was just what we needed. I confess I did take him to a vet to get him checked out too, just to make 100 percent certain there was nothing wrong.”

Banking $17,054 at The Daddy padded Briggs’ 2024 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association season earnings and puts a National Finals Rodeo berth within her grasp.

The notoriously tough setup at Frontier Park Arena posed a few unique challenges that Briggs and Rollo had to conquer together in order to earn the championship.

“Our third barrel was horrible for the first three runs,” she shared. “Thankfully, we got it figured out by the finals. The first round I was struggling with low confidence, it was like I’d forgotten how to ride him in big outdoor setups, plus he was so excited to run barrels again. I set up way too soon on my first two runs and sliced the third barrel terrible, so finally I just told myself  ‘pretend third’s on the fence and just try to run by it,’ and it worked.”

Not only was her firm self-talk critical, but Briggs was relieved to know that dirt guru Randy Spraggins would be on hand to prepare the arena footing.

“I haven’t been to Cheyenne since 2021,” said Briggs. “At that time Rollo was learning to be a rodeo horse and after making four runs there we came away with $3,500. It was a struggle. This year I really needed to go, and I’m obviously so happy they hired Randy to come back and take care of the ground.”

Incidentally, Spraggins and his capable crew do all the dirt work at each of The American Contender Tournament Regional Semi-Finals rodeos as well as The American Rodeo.

“I talked to Randy about the ground and he said he would be there before slack to get started working on it and would leave for Salt Lake, but then be back again for the short go. The ground was great for the short go. I am super grateful for that,” she said.

For the semi-finals and finals Briggs said she had to focus on setting Rollo up for the perfect first barrel.

“Some people go from the gate and it all works out, but I had to be patient and take my time to get lined up correctly,” she said. “I watched Tayla (Moeykens) run a 17.0 in the first semi-finals. On TV it looked like she went pretty conservative to the first barrel so I thought I have to be patient and stop pushing to the first, which is tough for me because I have a pretty excitable personality. You just have to always be willing to learn, to watch people and to make adjustments when necessary. I decided just to sit there and make myself do nothing.”

Briggs’ mom is the legendary 4x WPRA World Champion barrel racer Kristie Peterson, who won Cheyenne Frontier Days four times aboard her beloved equine partner “Bozo” (French Flash Hawk). Peterson and Briggs are the first mother-daughter world champion pair in WPRA history.

“One cool thing about Cheyenne is that my mom won it on the 100th anniversary so she won a special commemorative bit and set of spurs,” said Briggs. “When I won it this year it was designated the Year of the Cowgirl so I was awarded a really neat commemorative bronze.”

RODEO’S FOURTH QUARTER

In the fourth quarter with not much time left on the regular rodeo season clock, Briggs is working hard to score more wins. Keep in mind she had exactly zero dollars won as of June 1, so it’s amazing that the NFR is within reach.

“Molly Otto and I are buddying for a few weeks at the rodeos while I stay out here,” Briggs said. “I’ll go to the Northwest and stay at Brad and Karen Gleason’s place between Kennewick and Walla Walla.”

Even if the NFR escapes her, keeping a top 30 spot in the WPRA standings will keep Briggs qualified for the major winter rodeos of 2025. She is also eyeing American Contender Tournament Regional Semi-Finals qualifiers in case she’s not among the Top 5 invited athletes this year.

“Justin and I were just talking about it that I need to find some American qualifiers,” she said. “One of my favorite things about following and trusting in God’s plan is He knows what’s best, always. I was thinking about Jackie Crawford, too. She’s out on the road with her kids and like three rigs; I don’t think I could do what she does. She’s amazing. But year before last she missed the NFR—she practically invented breakaway roping—she probably didn’t expect to miss the NFR, but when she did, she had to regroup. She goes out and wins $600,000 at The American. I thought that was incredible!”  

Briggs says Justin headed home the first week of August to get their daughter Bexley back in time to start first grade.

“That’s really tough on me when they have to head home,” Briggs said. “We had to rent a really big car to fit all the great prizes from Cheyenne!”

Briggs and Rollo carried great momentum forward from Cheyenne scoring all-important earnings at every rodeo they entered the following week—Preston, Idaho ($2,455); Heber City, Utah ($1,549); Idaho Falls, Idaho ($853); and Castle Rock, Colorado ($1,524). Unofficially, she’s notched $63,247 and sits 20th in the world as of this writing.

“I’ve got a slot at Oklahoma City (Barrel Futurities of America World Championships) in case I don’t make the NFR. I’ve got a really nice colt for next year, a Dash Ta Fame out of Frenchmans Future, and I’ve got this year’s futurity horse with me, Awesome Arlo. He’s by Blazing JetOlena out of a Dash Ta Fame mare. I walked up at Rock Springs (Wyoming) and he actually placed there, won the last hole,” she said.

Briggs hopes she will make the cut for the Puyallup (Washington) and Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Cinch Playoffs, as well as the North Dakota Governor’s Cup in Mandan, North Dakota. All three lucrative September rodeos promise to shake up the world standings.

Briggs added thanks to the sponsors that help her get up and down the road: Quanta Services, Community Coffee, Durango Boots, Classic Equine, Equinety, American Hats, Shiloh Saddlery, Purina, RodeoRigs, BarrelRacing.com, Haala Denim, and 12 Gauge.

BIT BY BIT

Another key to Briggs’ season comeback has been learning how to alternate bits when a change makes the best sense.

“I put Rollo back in the Kerry Kelley ported bit for Cheyenne. I’ve learned that he needs a break once in a while from the ported bit to keep him soft and light in it,” she said. “If I make too many consecutive runs in it he will start to run through it.”

Alternating between a combo, the ported Kerry Kelley and occasionally a hackamore seems to be the magic formula for Rollo.

Sired by Dash Ta Fame and out of Blazin JetOlena by Blazin Black Beauty, Rollo was named the AQHA/WPRA Horse of the in 2021, which is the same year Briggs earned her first WPRA World Championship and the NFR average title (setting a new aggregate record of 136.83 seconds on 10 runs). Briggs is looking to make her fifth NFR appearance in 2024 (2009, 2021-2023).