Megan Swint and Zingzing Its Talent top NBHA Open World Championships, while Gay Wynn and Tres Down The Fame take home the Senior title.
Fall in Perry, Georgia, is the pinnacle for members of the National Barrel Horse Association, who gather every year at the iconic Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter with dreams of a world championship in tow.
This year’s NBHA Open and Senior World Championships from October 29–November 4 boasted a total payout of more than $440,000. Prizes included 10 Circle Y saddles, 370 Gist belt buckles and a briefcase lottery that awarded up to $2,500 to division finalists. Contestants from across the country, as well as Canada, Panama, and the United Kingdom, gathered to take their best shot at a world title.
Open 1D Champion Megan Swint and Zingzing Its Talent
Any way you slice it, staging a comeback is hard. But Megan Swint and Zingzing Its Talent hung tough through a difficult week in Perry, proving it isn’t the beginning that matters — it’s all in how you finish. Tipped barrels knocked Swint and “Zing” out of contention in Rounds One and Two, leaving a win in the Open Redemption Round as Swint’s only chance to punch a ticket to Saturday’s short go.
“I would have qualified in Round One, but I caught the first barrel coming out of it,” Swint explained. “The same thing happened in Round Two, so I pulled him up and made him work the other two barrels. I wasn’t going to enter the Redemption Round, because I just wasn’t having much luck, but my friends talked me into it. Zing isn’t really a 2D horse, so I knew I was going to have to really pull off a run to come out on top and get back to the Finals. Thankfully, luck was on our side, and we were able to do that.”
Without a run to spare, Swint and Zing found their stride and won the Open Redemption Round with a 14.813, worth $1,458. After her win in the Redemption Round, Swint says she knew she had to lay all her cards on the table to have a shot at the big win.
“Zing is normally a little more free running, but that week he was real set-y” Swint said. “I knew I was going to have to ride all the way and never stop. He’s so fast that he can make mistakes and still clock, so I focused on keeping him forward so we didn’t come back on top of any barrels.”
Ultimately, the plan panned out — the pair turned in a 14.738 to best a tough field of competitors and claim Swint’s first NBHA World Championship. After finishing third overall in Perry during the 2022 World Championships, the Florida native says she was thrilled to bring home such a special win aboard Zing.
“He’s a super talented horse,” Swint said. “From the first time I got him, I knew he could be a winner.”
Even though he was loaded with talent, Swint says it still took time for the two of them to form a partnership.
“He lacked a lot of confidence, and he really had to learn to trust me,” Swint explained. “He bucked several people off prior to me getting him. Once I gained his trust, he started winning with me, and no one else has been on his back since. I’ve been the only one to ride him. He’s finnicky about people. We have a bond, and he tries so hard for me. I’m really grateful to be his person.”
Open 2D Champion Kaylee Nicole Weaver and Friday Night Cowboy
Young riders and green horses can make for a tough combination, but for Kaylee Nicole Weaver and Friday Night Cowboy, what started out as an unlikely pairing ultimately became a match made in heaven. Weaver was only 6 six years old when 2-year-old “Friday” made the trek from Texas to her barn in Mishawaka, Indiana. After a trainer helped her get the young gelding going under saddle, Weaver took the reins and began working on the barrel pattern.
“We taught each other the barrels,” 18-year-old Weaver said. “It took us years of loping the pattern and stopping at every barrel until we finally got it. My first win with him was at Circle G Arena in Lewisburg, Ohio, in the Peewee class. At the time, that was the best moment of my life.”
In the 12 years since Friday joined Weaver’s team, he has continued to help the aspiring young horse trainer check the boxes on big goals — in 2021, the pair qualified for the Junior Patriot Finals and won the Eastern Sharon Camarillo Classic Barrel Race. Weaver has also won two American Contender Tournament qualifiers, the Best of the Best Youth Slot Race, and multiple Indiana International Barrel Racing Association Youth Championships aboard the 14.1-hand cow-bred gelding.
Now, Weaver and Friday have added an NBHA Open 2D World Championship to their list.
“He’s amazing,” Weaver said of her self-described heart horse. “It doesn’t matter what the setup is or what the ground is like — you can watch every other horse struggle, and he’s going to go out and make the same run he makes in every other pen. We have that special bond. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be where I am today without him. He inspires me to be better.”
Weaver thanks her parents, Connor Young, and her barrel racing family for their support.
Open 3D Champion Anna Garcia and Shaman Jet Smoke
Anna Garcia made her first trip to Perry one to remember, clinching the Open 3D World Championship with a 15.743 aboard 14-year-old gelding Shaman Jet Smoke, worth $4,870.
Garcia, who rides with Team Talmadge, says seven-time NBHA world champion Talmadge Green shared some advice before Round Two that helped her take on the week in Perry with confidence.
“I was so nervous before my runs, but Talmadge said, ‘God already knows who’s wining this race and where you’re placing, so just out there and have fun. That’s why we’re all here — we’re just here to have fun,’” Garcia said. “That really shifted my perspective, and I went from being nervous and anxious to actually enjoying myself.”
With Green’s advice in mind, Garcia and “Shaman” tackled the second go-round in winning fashion, topping the 4D to win $2,154 and punching their ticket to Saturday’s short go.
“It was really special,” Garcia said. “I was speechless. I was crying, my dad was crying — we were all so happy. I was overwhelmed with excitement.”
Garcia says even though Shaman only joined her team a short year ago, the jet-black gelding has already earned a special place in her heart.
“We have our good days and our bad days, but he always goes in there to work,” Garcia shared. “He wants to make sure I’m happy, and I know he’s going to take care of me. It’s hard to come by horses like that. There are so many things to love about him.”
Garcia thanks her parents and Talmadge Green.
Open 4D Champion Sherrie Dixon and Sunkinda Wonder
After nearly three decades attending the NBHA Open and Senior World Championships, 58-year-old Lakeland, Florida, native Sherrie Dixon finally laid claim to her long-coveted world title, turning in a 16.339 aboard Sunkinda Wonder to top the Open 4D.
“I’ve been trying to win this thing for 30-something years,” Dixon said with a laugh. “I have been to the World Championships almost every year. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve missed one since I started running.”
Dixon and “Batman” claimed their spot in the Finals during Round Two, where the pair clocked a 16.146 to finish eighth in the 4D, worth $524. Dixon, who hadn’t made a run since June before arriving in Perry, says she relied on her bond with Batman to help carry her through the week.
“It’s been a rough year,” Dixon confessed. “I had to move my hair salon, and right around that same time, my mom had dementia and we had to put her in hospice care. I lost her in April. There’s been a lot going on, so I haven’t run my horse since our NBHA Florida State Finals.”
“I bred and raised Batman, and he’s been with me 15 years now,” Dixon continued. “I didn’t really come into Perry with much confidence, but I knew my horse was solid, and he proved it and did really well for me.”
Dixon says taking home her first NBHA World Championship on a homebred horse makes the victory sweeter.
“Getting this win on a horse I raised from a baby is really cool,” Dixon shared. “I mean, I held him in my arms the day he was born, and now 15 years later, I’m taking this big win home on him. I’m so excited — I can’t even describe it.”
Dixon thanks Larry Parker, Jeff Davis, Linda Gail Stewart, Cyclone Veterinary Services, farrier Chris Rhoades, Callahan Feed, Danco Forage and God.
Open 5D Champion Tracey Steeves and NLDFancyladyhancock
Tracey Steeves made the 21-hour trek from Midhurst, Ontario, Canada to Perry, Georgia, to claim this year’s Open 5D Championship, clocking a 16.764 aboard home-trained 13-year-old mare NLDFancyladyhancock, worth $3,409.
Steeves, who bought “Puddin” as an un-started 7-year-old, says she was almost ready to retire from horses when her youngest daughter took an interest in the sport.
“She liked to ride, so I ended up hauling her and my sister around,” Steeves recalled. “About six years ago, I got tired of being the truck driver and cook, so I decided to get a horse.”
Steeves says Puddin didn’t necessarily check all the boxes — she didn’t like being groomed, cuddled or coddled — but she fit the budget, so Steeves bought her and brought her home.
“Up until that point, she had spent most of her life doing her own thing. She definitely had her preferences,” Steeves said with a laugh. “But she is put together well, and she’s smart — she actually broke out easily, and she rolls with whatever comes her way.”
True to her roll-with-whatever-comes attitude, Puddin handled the week in Perry with cool consistency, clocking a 16.667 and 16.630, respectively, in the go-rounds, placing second in the 5D in the first go and last in the 4D in the second go. Steeves describes the whole experience as overwhelming.
“I didn’t go to Perry expecting to win,” Steeves said. “It’s a great experience just being there, and no matter what happens, this is way too expensive of a sport to spend time being miserable. I want to enjoy it and have fun. Taking home the win on top of it was just amazing.”
Steeves thanks her family and sponsors Omega Alpha, The Straw Boss, Maaax Equine Feed, Equi-Resp and Angela Clark Equine Services, Purity Hemp Products and Pure Ridge Salt.
Senior 1D Champion Gay Wynn and Tres Down The Fame
In 2022, Gay Wynn was so close to a Senior 1D World Championship, she could almost smell the leather on the Circle Y trophy saddle. The Florida native boasted an impressive week in Perry last year, sweeping the Senior go-rounds with sub-15-second runs aboard then 5-year-old mare Tres Down The Fame before ultimately finishing second behind Talmadge Green in the Finals. It was a strong finish, but not the one she was hoping for.
A tough competitor, Wynn regrouped and came back to Perry with a 2023 World Championship in her sights.
Wynn and “Chica’s” week started off solid — the pair clocked a 15.123 in Round One to finish fifth overall, worth $293. It was a conservative but effective run, punching the pair’s ticket to Friday’s short go and ultimately allowing Wynn to strategically sit out Round Two.
“The week before Perry, we were at a barrel race and the ground gave out from underneath Chica at the first barrel,” Wynn explained. “She fell, and I went down with her. She was OK, but I was a little apprehensive making that run in the first go. I’m glad we qualified back our first run, because I let her rest as much as possible after that and waited for the Finals.”
Ultimately, Wynn’s strategy paid off — the pair topped the Senior Finals with the only sub-15-second run of the Senior short go with a 14.948, worth $1,563.
“I was so thrilled,” Wynn said. “Chica is a special mare, and it meant a lot to come back and win this on her.”
Wynn purchased the 2017 daughter of Eddie Stinson, trained and campaigned by Jessie Domann, sight unseen in the fall of 2021 on a gut feeling.
“I have a certain feel when I see something, and I think, ‘That’s a horse I can probably ride well,’” Wynn explained. “I watched a few videos of Chica, and I thought she would fit my style. I’m not sure it’s always the most advisable way to buy a horse, but it’s worked for me.”
Wynn made a few successful runs on Chica before sending her to Caryn Henry for a tune up.
“Caryn can feel things I can’t — I can run barrels and I can go fast, but I know I’m not a trainer,” Wynn said. “There’s a difference, and you have to know whether you’re a rider or a trainer, or both. I think having that broke horse that’s been started right, and then understanding how to keep it tuned or having the right person to help you point out those key things you might be missing, helps you be successful. I’m grateful for my team.”
Wynn thanks Caryn Henry, Ally Hayes Lyshon with Oxy-Gen Equine, and Kaylon Rodriguez with PCR Focus.
Senior 2D Champion Doug Hammond and Carrizzos Lucky Girl
Doug Hammond clocked a 15.492 in Friday’s Finals to top the Senior 2D aboard Carrizzos Lucky Girl. Hammond and the 2017 daughter of Carrizzo, out of VF Up An Down by Down Home Dash, turned in 16.182 in Round One — just out of a Finals qualification in the third division. The pair found a new gear in Round Two, clocking a 15.531 to win the 2D in the go-round, worth $622, and punching a ticket to Friday’s short go.
Senior 3D Champion Denny Montanti and Tee Epic Oneder
Denny Montanti and Tee Epic Oneder turned in a 15.955 to take the Senior 3D Championship, worth $1,202, home to Seward, Pennsylvania.
Montanti purchased “Wonder” from Larry Williams in 2020 with the goal of getting the then-4-year-old gelding consistent and ready to enter.
“He was broke and started on the pattern but hadn’t really been run,” Montanti recalled. “I started working with him, and he really came along nicely for me. He’s been running in the 2D at local shows and 3D at bigger shows. I wouldn’t say he’s push-button, but he’s gotten pretty consistent for me.”
This year marked Montanti and Wonder’s third trip to Perry — their first to qualify back to the short go.
“Wonder isn’t running up there in the first division, so when we come to these shows, I have to get my focus right,” Montanti said. “I focus on what I need to do to make a 3D ride. I’m a bigger guy — about 6’2” and 230 pounds — and between his talent, my talent, and my size, everything has to come together just right for us to run one second off the best time [in Perry].
“This year, we were running in the third division but not quite fast enough to be at the top,” Montanti continued. “Before we made our Finals run, I thought about what we needed to do and the corners we needed to cut to make it all come together.”
Montanti, who has been barrel racing since his mid-20s, says bringing home the 3D championship was a surreal experience.
“I was proud of my run and proud of my horse — I give him most of the credit,” Montanti confessed. “He really stepped it up.”
Montanti thanks his parents and his wife for their ongoing support.
Senior 4D Champion Lori Chestnut and PJH Flits Zero Jet
In the sport of barrel racing, things don’t always go as planned. But for Lori Chestnut, a little bad luck left her perfectly poised to win the Senior 4D World Championship aboard PJH Flits Zero Jet.
“She is normally a 1D horse,” Chestnut explained. “We had a good run going in the Finals, but when we came around the third barrel, she slipped and her hind end came out from under her. I put my hand on the barrel and pushed it back up, and we zig-zagged all over the place. I managed to get back up in the saddle, we finished the run, and it landed us just right to win the 4D.”
Chestnut and “Coco” qualified back to the Finals during Round One, where the pair clocked the third-fastest time of the go-round — a 15.041, worth $703. The pair also turned in a 1D time in Round Two, clocking a 15.431 to finish 12th overall.
Even though it wasn’t the finish Chestnut was hoping for, she says she’s grateful for every run she gets to make on her special mare.
“She’s my fun horse,” Chestnut said. “I just get on and ride. I don’t have to tune on her — she just comes out and does her job. She’s my go-to girl. There’s not a bad thing I can say about her.”
Chestnut thanks her boyfriend, Lewis Faulk.
Senior 5D Champion Barbara O’Leary and Lita Bar Leo
Lita Bar Leo may be 18 years old, but that didn’t stop her from carrying Barbara O’Leary through a fun-filled week in Perry. The pair made the drive from Manning, South Carolina, a day before the show began to participate in a clinic taught by 11-time world champion barrel racer Charmayne James.
“We spent between six to eight hours in the tack Friday and Saturday. It was a lot for two seniors,” O’Leary said with a laugh.
The clinic may have made for a long week, but O’Leary says she credits her time with James as the crux of her success in Perry.
“Before I left the clinic, I asked her what the most important thing was I should focus on to help me get through the go-rounds,” O’Leary explained. “Charmayne said, ‘You’ve got a great horse. She’s got a heart for the game, but you need to ride one more stride two-handed and then make your turn around that barrel. Ride the track one more stride, and you’ll stay clean.’”
O’Leary took the advice to heart but battled some tough luck in Rounds One and Two, clocking 45th in the 3D to miss a short-go qualification in the first round and then knocking the third barrel in the second go.
But a 4D win in the Redemption Round put O’Leary and “Lita” on track for Friday’s Finals, where the pair ultimately clocked a clean 16.969 to win the Senior 5D World Championship, worth $842.
“Lita has a great heart — I could feel that the first time I rode her,” O’Leary said. “It makes me so inherently happy just sitting on her back. We have a great connection. I love her, and she loves me back tenfold.”
O’Leary thanks her husband, Curt and Belinda Coenen, and Thrive Equine.
This article was originally published in the January 2024 issue of Barrel Horse News.
