Randee Prindle and Red Man Jones sweep the NBHA Open World Championships while Mike Green wins his fourth NBHA Senior World Championship, this time aboard Lovininthefastlane at the National Barrel Horse Association Open and Senior World Championships in Perry, Georgia.
Photos by James Phifer/Rodeobum.com
The NASCAR-themed week kicked off with pole bending, the Super Senior and Sweepstakes races, followed by two qualifying go-rounds and a Redemption round. The week concluded with the short go where the perfect time landed 10 competitors and their horses an NBHA world title. A can’t miss event, more than $110,500 in added money gave Open and Senior riders opportunities to win big, as well as side pots for youth riders, prime riders, women, men, international members, golden horses, a helmet incentive and the Paint Barrel Racing Incentive Program.
Open 1D Champion: Randee Prindle and Red Man Jones
When Randee Prindle and 2011 gelding Red Man Jones enter the holding pen, everyone knows the leaderboard is about to change. With excess of $640,000 in EquiStat lifetime earnings, the duo has excelled at divisional races across the country. The great team started when Prindle bought “Scooby” out of the Better Barrel Races world sale in 2015.
“I went to the sale looking for a young colt because I figured I couldn’t afford one started on the pattern but my mom wanted him so I figured I’d try to buy him before the other gelding I wanted sold, and I got him,” Prindle said. “He was a challenge for the first three years and finally when he turned 8 it all seemed to smooth out some and we got together.”
Now with countless wins and accomplishments in the arena, they add NBHA Open 1D World Championship to the list after coming in second place in 2023.
“Last year I went and had a decent run in the second go that got us into the finals, and we ended up second in the 1D last year so figured we’d go back and try again this year and see how it ended up,” Prindle said.
Placing fourth in the first go-round, Prindle said Scooby was short in the turns and wanted to free him up, so she ran again and won the second go-round.
“The second go he worked really nice and listened to me when I asked him to take that extra step and give me space around the barrels more and ended up winning the second go,” Prindle explained. “So, when the finals came around he warmed up a little spicy and I was figuring he’s either going to fire hard or buck me off, but thankfully he just ended up firing and worked dang near perfect.”
Running the fastest time of the event, Prindle and Scooby took the lead with a 14.394, an impressive 0.408-seconds ahead of second place. Prindle’s goal is to reach the $1 million mark in Scooby’s career earnings next year by going to big added-money races.
“I really liked the atmosphere of the event,” she added. “The people that go are so nice and friendly and the event staff are so welcoming and nice which makes just the whole week fun.”
Prindle said warming him up for his run is like riding a 2-year-old with 10 rides on them — you don’t know if he’s going to leap in the air and put his head between his legs and take off bucking across the warmup pen or if he’s going to lope around like a pleasure horse. Regardless, she knows he’s talented and said he matches her energy.
“If you don’t bring your A-game then he’ll slack off and pull one over so I have to make sure I show up to operate him or it isn’t pretty,” she said. “I treat every race just like it’s a little jackpot and the only person I’m running against is myself and if my horse goes in and works nice and comes out sound that’s all I can ask for so I don’t get nervous very much.”
Open 2D Champion: Will Harrington and Rebels Buggin Fame
At just 16 years old, Will Harrington has had his share of success aboard 2015 gelding Rebels Buggin Fame. Harrington is running “Turner,” who is owned by Abigail Poe, while one of his horses is recovering from an injury. After a successful summer winning the Open 1D and Youth 1D at the NBHA Summer Run Super Show in July and fifth in the 1D at the NBHA Teen World Championships, Harrington and Turner have found their way to the top every time they are in Perry.
“He’s a lot of fun to run,” Harrington said. “Consistent and we can always count on him.”
Homeschooled so he can travel and compete across the country, Harrington has been to the NBHA Open World Championships four times now and qualified for the finals each trip. The Whitesburg, Georgia resident grew up around horses because his mom also barrel races.
Harrington and Turner ran a 15.272 in the first go-round and a 15.146 in the second go-round to win the Open 2D. They ran their fastest time in the short go, a 14.899 to claim the Open 2D World Championship.
“This win is huge not only for me but also Turner and Abigail as well,” Harrington added. “Abigail has been reserve world champion on him in the youth and I’ve been working hard to have my name on that big white wall of champions.”
Harrington also ran 2016 Paint mare Babys Famousmilkshake, who he’s owned for four years. She won a 1D check in the sweepstakes and a 2D check in the first go-round, but hit a barrel in the short go, bringing Harringtons total earnings to more than $11,000. Harrington thanks his sponsors for their support: Master Saddles, CEP, Boca Brand, Saddle-Pal and Velocity Brand Halters.
Open 3D Champion: Patti Elliott and Famously Epic
Qualifying for the Open and Senior short go was the goal for many and Patti Elliott of Broxton, Georgia did just that. With an incredible week in Perry, Elliott and home-raised 2020 gelding Famously Epic started the week with the Super Seniors 1D win.
“Our first run was the Super Seniors and when he took the lead with a 15.331 I was in complete shock especially this being his first run in Reeves [arena] and during exhibitions he was having mini meltdowns,” Elliott said. “All he could do was whinny.”
Elliott rolled that time to the Sweepstakes race to win the 2D. In 2021, Elliott won the Super Seniors and Seniors first go-round on “Epic’s” dam, Diamond Fame.
The duo came back and qualified for both the Open and Senior short go in the first go-round. With an impressive first two days, Elliott went home to let Epic rest before the finals.
“My main goal was for him to get it somewhat together at NBHA World,” Elliott said with a laugh. “I say that joking because he lacked lots of confidence, from looking at the ground — he gets that from his dam —to literally trying to run out of the arena from the camera flash.”
Elliot sent Epic to Jordan Harrell to start and she had him patterned but they realized he wasn’t going to be ready for the futurities as he approached his 4-year-old year so Elliott decided to take him and ride him.
They ran a 15.419 in the Open short go to secure the Open 3D World Championship and a 15.187 to place 10th in the Senior 1D short go.
“I probably played it safe too much trying to stay away from those barrels but that 15.419 was the right time in the right place,” Elliott said. “It seems so easy for him which makes it easy for me to ride him. Winning all this was the icing on the cake of owning one and training them.”
Attending the NBHA Open and Senior World Championships each year since the race moved to Perry, Elliott said it is like a family reunion seeing her friends and plans to attend in the future along with NBHA super shows in Jacksonville and Perry. She might even rodeo some this year.
“I went just thankful we were able to attend after Hurricane Helene,” she added.
Elliott also thanks her husband, John, for helping make all these opportunities happen.
Open 4D Champion: Madison Glacken and Brandys Champion
This was Madison Glacken’s second NBHA Open World Championships, and first year to qualify for the short go, but it wasn’t without challenges and adversity. In 2019, Glacken’s palomino mare, Brandys Champion severed a tendon in her hind leg, leaving the Glackens doubtful about her return to the arena.
“For the following year, we worked with our vet to come up with the best plan for her and were able to get her sound again,” Glacken said. “Then in 2022, she was diagnosed with navicular syndrome and we have spent the past two years trying to keep her sound and comfortable to compete.”
Making adjustments and giving extra care to “Bliss” paid off, allowing Glacken to claim the Open 4D World Championship. Although the mare is push-style and can be difficult to make a clean run on, mentally preparing for her runs was key.
“I was extremely nervous for my runs at this event,” Glacken admitted. “We had solid first barrels all week but I had a hard time setting her up for second and third. I struggled to get her by them and began to question if I could do it. But I prayed with my family and was able to overcome that anxiety and trust my mare and together we made it happen with clean, smooth runs all week.”
With plans to continue consulting her veterinarian and farrier to extend Bliss’s longevity in the arena, Glacken is thankful for every run.
“Bliss is worth her weight in gold and more. She owes me absolutely nothing and yet she always gives me her all,” she said. “This win means everything to me. God is so good and I am extremely blessed to have such amazing support at home and on the road.”
Open 5D Champion: Courtney King and Eager To Impress
With luck on her side, Courtney King and 2004 gelding Eager To Impress had a week to remember after making it back to the NBHA Open World Championship short go for the third time since they’ve ran together. The 20-year-old gelding was originally started as a working cow horse in Florida before his career in barrel racing.
“He is definitely a push style and the more you push and kick the more he gives,” King said. “He is very consistent and goes in and does his job ever time. I’d have to say he’s the laziest horse I’ve ever owned. It looks like we have snakes living all around the barn since he drags his toes everywhere he goes and if I put him on a walker, no matter the type, he will find a way to stop it.”
Now 28, she works full time as an MA for an injector at a plastic surgery center. King said her and “Homeboy” don’t typically place at big shows so to see her name sitting at first in the 5D with only a few horses left didn’t feel real.
“Once it was over and they announced the winners of each division and I heard my name called out, it was such a surreal moment,” she said. “I’m thankful my family and boyfriend were there to be a part of it all with me. They all helped out in ways throughout the week to make things run smoothly for me. It’s a moment I will forever treasure.”
While winning a title of this caliber exceeded King’s expectations and goals, she knows Homeboy is inching closer to retirement, making this win even more impactful. As Homeboy has started showing his age some, she said as long as he is healthy and happy she will enjoy each ride.
“He may seem like a calm, big dude but once he gets in a holding pen or near an alleyway, his anticipation to want to be let go and run is what I love,” King added. “He makes this sport fun for me and I don’t really have any expectations to hold him too. As long as he stays healthy and continues to go in there and work like he always does, I will enjoy this ride for as long as he lets me. Any ride I have on him from here on out I know not to take for granted because you never know when one run might be your last.”
Senior 1D Champion: Mike Green and Lovininthefastlane
Owner of Southern Rose Ranch in Pelzer, South Carolina — the EquiStat lifetime top futurity owner with excess of $1.5 million in owner earnings — Mike Green and wife Janelle know a thing or two about great barrel horses. Now, Mike has four NBHA Senior 1D World Championships, first topping the 1D in 2008 when the show was held in Augusta, Georgia and three back-to-back wins from 2014 to 2016, adding a fourth in 2024.
Having loved horses since he was young, he started as a calf roper.
“What drew me to barrel racing was I started out a calf roper and calves were an added expense, and you needed help to practice,” Mike explained. “When I saw barrel racing it looked like it would be a little cheaper because all you needed was three barrels and you could practice on your own. We had a young horse and I trained her on barrels. She went on to be a pretty good barrel and pole horse and Talmadge rode her as a youth. That was probably around 1970, and the rest is history.”
Younger brother, co-founder of NBHA and $2.7 million rider, Talmadge credits his start in the horse industry to Mike. Both Green brothers have lucrative training careers spanning more than five decades. Adding to his accomplishments, Mike and 2018 stallion Lovininthefastlane won more than $2,600 in Perry after placing fifth and sixth in the 1D in the first two go-rounds and winning the Senior short go with their fastest time of the week, a 14.823.
“He is out of our great mare, Sissys Little Coin,” Mike said about the home-raised stallion. “He is special because he has won or would’ve won just about every type of barrel race from futurities to slot races to youth. It takes a special horse to win this caliber of a race toting a 200-pound jockey! My wife has won and run fast times on him along with my granddaughter. The fact we bred him makes it more meaningful because I feel like I handpicked the stallion and I knew the mare herself was great so, he is everything I was hoping he would be.”
Janelle ran “Lover” in the Super Senior race to place second and win $380. She also placed on him in the first go-round of the open, winning an additional $352 and qualifying for the Open short go. Janelle also ran a full sister to Lover, Alittlegoodbyegirl, winning the second go-round of the Senior division and qualifying for the short go.
“It honestly took the pressure off knowing we had two good chances with full siblings in the finals and I just wanted one of them to show up and win it,” Mike added. “I want it more for the horses than what it means for me. They deserve to be shown to the best of their ability and I was happy to put another world championship under Sissys Little Coin’s belt. She was awful good to us and is still giving to us. That means the most to me.”
A zealous horseman, Mike has been doing what he loves since he was 18 years old. A supporter of NBHA since its founding, he has attended every NBHA Open and Senior World Championship.
“It’s an honor to be able to hold another world championship in the Senior division,” he said. “I give all the credit to God who has allowed me to have as much success in this industry as we have had. I am a blessed man to be able to say I got to make a living doing what I love. I owe a lot to these great horses.”
Senior 2D Champion: Patti Roberts and LS Dial For Pie
With numerous director roles impacting the barrel racing industry from district director for Florida NBHA to the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association Southeastern Circuit director to past WPRA President, her love for horses and barrel racers is deep. At 19 she met Dallas Dewees, who has been her hauling partner and mentor for more than 50 years.
Roberts and 2012 mare LS Dial For Pie — who was trained by Dewees — have only hit three barrels in the three years Roberts has owned her. “Susie Too” doesn’t change and Roberts said that aids in knowing what to expect each run, developing a bond that every competitor strives for with their horse.
“My first round did not go as I had planned, and to be honest, I got behind her turning the first barrel and really cost us some time,” Roberts admitted. “She worked in spite of me balancing on the reins, but I was pretty disappointed with my riding and feeling a little bit like an old lady.”
Knowing the mare was capable of running a faster time in this arena after attending the NBHA Summer Run Super Show in July, Robert’s hoped to comeback faster in the second go-round despite qualifying for the Senior short go with their 15.546 in the first go-round. A slip in their second run cost them, clocking in at 15.481 to place again in the Senior 2D.
“I decided to run in the Redemption round as I really wanted to make it to the Open finals and I knew Susie was feeling good and up for the challenge,” Roberts said. “We made the run I knew we were capable of with a 15.127, but it didn’t get us back to the Open finals.”
Making three runs and collecting three checks plus a Senior short-go qualification led to their final run, winning the Senior 2D World Championship with a 15.341.
“The good Lord has given me the love and passion for my horses and this sport, and the health and ability at 70 years old to continue doing what I love,” Roberts graciously said. “I am so proud of my mare, she deserves the title and the recognition. She doesn’t have the blinding speed, but she has the heart and the grit and the try every time she goes down the alley and her consistency is one of the qualities that make her so special. The reality is that due to my age sometimes I feel bad that she hasn’t accomplished all she is capable of, but then I know that God put us together so we will do the best we can as a team.”
Roberts thanks her support system of family and friends as well as her veterinarians, farrier, equine therapist and equine dentist.
Senior 3D Champion: Samantha Eyster and Mellow Yellow Leo
The Canajoharie, New York native has had a love for barrel racing since she was 8 years old. Samantha Eyster has passed down that love for barrel racing to her children and now grandchildren who competed alongside her this year in Perry.
Attending the NBHA World Championships almost every year since 2004, Eyster, who now resides in Michigan, found 2009 mare Mellow Yellow Leo after the 2023 NBHA World Championships when her friend, Tony Vite messaged her about horse back in New York. Love at first sight, Eyster bought “Peaches” and started riding her in April.
“We had a very rocky start to say the least, we were both train wrecks,” Eyster said. “My boyfriend, Bill Welch said ‘You have a good horse, take your time and bond with her.’ So, the trail riding began. Hours and hours of doing nothing but looking at trees, open fields and trails. It worked. We still have a way to go but our future looks bright.”
Eyster enters the Sweepstakes race each year to get rid of the first-run jitters before the go-rounds start, she added. Winning a check and qualifying for the short go in the first go-round, Eyster knew they ran past the first and asked Vite for help. While they fixed their mistakes, they hit a barrel in the second go-round. They ran their fastest time of the race, a 15.824 in the short go and secured the Senior 3D World Championship.
“This win means the world to me,” she said. “Riding a new horse, trying to figure everything out in such a short period of time. I knew she was a special horse, and she proved it to me.”
Eyster plans to try ranch sorting and running poles in the future, believing that variety makes a good barrel horse. At 56, she lives by the idea that no matter how old you are, never stop dreaming.
Senior 4D Champion: Margie Flight and Afresh Frost
Recently retired from a corporate banking career, Margie Flight is now living her dream full time. She couldn’t imagine a time in her life without horses, and now she works with them daily at their barn as well as coaching multiple riding students. Flight’s father bought 2005 mare Afresh Frost and she was his main mount until he passed away of cancer.
“When my father was alive, we had four generations riding horses and running barrels, and I have some really great memories of fun, family camaraderie,” Flight recalled of the generations that have jockeyed the mare. “I knew then she was super special, the way she took care of my 74-year-old dad, then showing us she was 1D with my daughter. She is extremely special because she was the last horse my dad rode before he left us, and he loved to ride.”
A free-style runner, Flight admits “SunFrost” can be tricky to rate at the first barrel. Qualifying for the short go in both divisions after their first run, Flight scratched their second run to keep SunFrost fresh for the finals.
“In her finals run, she charged out the gate like a runaway freight train and I didn’t get her collected for her first barrel like I wanted to, so we were pretty long in the first turn, but she fired hard across the pen and still managed to run a second off her qualifying time,” Flight explained.
A 16.401 landed Flight and SunFrost in the Senior 4D World Championship position.
“This win is a lifelong achievement, something I’ve hoped for and worked for, and even though it wasn’t our best run of the week, it landed us in a great spot to win the Senior 4D World title,” she said. “It’s still surreal and a little unbelievable. I’m super excited.”
Flight already has a colt out of SunFrost and plans to breed her again in the future while enjoying riding and competing with her as long as she is healthy and sound.
“I want to thank Jeff Flight, my best friend and wonderful husband of 39 years,” Flight added. “His support of my love for horses and this sport means everything to me. He has been my biggest fan and a tremendous help to me. I’m so blessed and very thankful for him, my family and my horses.”
Senior 5D Champion: Connie Patillo and Blinkersonandiamgone
As a full-time registered nurse and hospice case manager, 67-year-old Connie Patillo was busy at this year’s NBHA Open and Senior World Championships with three horses in her trailer. Having qualified for the premier barrel racing event for several years, this was 2018 gelding Blinkersonandiamgone’s first trip to Perry.
The Forest Park, Georgia resident bought “Blinkers” as a 3-year-old and now works with Ashley Gainey to continue to improve both her riding and Blinkers’ runs. Running a 17.410 in the first go-round, Patillo qualified for the Senior short go with her 16.948 in the second go-round.
“Each run was faster than the last,” Patillo said. “He is a push style horse and really behaves like an old man in a young body.”
In the short go, Patillo acquired a world championship with a 16.838 to earn $975. A bucket list goal, Patillo has always loved horses and purchased her first horse when she was 20 years old. It wasn’t until she moved to Florida with her husband in the ‘80s that she started barrel racing.
Patillo also ran 2012 gelding Krimps Doctor Pepper and 2003 mare Smoke A Lena Freckle.
“It is always a great experience,” she added.
This article was originally published in the January 2025 issue of Barrel Horse News.
