California barrel racer Emily Harryman and KT Fling N Firewater top the lucrative Redding Rodeo as they head out for another summer run.
It’s almost every 22-year-old barrel racers dream to hit the pro rodeo road with a horse they’ve dreamed of having. Emily Harryman is doing just that, and winning. After a standout rookie year in 2024 where she won the California Circuit Rookie of the Year title and qualified for her first circuit finals, where she was the reserve average champion behind the dominate Hayle Gibson-Stillwell, Harryman is earning checks at some of the biggest West Coast rodeos this year.
Most recently, she topped the leaderboard in Redding, California at the Redding Rodeo with a 17.30 to earn $6,285 aboard 2016 mare KT Fling N Firewater (A Streak Of Fling x Money Makin Affair x First Smart Money).
“First out always gives me anxiety and she was kind of a lot in the back,” Harryman explained of her mare. “She’s been a lot to warm up lately. I think she just knows the rodeos now and so I get on her as close to time as possible, warm her up a little bit, get off of her, stretch her legs and let her just kind of hang out. She’ll still walk flat footed into the pen. She started up the alley in Redding, and they couldn’t figure out the gate situation, all the guys were yelling at each other and I’m trying to just keep her moving forward up the alley because if I can do that, she’s good.”
Despite being nervous, Harryman and “Booz” took the win and her hauling partner, Ann McGilchrist took third.
“I’m just not used to it, I’m not used to winning,” she said with a laugh. “It was shocking, to say the least. I did not think it was going to be as fast as it was. It felt like she slipped on the backside of the first quite a bit, but she was just running hard.”
When Harryman isn’t hauling with McGilchrist, she brings her old breakaway horse as a buddy for Booz, but Booz is the only horse she’s competing on.
“She’s my little God story. That horse is pretty special,” Harryman said. “I high school rodeoed in California and was the rodeo queen for a little bit. I didn’t have great horses back then, I just did it for fun. My mom rodeoed a little bit when she was younger, but nothing on the pro level or anything like that. We had a litter of really nice heeler puppies that we were selling and I was like, ‘can I please use that money to get a barrel horse?’ because we had been leasing a mare and I had made (Silver State International Rodeo) but they pulled the horse before the rodeo.”
Her mom agreed and said they would start looking for a horse. As Harryman began posting “in search of” ads on social media, National Finals Rodeo qualifier Nina Moore called her and said she needed to come try this 4-year-old mare.
“I was like, ‘no, I want one I can run now. I don’t want to wait,’” Harryman explained. “She talked me into it, and I went and rode her for the first time. At that point I hadn’t ridden a ‘good’ horse yet, just some that knew the pattern. I got on her for the first time and she terrified me. I told my mom on the way home, ‘I don’t know about that.’ I went and tried her again and rode with Nina for that whole day and ended up bringing her home, and she just went to winning. She waited on me for sure. I kind of feel bad sometimes, she could have won a lot more by now if I knew what I was doing.”
The Browns Valley, California cowgirl and “Booz” clicked and found their way to pro rodeos a couple years later. Harryman said the mare likes small pens, usually weird set ups like San Bernardino.
“She was second there and it’s a short start, wide first and second and a short third and a short run home,” she said. “Like super, just weird little things like that she likes. I can usually really count on her to show up in those pins. Redding was a shock. I’m actually looking for a big pen horse and then she went out and did that.”
The win in Redding grew Harryman’s confidence in a second circuit finals qualification this fall and puts less pressure on their summer run. After a successful finish at the circuit finals, Harryman qualified for the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, but she wasn’t planning to rodeo this summer.
“I was just hired at the Yuba County Animal Shelter part-time and I planned on staying home and working and making circuit finals again but we got a call that we got into the NFR open in Colorado Springs, so I’m really excited about that. But now I’m entering up for the fourth kind of on a whim, because I didn’t have a plan. I think right now, the opportunities are opening and I’m just going to roll with it, because I’m very much a planner. I like to say these are my goals. This is what I want to do. This year I kind of want to take a deep breath and just go with the flow. Theres not a lot of pressure for circuit finals after Redding, which will be really nice.”
After a year under her belt, Harryman says having someone answer questions who knows the ropes like McGilchrist has helped. Also, not being afraid to ask questions and build connections with other barrel racers.
“I can’t tell you how many stupid questions I’ve asked Ann, and I’m sure she rolls her eyes, but she still just loves me and eases your mind too, like, ‘I’m overthinking this right now. I need to have somebody who’s been in these situations to call.’ It’s a lot out here so having that person that’s been there and done that is extremely important and nice to have,” she said. “I also met Hailey (Kinsel) in Reno last year and she was so sweet. I think not being scared to talk to them, I mean, the top girls that know what they’re doing, asking them a question. They were there once too.”
While other professional barrel racers have been helpful to Harryman, a good relationship with a vet has been crucial for Booz’s success.
“We had some bleeding issues last year, and just things like that so have someone to call when those issues do arise, and just know your horse the best you possibly can because you’re going to know them 10 times more when you go home,” she said. “That helps having a great relationship with your vet. I call my vet so much, I have his number to text him now.”
As summer kicks off, Harryman plans to keep moving up the standings ladder while still prioritizing her horse.
“I’m going to take care of her, and if she doesn’t like the road this year then I’m going to come home. Hopefully she enjoys it and we have fun out there. My confidence is a little higher after Redding,” she added.
Redding Rodeo results:
1. Emily Harryman, 17.30 seconds, $6,285; 2. Megan McLeod-Sprague, 17.35, $5,028; 3. Ann McGilchrist, 17.36, $4,085; 4. Sharon Gow, 17.41, $3,142; 5. Doskie Edwards, 17.44, $2,514; 6. Sue Smith, 17.46, $1,885; 7. (tie) Jeannette Etchebarne and Tayla Moeykens, 17.47, $1,493 each; 9. Julia Johnson, 17.57, $1,257; 10. Kayla Turner, 17.60, $1,100; 11. Ruby Lightfoot, 17.64, $943; 12. Paloma Alvarado, 17.65, $786; 13. (tie) Hayle Gibson-Stillwell and Summer Schaffran, 17.71, $550 each; 15. Hailey Garrison, 17.73, $314.
