Two numbers decide it. The first is money won at that circuit’s approved rodeos. The second is rodeo count: a rider has to run 40 percent of her circuit’s rodeos or 15 of them, whichever is fewer, and the WPRA publishes a hard minimum for every circuit—one for residents, a steeper one for non-residents. Several circuit leaders are in exactly that spot right now.
Standings below are the WPRA Pro Rodeo barrel racing circuit standings, last updated August 4, 2026, top 20 per circuit. (R) marks a Resistol Rookie, (G) a WPRA gold card holder. Source: WPRA.com.
Jump to a Circuit
What Changed Since May
Four circuits still have the leader they had on May 19: California (Kathy Petska), Columbia River (Kathy Grimes), Texas (Kassie Mowry) and Turquoise (Katelyn Scott). The other nine changed hands. The two that changed most are the two that barely existed in May: Montana went from one rider on the board to 44, and Wilderness went from 16 to 43 on the back of the Utah run.
The Cut-Off Calendar
Three circuits close their qualifying window before October: Badlands on Sep. 9, Texas on Sep. 13, and California and Mountain States on Sep. 23. Everyone else runs to Sep. 30. That leaves five to seven weeks of rodeos to fix a money problem or a count problem, and the count problem is the harder one.
Circuit finals sites, dates, cut-offs and minimum rodeo counts per WPRA. Dates are subject to change.
Badlands Circuit
North Dakota, South Dakota · 58 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
Summer Kosel leads at $16,370.52 with Lisa Lockhart $1,028.91 back and Heidi Gunderson another $894.14 behind that, while Hailey Kinsel sits fourth on 14 rodeos. May’s leader, Raelin Jurgens, has added $3,071.77 and still slid to 10th.
The cutline is a coin flip: $138.19 separates Lindsey Horner in 12th from Keylee Zancanella in 13th.
Badlands Circuit Finals: Minot, ND, Oct. 9-11, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 9, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 13 (resident) / 16 (non-resident).
California Circuit
California · 58 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
One of only four circuits where the May leader is still the leader. Kathy Petska has pushed her total to $40,351.32, the biggest circuit bank in the country, and she has added $16,054.72 since the last check-in at age 62. Hayle Gibson-Stillwell is second at $30,388.04, and the drop from second to third is $18,820.66 — nobody else in California has cracked $12,000.
After the top two it is a genuine scrum: 13 of the top 20 sit between $5,000 and $12,000, and only $328.00 splits Mendy Beardsley in 12th from Maren Powers in 13th.
California Circuit Finals: Clements, CA, Oct. 23-25, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 23, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 15 (resident) / 18 (non-resident).
Columbia River Circuit
Oregon, Washington, Idaho north of the Salmon River · 52 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
Kathy Grimes held the top spot from May and stretched it, going from $6,482.24 to $17,460.77.
Second through fifth is separated by $1,153.62 — one good weekend reorders the whole thing. Watch the rodeo counts on the leaders: Megan McLeod-Sprague is seventh on seven starts and McCurry is second on seven, against a 15-rodeo resident minimum and 17 for non-residents. Cut-off Sep. 30.
Columbia River Circuit Finals: Redmond, OR, Nov. 5-7, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 30, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 15 (resident) / 17 (non-resident).
First Frontier Circuit
Connecticut through Virginia · 38 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
First Frontier had 10 riders and a $973.93 leader in May; it now has 38 riders and a three-way fight at the top where Alyssa LoBello ($4,753.82), Cassie Brantmayer ($4,720.48) and Willie Horzepa ($4,249.64) are covered by $504.18.
The money is tight and that makes every check enormous — $103.59 separates 12th from 13th, and a single second-place paycheck moves a rider five spots. First Frontier is also the last finals on the calendar, Jan. 14-16, 2027 in Harrisburg, but the qualifying cut-off is still Sep. 30. Resident minimum is 14 rodeos.
First Frontier Circuit Finals: Harrisburg, PA, Jan. 14-16, 2027. Entry cut-off Sep. 30, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 14 (resident) / 15 (non-resident).
Great Lakes Circuit
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin · 67 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
Katie Chism led in May and has been passed twice. Lucy Ferch has turned 24 rodeos into $20,175.87 and a $7,901.66 cushion, the largest lead of any circuit outside California and Wilderness. Caitlyn Clair is second, Chism third and Austyn Tobey fourth on just 10 starts.
This is the biggest board in the North at 67 riders, up from 34 in May. Twelfth to 13th is $340.60. Great Lakes carries the harshest non-resident count in the country at 29 rodeos against a 15-rodeo resident minimum, which matters for the Missouri and Mississippi riders inside the top 20. Cut-off Sep. 30.
Great Lakes Circuit Finals: Louisville, KY, Nov. 12-14, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 30, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 15 (resident) / 29 (non-resident).
Maple Leaf Circuit
Canada · 20 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
The richest circuit on a per-rider basis. Every rider in the Maple Leaf top 20 has cleared $2,300 and the top seven are all past $21,000. Taylor Manning leads at $31,639.13, with Suzanne DePaoli $3,265.98 back and Pamela Morrison, Jayden Wilson, Lisa Zachoda, Tammy Lee Taylor and Jennifer Neudorf all stacked between $21,891.12 and $23,865.40.
Wilson led in May at $4,920.99 and has since won more than $18,000 without holding the lead — that is the Canadian season compressed into ten weeks. The cutline gap is $1,917.26, the second-widest in the country. Maple Leaf runs its finals last of the fall, Nov. 25-28 in Regina, and entries close Sep. 30.
Maple Leaf Circuit Finals: Regina, SK, Nov. 25-28, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 30, 2026.
Montana Circuit
Montana · 44 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
The headline of this check-in. In May, Montana had exactly one rider on the board with $679.15. It now has 44 riders, and Yvette Vega — the rider who was that entire board — sits 11th. Heather Crowley leads at $12,002.37 with Tayla Moeykens $530.39 behind after her Cheyenne Frontier Days summer.
Montana has the tightest cutline in the country: $38.02 between Tycie Phalen in 12th and Tisha Larsen in 13th.
Montana Circuit Finals: Great Falls, MT, Jan. 14-16, 2027. Entry cut-off Sep. 30, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 14 (resident) / 18 (non-resident).
Mountain States Circuit
Colorado, Wyoming · 60 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
Eleven riders in May, 60 now, and Brittany Fellows has been passed. Rachel Huerkamp leads at $15,906.27 off 20 rodeos, $3,335.85 clear of Fellows, with Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi third and C.J. Vondette fourth.
Colorado and Wyoming ran a dense July and it shows — six riders between $6,000 and $8,000 make the 7-through-12 range the most crowded stretch of any circuit. Twelfth to 13th is $490.71. The non-resident minimum here is 26 rodeos, which is the number to watch for the Texas and Oklahoma riders in the top 12. Cut-off Sep. 23, one of only three circuits closing before October.
Mountain States Circuit Finals: Loveland, CO, Oct. 23-24, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 23, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 15 (resident) / 26 (non-resident).
Prairie Circuit
Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska · 60 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
Emily Beisel has taken over the circuit she calls home, leading at $18,463.22, with Lanita Peirce $875.72 back and Kim Squires third. May leader Devon Brown has nearly tripled her money and dropped to fourth, which is the whole story of the Prairie summer in one line.
The top four have separated: $4,476.23 covers them, then there is a $4,170.40 drop to fifth. The cutline is comfortable by circuit standards at $1,304.33. Resident minimum is 15 rodeos, non-resident 24, and LaTricia Duke sits 18th on seven starts. Cut-off Sep. 30.
Prairie Circuit Finals: Mulvane, KS, Nov. 19-21, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 30, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 15 (resident) / 24 (non-resident).
Southeastern Circuit
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Tennessee · 77 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
The deepest board outside Texas at 77 riders, and the only circuit that was already crowded in May — it had 71 then. Kristin Hanchey has passed Josey Murphy for the lead, $20,404.43 to $18,963.34, and Ryleigh Kaye Adams is a distant third.
Southeastern riders run the most rodeos in the country: nine riders in the top 20 have 20-plus starts and Emily Tomlinson has 32. That makes the 15-rodeo resident minimum a non-issue here and turns the race into pure money. Twelfth to 13th is $240.25. Cut-off Sep. 30, finals Nov. 13-15 in Davie.
Southeastern Circuit Finals: Davie, FL, Nov. 13-15, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 30, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 15 (resident) / 23 (non-resident).
Texas Circuit
Texas · 130 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
The deepest circuit in the country by a distance — 130 riders have cashed, up from 101 in May. It is also the strangest board of this check-in: Kassie Mowry still leads on the same $18,837.41 and the same four rodeos she had in May, and Gracen Harman is still second on the same $18,655.19. Neither has added a Texas circuit check in eleven weeks.
Everyone behind them has. Kaycee Killingsworth, Morgan Addison, Kristi Cole and Julie Plourde are all now within $2,454.18 of the lead, and $182.22 separates first from second. Mowry has four rodeos against a 15-rodeo resident minimum and the second-earliest cut-off in the country at Sep. 13 — the math on that is not comfortable. Twelfth to 13th is $1,382.81.
Texas Circuit Finals: Waco, TX, Oct. 13-16, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 13, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 15 (resident) / 25 (non-resident).
Turquoise Circuit
Arizona, New Mexico · 42 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
Katelyn Scott led in May and leads now at $17,583.54, a $6,320.31 margin that is the most secure top spot in the desert. Jana Bean is second, Whitley Sharp third.
Turquoise sets the lowest bar in the country — 10 rodeos for residents, 15 for non-residents — which keeps this circuit reachable for riders splitting their year elsewhere. The cutline sits at $941.55 and the drop from 12th to 20th is only $2,189.33, so the back half of the field is still live. Cut-off Sep. 30, finals Nov. 5-7 in Cave Creek.
Turquoise Circuit Finals: Cave Creek, AZ, Nov. 5-7, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 30, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 10 (resident) / 15 (non-resident).
Wilderness Circuit
Nevada, Utah, Idaho south of the Salmon River · 43 riders on the board · standings through Aug. 4, 2026
The biggest transformation on the list after Montana. Wilderness had 16 riders in May and a $8,044.89 leader; it now has 43 riders and Carlee Otero on top at $36,196.52, the second-largest circuit total in the country. Michelle Alley is second at $28,035.98 and Amanda Butler third. May’s leader Makenna Shook is ninth.
The Utah run — Days of ’47, Spanish Fork, Ogden — built this board in three weeks. It also created the tightest race on the bubble outside Montana: $89.00 between Mackenzie King in 12th and Sherry Cervi in 13th. The catch is the count. Wilderness asks non-residents for 27 rodeos against 15 for residents, and three of the top five ride out of Texas. Cut-off Sep. 30, finals Nov. 6-7 in Heber City.
Wilderness Circuit Finals: Heber City, UT, Nov. 6-7, 2026. Entry cut-off Sep. 30, 2026. Minimum rodeo count 15 (resident) / 27 (non-resident).
WPRA Circuit Standings, Explained
How many WPRA circuits are there?
Thirteen. Twelve cover the United States — Badlands, California, Columbia River, First Frontier, Great Lakes, Montana, Mountain States, Prairie, Southeastern, Texas, Turquoise and Wilderness — and the Maple Leaf Circuit covers Canada. A WPRA member designates one circuit when she pays her dues, normally the one where she lives, and that designation is what makes her eligible for that circuit’s finals.
How do you qualify for a WPRA circuit finals?
Two things have to happen. A rider has to finish inside the qualifying group in her circuit’s year-end standings, which circuits set at 10, 12 or 15, and she has to meet the count rule: 40 percent of the circuit’s rodeos or 15 of them, whichever is fewer. The WPRA publishes a hard minimum for each circuit, and non-residents face a higher number than residents. Great Lakes asks non-residents for 29 rodeos; Turquoise asks residents for 10.
What is the difference between circuit standings and world standings?
World standings rank every WPRA barrel racer by season money won and set the National Finals Rodeo field. Circuit standings only count money won at that circuit’s approved rodeos and set the circuit finals field. A rider chases both at once, which is why Hailey Kinsel sits fourth in Badlands while running near the top of the world race.
When are the 2026 WPRA circuit finals?
They run from Oct. 9-11, 2026 (Badlands, in Minot, North Dakota) through Jan. 14-16, 2027 (Montana in Great Falls and First Frontier in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania). Most fall between late October and late November. Entry cut-offs come first: Badlands closes Sep. 9 and Texas Sep. 13.
What does winning a circuit get you?
A circuit championship, circuit finals money and a spot at the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, the national circuit finals, where circuit champions and average winners run for a national circuit title the following summer.
Which WPRA circuit is the toughest?
By depth, Texas: 130 riders have cashed a Texas circuit check this season, nearly twice the next-deepest circuit. By money, Wilderness and California, where Carlee Otero ($36,196.52) and Kathy Petska ($40,351.32) hold the two biggest circuit banks in the country.
We update this roll call through the run to the cut-offs. For the world race, follow our August ProRodeo results tracker and our weekly world standings analysis.
