Julie Plourde had made a name for herself in the Canadian and IPRA rodeo world before buying her WPRA card in 2024. She ended up her rookie season as the reserve rookie champion, and in 2025 set a goal to make the National Finals Rodeo. When September 30th came around she finished 16th in the standings, but ended up making her first trip to the Thomas and Mack when she got the call a week prior that she was filling in for Anita Ellis. Julie capitalized on her opportunity, ending up the NFR Average Champion and winning $119k over 10 runs in Vegas. We didn't get a chance to have Julie on the podcast prior to the finals, but it all worked out being able to talk to her afterwards and learn about her journey in 2025 and what she has in the works going forward! 

This episode is brought to you by RideTV and their new series Practicing with Purpose with Jordon Briggs and Danyelle Campbell. Visit www.ridetvgo.tv and use Code "Money15" to get 15% off your first month!

Welcome to the Rundown! Your Monday morning rundown of the latest happenings in barrel racing!

Once again this year, the Rundown is brought to our listeners thanks to Chewy! Chewy is your one stop horse shop, from feed and supplements, to supplies, medications, and more! Chewy.com/equine

Welcome to the Rundown! Your Monday morning rundown of the latest happenings in barrel racing!

Once again this year, the Rundown is brought to our listeners thanks to Chewy! Chewy is your one stop horse shop, from feed and supplements, to supplies, medications, and more! Chewy.com/equine

A hot topic in our industry is always what goes on behind the scenes of producing a barrel race - how payouts are decided, what format to use, what goes into creating an incentive, who does it benefit most, scheduling, and everything else that goes into putting on a barrel race. We wanted to have a round table like discussion with fellow regional producer and founder of THM Productions - Maegan McPherson of Box Elder, South Dakota as well as trainers, breeders, and stallion owners Lee & Hallie Hanssen. We really talked about it all, as well as an intro to their new incentive The Gold Rush - which is a northern alliance for breeders, trainers, stallion owners and barrel racing enthusiasts that will bring one of the largest paying futurities and maturities ever to South Dakota!

This episode is brought to you by RideTV and their new series Practicing with Purpose with Jordon Briggs and Danyelle Campbell. Visit www.ridetvgo.tv and use Code "Money15" to get 15% off your first month!

Welcome to the Rundown! Your Monday morning rundown of the latest happenings in barrel racing!

Once again this year, the Rundown is brought to our listeners thanks to Chewy! Chewy is your one stop horse shop, from feed and supplements, to supplies, medications, and more! Chewy.com/equine

When we asked our listeners what you wanted to hear about in 2026, we had many comments requesting a deep dive into the ICSI breeding process. We had a great conversation with Dr. Thiago Boechat co-founder of GeneTech Animal Reproduction and Melanie Smith, founder of Solo Select Horses, Select Genes and Select Reproduction. Thiago and Melanie have dealt with thousands of ICSI aspirations over the years and we discussed everything from the ICSI process, realistic expectations, misconceptions and myths, pros and cons, why there is a need for this, and what the future may hold with this technology in the western performance horse industry. 2026 foals are already being born and the breeding season is days away and we hope you enjoy this episode and it may help you make the best decision for your mares in 2026!

This episode is brought to you by RideTV and their new series Practicing with Purpose with Jordon Briggs and Danyelle Campbell. Visit www.ridetvgo.tv and use Code "Money15" to get 15% off your first month!

Welcome to the Rundown! Your Monday morning rundown of the latest happenings in barrel racing!

Once again this year, the Rundown is brought to our listeners thanks to Chewy! Chewy is your one stop horse shop, from feed and supplements, to supplies, medications, and more! Chewy.com/equine

Welcome to the Rundown! Your Monday morning rundown of the latest happenings in barrel racing!

Once again this year, the Rundown is brought to our listeners thanks to Chewy! Chewy is your one stop horse shop, from feed and supplements, to supplies, medications, and more! Chewy.com/equine

There are few things as electric as the BFA Superstakes, where 60 3-yr olds make their first competitive run ever for a chance to win $100,000. When the dust settled on 2025, OE Bachelor Pad made history winning the Superstakes, but the story behind this win is even more special than the check itself. Jordan Harrell jockeyed the very first Flingin Roses foal down the alley to win the six figure check for owners Jason and Leslie Willis. We had both Jordan and Leslie on the podcast and there isn’t a better story to start off our 2026 podcasts. Thank you to all of you who tune in each and every year, here we go again! 

This episode is brought to you by Tuxon Ranch, a full-service equine facility just outside of Durango, Colorado—offering rehabilitation, breeding, boarding, and on-site veterinary support through Centennial Equine. Tuxon Ranch — Supporting every stride. https://tuxonranch.com/

Welcome to 2026 and welcome back to the Rundown! Your Monday morning rundown of the latest happenings in barrel racing!

Once again this year, the Rundown is brought to our listeners thanks to Chewy! Chewy is your one stop horse shop, from feed and supplements, to supplies, medications, and more! Chewy.com/equine