More Than $125,000 Won Over 'Cowboy Christmas' by 5 Barrel Racers

Cowboy Christmas shakes up the WPRA World Standings. Season leaders change, girls leapfrog up the standings, and fan favorite horses make strong comebacks!

Cowboy Christmas / PRCA ProRodeo Facebook

Cowboy Christmas, designated as the week of 4th of July, gives rodeo athletes the opportunity to win big in a condensed period. Cowboys and cowgirls ping-pong across the United States to hit every possible rodeo.

The women of the WPRA saw Haylyn Lide earn the prestigious bragging rights as the high money earner over Cowboy Christmas.

Emily Beisel became the new season leader with nearly $94,000 earned so far.

The reigning World Champion, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, moved herself back into the top 15 after winning almost $25,000 over the week.

Last year's World Champion horse, Jets Top Gun, made quite the comback after a keratoma removal in February. "Benny," now jockeyed by owner Andrea Busby, won money at his first rodeo back.

Lisa Lockhart and fan favorite horse, Rosas Cantina CC "Rosa" also made their first run back after a few months off, where they dominated the first round of the Greeley Stampede.

Here are your top five money winners over the esteemed 'Cowboy Christmas':

1. Haylyn Lide - $32,550

Haylyn Lide currently ranks No. 11 in the World Standings after her Fourth of July run. Lide ran Jettin Ta Heaven "Keeper" everywhere she won money—Ponoka, Greeley, and Oakley, Utah. The duo won Greeley and Oakley, and they even racked up the first go-round win at Ponoka. They set themselves up for continued success in July by qualifying for the Calgary Stampede as well.

2. Emily Beisel - $30,290

Emily Beisel moved Lesile Smalygo out of the No. 1 position in the WPRA World Standings after winning over $30,000. Beisel brings an arsenal of horses to the playing field. Emily ran Namgis D 33 "Chongo" and Ivory on Fire "Liza" at Ponoka. This combination earned Beisel $17,460. Biesel then jockeyedd Teasin Dat Guy "Chewy" at St. Paul, Ore. for the win, adding another $11,165 to her Cowboy Christmas earnings. Liza topped off Beisel's winnings for the week with a fifth place check at Red Lodge, Mont.

3. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi - $24,602

The reigning World Champion jumped into the top 15 after a successful Cowboy Christmas. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi sat in the top 30 pre-4th of July. After a week of dominance, Brittany finds herself back in the top 15. Tonozzi and SR Industry Titan "Titan" were the only competitors in Cody, Wyo. to break the 17-second barrier. Brittany and Titan ran another 16-second run on a standard in Killdeer, N.D. They also won money in both go-rounds (including the second go-round win) and the average at Greeley. Brittany ran ChitiChiti BangBang "Maybelline" in Mandan, N.D., to play fifth.

4. Lisa Lockhart - $20,402

Lisa's trifecta of horses served her well over the 4th. Rosas Cantina CC "Rosa" got the call for the first round of Greeley, which she won by over two tenths of a second. Lisa then ran Promise Me Fame Guys "Levee" in round two, earning go-round money. For the short-go, Lisa used Blazin Ta Betty "Sasha" where she finished second overall in the three-run average. Rosa additionally placed fourth at Cody, eighth in Mandan, and third in Belle Fourche, S.D. Levee also placed third in Killdeer.

5. Andrea Busby - $17,685

Andrea Busby sits just outside the top 15 after a successful Cowboy Christmas in the 19th position. Busby placed third in Cody on Jets Top Gun "Benny"—the horse responsible for the bulk of Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi's winnings from her 2023 World Championship. Benny also placed fourth in Livingston, Mont., and Killdeer. Busby ran RC Black N Famous "Pickles" at West Jodan, Utah, and Prescott, Ariz., earning $974. Born On Derby Day "Derby" also placed third in the first round of Greeley.