Math motivates Lockhart to magical late-season run

There were days when Lisa Lockhart just wanted to load up her trailer and go back to South Dakota.

For the past 15 years, Lockhart has been a mainstay in barrel racing at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, with two NFR average titles to her credit and around $1.3 million in earnings at the Thomas &Mack Center.

But this year, reaching a 16th straight Wrangler NFR seemed impossible. Until taking into account some pesky math, of course.

“As my husband said, there was only one time I was in the top 15 of the standings all year, and it was in the last week of the rodeo season. That kind of speaks volumes,” Lockhart said with a laugh. “It was just that thought that if it was mathematically possible, I wanted to give it my all. It was just hard to imagine life without going to NFR at this point. I say that lightly, but I also say that very seriously.

“It was almost a panic button, like ‘What if?’ And we all know that all good things come to an end, but I was still within shooting distance, and I was not ready for it to come to an end.”

The combination of a competitive spirit and some late-season magic has Lockhart back in a familiar spot — among the 15 barrel racers who are running at the NFR this week. Her 16th consecutive trip to pro rodeo’s culminating event keeps Lockhart in the running to one day possibly eclipse Charmayne James’ record of 19 straight qualifications.

Getting to this moment was anything but easy.

After less-than-stellar showings in the winter rodeos, Lockhart headed to California with her buckskin mare, Rosa, looking to get back in contention. The duo came up with some strong runs, earning enough checks to put them just outside the top 20 in the standings. That momentum came to a halt when Rosa suffered an injury two days before they were scheduled to run at Cheyenne Frontier Days in late July.

An injury that was predicted to take two weeks to heal turned into a month, causing Lockhart to fall further behind. Once Rosa was cleared to compete again, Lockhart made a choice.

“I thought, ‘Well, I need to at least give her the opportunity to see how she comes back. You never know. There’s still a lot left,’” Lockhart said. “She came back pretty strong, not as strong as I needed. We were always on that line where it could go either way. We were still so far out of it, but it was still possible. It was always that point where it was like, ‘Well, we’ll go one more week. Just one more week.’”

With all three of her children now off at college, and with the support of husband Grady and sister Angela, Lockhart hit the road hard.

If she could physically get from one rodeo to the next, then she entered, no matter how big or small the prize was. Every time she thought her shot was over, there was money coming in. She compared the experience to a lightbulb dimming, only to suddenly turn back on at full brightness.

In the last week of the regular season, Lockhart was entered in six rodeos, as a handful of competitors jockeyed for the final two spots in the top 15.

When it was all over, Lockhart had $84,870.91 in regular-season earnings, good for 14th place, about $320 ahead of Leslie Smalygo in 15th. The difference between places 14-18 in the final standings was less than $2,900.

“It means more to me this year. A different meaning, and it means a lot because I know how hard I had to work for it this year,” Lockhart said.

Not only did she earn another trip to the NFR, but Lockhart also eclipsed a milestone in recent weeks. Since securing her spot in Vegas, the cowgirl from Oelrichs, South Dakota, hasn’t really slowed down, continuing to run in circuit events where she has been able to pick up some additional prizes.

That includes enough winnings to make her just the second competitor in Women’s Professional Rodeo Association history to eclipse $3 million in career earnings. Fellow barrel racer Sherry Cervi is the only other rider to reach the milestone.

Lockhart, who admits she is not a strong presence on social media, couldn’t understand why her phone was inundated with messages after rallying from 11th place to earn the average title at the Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo in Minot, N.D. Her $3 million achievement had been noted on various platforms, and everyone was eager to congratulate her.

“That’s not really anything that was ever on my radar, but it speaks volumes that I love competing. I love working with horses, and I’ve had a great career,” Lockhart said.

As for NFR No. 16, Lockhart isn’t taking this one for granted. After all, it almost didn’t happen.

Knowing that the possibility to make it was there, she kept going during some rough patches this season. Lockhart calls the 10 days in Las Vegas a light at the end of the tunnel, which she focused on during her final push.

Now, she’s here. Right where she’s supposed to be. So of course, she’s cashing checks in Vegas. Lockhart split first place with Hailey Kinsel in the fifth go-round, earning $25,882. Lockhart took third in both the third and fourth go-rounds and fourth in the second go-round, so she won money on four of the first five nights.

Now at $170,186, Lockhart has shot all the way up to fourth in the world standings, and she leads the NFR average, which pays out huge at the end of the week — first place is worth $74,150. She’s in the running for the world championship.

“My competitive drive, it’s 24/7. That desire is there. It’s a challenge, whether you’re training a horse if you want to make another great one, or whether you want to make it to the NFR — it’s a challenge you put in front of you every year,” Lockhart said. “We get to this point where everyone asks, ‘Are you ready for the NFR?’ And I’m like, ‘No, I’m not ready. But I’ll be ready when they call my name.’”