At the ripe old age of 22, Kaley Bass, of Kissimmee, Fla., has achieved what many other barrel racers more than twice her age still dream of. Even more impressive, she’s done it aboard a home-trained team of sibling horses that she and her sister, Kristen, 24, initiated into barrel racing training at a very young age.
The Bass family acquired the 2000 gray gelding, Wonders Cowboy Dan (Wonders Pal x Jackies Cowgirl Bar, by Cowboy Dans Bar) and his full sister, Girl Pal Wonder when they were 3 and 4, respectively, from Se’Belle Dymmek in Kissimmee, Fla. Wonders Cowboy Dan, a.k.a. Cowboy, is now 14 and has been a rock solid mount for Bass in world-class competition. Girl Pal Wonder, a.k.a. Cowgirl, serves as his solid backup.
“Cowboy started out as my sister’s horse actually, and part of his story that we’re real proud of is that we trained him and started him on the barrels, so we’re really happy to have made two NFRs on him. He’s very, very consistent and we’ve had him for so long now that we can tell if he’s gonna fire or if he’s not feeling as ready. We know his personality and his attitude so well after all this time,” said the personable cowgirl.
Bass, who appreciates the full support of her family—dad, Clinton; mom, Tracey; and sister, Kristen— is thrilled to have qualified to compete at THE AMERICAN. “I know that before the NFR, it was nerve-wracking because everyone wanted to end up ranked high enough to get a chance to qualify for THE AMERICAN, so I was glad at the end of the week to have qualified. It would be unbelievable to win it.”
It’s little wonder this cowgirl has many prominent titles to her credit; she says even when she’s not making winning runs in the arena, she thinks about little else than running barrels and riding and working with her horses. The former high school rodeo barrel racing champion celebrated notable wins in 2013 at major venues like the New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo, Range Days Rodeo in Rapid City, S.D., and Iowa’s Championship Rodeo in Sidney, to name a few.
Kaley’s Quick Stats:
- Events: Barrel Racing
- Born: 12/21/1992
- Age: 21
- World Titles Won: 0
- Current Residence: Kissimmee, Flordia
