Summer Kosel takes advantage of a very fast track inside Andy James Arena. Kosel, a 2023 National Finals Rodeo qualifier, was one of seven ladies to better the previous barrel racing arena record during the 2025 Gooding Pro Rodeo presented by Idaho Ford Dealers. She stopped the clock in 16.66 seconds to win the rodeo.
(PHOTO BY LARA ST JACQUES)

 

Gooding Pro Rodeo earns fifth Justin Best Footing honor in six years

GOODING, Idaho – Barrel racing is an event made from a combination of speed, power and equine athleticism, and there’s no better place for the best in the business than Gooding.

For the fifth time in the last six years, the Gooding Pro Rodeo presented by Idaho Ford Dealers has earned the WPRA’s Justin Best Footing Award for the Wilderness Circuit, a series of regional rodeos in southern Idaho, Nevada and Utah.

“It makes me feel good when the girls pull in here and say, ‘I’m bringing a horse that’s been in rehab, and I need good ground to run him,’ and that’s why they came to Gooding,” said Danny Thomason, the ground supervisor who works meticulously to ensure solid footing. “When I hear things like that, it makes me feel good.”

Andy James Arena is well known for being a fast track. Arena records had been tied or broken each year from 2021-’24. Five-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Dona Kay Rule set the mark with a 16.76-second run in 2023, and that time was matched last year by eventual world champion Kassie Mowry, a six-time finalist.

That time was surpassed seven times in 2025, with South Dakotan Summer Kosel taking the gold with a 16.66-second run. In addition, it took a 16.99-second run to even place in Gooding; that time was shared by two cowgirls.

“The last two years, we paid 31 places out, and all but one were sub-17-second runs,” said Don Gill, manager of the Gooding County Fair and Rodeo. “Danny does a hell of a job.”

The ladies agree.

“The purse was so good,” said Kosel, a 2023 NFR qualifier from Glenham, South Dakota. “The ground was very good, and it was great hospitality.”

The ground was in such good shape, the cowgirl adjusted what she’d been doing with her prized speedster. Kosel recognized that she’d been a bit tentative with Apollo prior to her arrival, so she switched things up.

“I always say a prayer over him, and then I told him, ‘Buddy, we’re just going to send it, and you just do what you do,’ ” said Kosel, who pocketed $6,740 for the win. “I sent him full blown, and he’s so honest that when I sit down or do my little squeezes with my legs, he’ll come around and come back to me.

“The second (barrel) felt a little bit wild. I almost sent him a little bit too far past it, but he was firing so hard that he just kept running. I was actually third from last in slack, and there were right around 70 of us in slack. They had run 16.7s, so we knew the ground was good.”

The Justin Best Footing Award is not only an incredible honor, but it’s built a sense of pride in both Thomason and Gill. Both are expected to be on hand next month when the rodeo committee is honored by the WPRA during a luncheon that takes place in conjunction with the NFR.

“A barrel racer has to trust you to get fast times,” Thomason said. “If they come in slow-loping, they don’t trust you, and they’re not going to get a fast time. I’ve been on both ends of it. I’ve seen my horses go down and other people’s horses go down. That’s the biggest reason I’m always worried about the ground, because I want to take care of these great horses and want everybody happy.”

While quality footing is vital in barrel racing, good ground is beneficial for all the other events. The equine athletes need to be comfortable with the flooring beneath them, whether they’re rounding the cloverleaf pattern in 16.66 seconds, helping a cowboy to a 3.4-second bulldogging run or being part of a 90-point bronc ride.

“T.J. Korkow complements me every year on the ground for his bucking horses,” Thomason said, referring to the co-owner of Korkow Rodeos, one of three stock contractors in Gooding. “I’ve had calf ropers say something to me every year about it.

“Good ground is good for everybody.”