Kayleen Staats of Williamstown on her horse Lily competing at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., this summer. (Photo Provided)

WILLIAMSTOWN — When Kayleen Staats is barrel racing on horseback, concentration and focus are vital, which is important as she chases her dreams of becoming a champion and one day becoming a nurse and helping people.

The 15-year-old sophomore at Williamstown High School has been all over the United States and beyond competing in barrel racing.

“I travel around the world to race so I am chasing my dreams,” she said. “I have been riding since I could walk.”

She has qualified for the Best of Best competition held in Springfield, Ohio, marking her fourth year in a row qualifying in that competition. She is planning to attend the Better Barrel Races in Oklahoma City, Okla., in 2026 as well as returning to the National Barrel Horse Association Youth Teen Finals in Georgia.

Barrel racing involves a horse and rider quickly going around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern trying to gain the fastest time. Staats has competed in different size arenas where the barrels were spaced out at different distances. In the smallest arena she has been in her best time was 13.0 seconds and in a big arena it was 17.0 seconds.

Kayleen Staats of Williamstown on her horse Lily competing in a barrel racing competition at the Grizzle Ridge Arena in Jerusalem, Ohio, this summer. ((Photo Provided)

Staats estimates she and her horse, Lily, can go around 35 mph during a barrel race.

During any race, Staats said it is always being in the moment, but also being able to anticipate what is immediately ahead and being ready for it.

“You got to have your game face on,” she said. “You start looking for the first barrel which is the money barrel. When you come out of that one, you got to be looking for your second barrel which will help you determine how you will go around the third.

“If you have a good second barrel, you will have a good third barrel always. You always have to think about what you have to do.”

Barrel racing as a team sport with both the horse and the rider working together, Staats said.

Kayleen Staats of Williamstown on her horse Lily competing in a barrel racing competition at the Crazy Woman Ranch in Lancaster, Ohio, this summer. (Photo Provided)

She would not be where she is without her parents, Dan and Kelly Staats, and growing up on the family farm near Williamstown.

“They got me to my shows and have made all of this possible,” Staats said.

Her mother has been barrel racing for years and that was how she met her father and they started going out after he shoed one of her horses.

“I have been raised into it,” Staats said. “It is just in my blood.”

She enjoys being outside everyday working on her skills in being able to handle the horse.

Williamstown High School sophomore Kayleen Staats with her horses, Lily and Fancy. Staats is an avid barrel racer competing in competitions around the country. (Photo Provided)

“It gives me something to chase,” she said, adding she wants to continue competing and build up a racing career in addition to everything else so she can earn enough money to one day have her own farm where she wants to raise horses.

“If you have top-of-the-line horses, you are doing top-of-the-line stuff,” she said. “At the moment, that is where we are at.”

She currently has six horses and a mini pony. Her horse Lily is her personal horse.

Staats is a jockey for Steve Ewing, a family friend they have known for many years who breeds horses and from whom they purchased Lily.

She is a member of the National Barrel Racing Association, the Crazy Woman Youth Rodeo and the Better Barrel Racers Association.

Kayleen Staats of Williamstown raises beef cattle where she recently got Grand Champion (Market Steer) in the Junior Division at the Wood County 4-H and FFA Summer Showcase. She is a member of the Wood County Woodchucks 4-H Club where she has served as president as well as the Blennerhassett FFA. (Photo Provided)

Her family has traveled to Virginia, Kentucky and Georgia this summer for competitions.

Staats also wants to become a nurse to help people.

“I want to become a nurse because I find interest in helping people and I know I will be able to support myself and my needs when I step into the real world,” she said.

Riding will still remain important to her as she eventually wants to compete in the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“That is the biggest race I will ever be in,” she said. “You have to build up and go to bigger and bigger shows and start qualifying.”

Kayleen Staats of Williamstown raises beef cattle and is pictured here showing one of her cattle projects at the recent Wood County 4-H and FFA Summer Showcase. (Photo Provided)

A lot of races are in the western United States as the bigger races take place in Wyoming, California, Texas, Utah and Nevada.

Taking care of her horses on a daily basis provides her with a lot of exercise to remain in shape, build strength and be physically prepared for racing.

“It is mostly doing the hard work of putting in the hay, cleaning out the stalls and lifting your arms,” she said. “Everything you do pertains to these animals. It is every day.”

Still, she enjoys being able to take a ride on her horse.

“If I get my chores done, I get to go for a ride,” Staats said. “It is relaxing.”

Staats has been a farm girl all of her life and raises beef cattle where she recently got Grand Champion (Beef) in the Junior Division at the Wood County 4-H and FFA Summer Showcase. She is a member of the Wood County Woodchucks 4-H Club where she has served as president as well as the Blennerhassett FFA where she does market steers, feeder steers and ham/bacon projects.

Her mother also raised cattle and the tradition has been passed on to her.

All of her money from her livestock sales goes into her college fund.

“I show cattle to make money that will go into my future college funds so I can become a registered nurse,” she said. “I raised them so they can raise me to be what I’m going to be.”

Staats is planning to go to West Virginia University at Parkersburg so she will be able to stay close to home and her horses.

“She can still chase her dreams on the road with her horses,” her mother said. “She can still go to school, come home, work and ride her horses.”

Racing has taught her the importance of hard work, patience and determination in everything she does. Regardless of how well she does in any particular race, she is always learning and always moving forward.

“Winning or failing, you take it and you move on,” she said. “You use what you learned for your next time.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.

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