Faith, Passion, and Perseverance Key to Jana Bean's Success in Pro Rodeo

A three-time NFR qualifier, Bean is steadily climbing the World Standings after her last trip to the NFR a decade ago.

Jana Bean | Fernando Sam-Sin

Jana Bean is no stranger to winning on the biggest stages in barrel racing, and she is proof that we can all achieve our wildest dreams through faith and perseverance.

Bean, who grew up competing in rodeo, always dreamt of becoming a great barrel racer. In 2026, she is once again making a big splash in professional rodeo — a full decade after her last trip to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR).

An Incredible Journey

Jana Bean in Scottsdale, Ariz., 2026 | Fernando Sam-Sin

Although her heart pulled her towards barrel racing, it was Bean's talent for goat tying and breakaway roping that earned her a college scholarship. She claimed the College National Finals Rodeo Breakaway Roping Championship in 1990, helping her Howard College Women’s Team win the Reserve National Champion Women’s Team Title.

Bean married her husband, Breck, and moved to Fort Hancock, Texas, in 1991. Breck, a team roper, would compete in professional rodeos, and Jana would stay just to watch her favorite event.

"I would make him stay and watch all the barrel racing. And I just dreamed of the day that I might have a horse that would be competitive enough to even enter a pro rodeo," Bean shared.

Her desire to compete in the event only grew, and after having her son Jim Breck, she quit her job as a teacher to stay home with him. Continuing to train and sell horses as she raised her son, Bean began working her way up the ranks and into higher-level horses.

Jana Bean at La Fiesta de los Vaqueros 2026 | Fernando Sam-Sin

In 2013, Bean was competing on the great gelding, Dash Ta Freedom, and believed he had what it took to take her to the NFR. While competing at the Old Fort Days Futurity, unbeknownst to Bean, Trip duPerier had Heza Bug Leo delivered to her barn.

An aged-event standout with trainer Latricia Duke, Heza Bug Leo helped Angie Meadors qualify for the NFR in 2011, before selling to duPerier. With two standout horses on her trailer, Bean excelled at the amateur rodeos in 2013. Dashing Klee and Im A Royal Design came into Bean's life the following year, during her first bid for the NFR.

Bean went on to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) three times (2014-2016).

"In 2017, I just got out of balance a little bit. You can look back, and you can see all the things that you should have done differently... It was just a mental place I was at, and I didn't really allow myself the time to grieve. I seemed to be fighting every situation. I think I ended up 18th that year, and the next year, I ended up about 20th, still kind of fighting that struggle bus. I thought, 'This isn't what I need to be doing right now...' so I came home and regrouped," Bean explained of her decision to step away from traveling full-time.

Now, a decade later, she is lighting up the professional rodeo scene once again.

"I've never lost that desire of wanting to win or try to get back to the NFR, but I've tried to put it into perspective, and I've told God, if it's in His story for me to get back, or He has a purpose for me to get back, to just use me where I'm at," Bean shared.

Little did Bean know, big things were headed her way in 2026. Her friend, Kynzie Rae McNeill, had purchased Vizion from breeder Bo Hill. McNeill trained the gelding, with Bean stepping in to help a few times along the way. McNeill went on to set arena records on the talented sorrel and found success in the Turquoise Circuit.

After moving from nearby Hobbs, N.M., to Valentine, Neb., McNeill was staying with Bean over the winter. Knowing she was headed for shoulder surgery, she asked Bean if she would keep Vizion and run him for her.

Jana Bean in Cave Creek, Ariz., 2026 | Fernando Sam-Sin

She and Vizion (Famous Bugs x Fire Water Vision x Fire Water Flit) won three major rodeos in Arizona in a row and have continued their hot streak throughout April. The pair ran one of the fastest times of the WPRA Western Regional in Salina, Utah, and the following week, she rode Flashin Bills to the win at the San Angelo Chute Out.

As for her plans for the rest of 2026, Bean is following where the path may lead.

"I'm just going to keep entering as long as things keep going good, trying to listen to God and be directed by Him, and where He needs me to go and what He wants me to do."

Bean, who has handled the ups and downs of training horses and competing in rodeo for decades, remains grounded in her faith and gratitude.

"There is something to be said for, 'Everybody has their winning season.' Don't ever be jealous of them during their winning season, because you don't know what it took to get the person there," Bean shared.

She described the 2026 season so far as "catching a ride on a great one," and we cannot wait to see what her year holds.