A Rough Start and Second Chances Lead to the Ride of a Lifetime for Chelsea Moore

Chelsea Moore and "Woodrow" are back on the rodeo road after the outstanding gelding sustained a major injury at the beginning of 2025. The duo claimed three wins back-to-back as they kicked off 2026, marking their return to competition with authority. We caught up with Moore about her journey, so far.

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A Rough Start

A rider and horse race to the finish line — Moore and Woodrow | Fernando Sam-Sin

Woodrow, registered as Tres Socks, was raised by Tommy Williams and intended for greatness on the racetrack. Sadly, Woodrow's mother passed away when he was only two months old, and Williams bottle-fed the foal through many long nights. His papers caught the eye of Texas barrel racer, Jana Himes, who purchased the gelding.

When it was time for Woodrow to be started under saddle, he went through another misadventure with a trainer. Woodrow had been left without food and water and suffered an eye injury. While Himes was nursing him back to health and working to save his vision, he colicked and underwent colic surgery.

Despite the traumatic events of his first few years of life, Woodrow proved he wanted to be a winner in the arena. When Moore received the phone call that he was for sale, she wasted no time heading to Texas. As they would say, the rest was history.

Second Chances

A horse and rider turn a barrel — Moore and Woodrow | Fernando Sam-Sin

Although Woodrow has a few quirks, Moore credits his grit for helping him succeed in the grueling world of rodeo.

"He is so great on the road. He's a handful and you can't wear him down. I think the way his life began made him a warrior," Moore shared.

2024 was the first year that Moore rodeoed full-time, and she quickly saw what an asset Woodrow's tenacity would be.

"I drove from Grand Island, Nebraska, to Stephenville, Texas, to Tucson, Arizona, within three days, and he won Tucson. He has a lot of heart, and he thrives on it. Tucson put me at the top of the Playoffs Standings, so I entered the Calgary qualifier, and he won that. He blew an abscess in Calgary (after winning a round, nonetheless), so I started running a five-year-old, and we made it to Puyallup, then we made it all the way to the Governor's Cup," Moore explained of the whirlwind season.

Coming into 2025, the duo had earned their spot at many of the limited-entry winter rodeos. Riding the momentum of 2024, Moore and Woodrow headed into a new season. During a run at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, Woodrow's peroneus tertius (the tendon that connects the femur to the lower leg) ruptured.

After walking her beloved partner out of the arena, Moore immediately began making phone calls. She told us, "Everyone I talked to said he would recover. It may take a while, but he would recover. I took my time and was very careful with him."

"We were planning to send him to a rehab facility, but I just wanted him with me. It gave us time and an opportunity to build a relationship when there were no expectations. It was a time for me to love him and appreciate him for what he had done for me, and it gave us time to build an even stronger bond. We had a good bond (before), but I think it's stronger than ever," Moore told us.

A New Season

After an extensive rehabilitation journey to help Woodrow return to the arena, the duo is seeing where the road will take them in 2026. Currently on their way to Florida, Moore and Woodrow are in uncharted territory.

"It all sounded good when I was entering, but when it came time to leave the driveway, I had second thoughts," Moore laughed. "I've never been there. It's a little scary, but my husband, Daniel, told me I needed to do it, so I have to give him props."

Moore, a mother of two, shared the challenge of balancing life at home and rodeo.

"Being away from home isn't something I like to do, but I'm going to Florida and then on to Tucson. After that, I'll go home, and we'll decide from there. If the rodeo thing goes great, great, we will keep going. If it doesn't, I'm still happy, because the worst thing that can happen is that I go home. My kids are in sports and activities, and my husband and I own our own business."

Now living her childhood dream, Moore is grateful for the opportunity and has gained a new appreciation for what it takes to compete at this level.

"I’ve never seen a work ethic in anybody like I do with the women of professional rodeo. No matter what adversity comes their way, they always find a way to overcome. They have a lot of grit, determination, and hustle... My husband always jokes that if he was going to hire anybody, he'd love to hire a professional barrel racer because they are so gritty and tough and can about figure anything out and have such a desire to achieve goals... It’s hard to find people like that and now being in the trenches with them, I realize what it takes."

Moore and Woodrow both embody that perseverance and determination, and at the heart of their success is Moore's unwavering belief in a spicy sorrel gelding who had an unfortunate start to life. This duo continues to prove that it is never too late to chase your dreams, regardless of what life has thrown your way.

A Rough Start

Second Chances

A New Season

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