Women in Rodeo: Tayla Moeykens Is Back After Rocky Finish To 2025 Season

The 2026 rodeo season is heating up and women in rodeo across the country are gearing up for some of the most intense months of the season. Barrel racer Tayla Moeykens is no stranger to the spotlight as she is gunning for her second qualification for the National Finals Rodeo.

Moeykens Keeps Getting Better

Moeykens has had her eye on the world champion title since joining the ProRodeo circuit back in 2021. Despite finishing No. 71 in the world standings that year, she finished fifth in the rookie standings and won Rookie of the Year in the Montana Circuit.

Since then, things have only improved for the cowgirl, she made her way up in the ranks year after year. Falling short of her first NFR qualification in 2024 after finishing No. 16, Moeykens came back with a vengeance last season. She had her best year yet, entering the Thomas & Mack arena at No. 10.

Unfortunately for the cowgirl, tragedy befell her as the EHV-1 outbreak led to her not being able to use a single horse she owned at the NFR in 2025. She ended the season at No. 15 after fellow top 15 barrel racer Katelyn Scott let Tayla ride her back-up horse (Heaven Sent Fame “Kian”) during some of the 10 days.

Now she is back and better than ever, heading into the summer months. She has had some solid finishes this year, including an impressive win at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and solid performances at RodeoHouston. She heads to The American Rodeo later this year.

Strong Runs So Far

It was these performances that has her at a career best of No. 7 in the world standings, sitting on $40,977 earned. Moeykens sits $30,000 outside of the top five but that doesn’t matter much for a cowgirl looking to secure only her second trip to the NFR.

Some of her biggest wins of the season last year came later. She took home some huge titles including a win at the legendary Pendleton Round-up and setting an arena record of 16.81-seconds at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston, Oregon.

In total last year she took home five championship titles and a second place finish at the Daddy Of ‘Em All, Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming. This means the cowgirl is just getting started this season and fans haven’t seen the best of her yet.

If she goes down a similar path at these rodeos this year, Moeykens has a real shot at making it to the top of the leaderboard. She is back with her main mounts this season, so only time will tell the kind of fire Moeykens will blaze through the arena this summer.

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