PRORODEO Sports - April 24, 2026 Digital Edition

Manuel, born Aug. 19, 1939, in Winamac, Ind., is well known for her accomplishments both aboard barrel horses and jumping horses. She qualified for the National Finals Rodeo a total of nine times (1962-67, 1969-1971), winning the coveted world championship twice with a reserve finish in 1965. She par tially credits her success in rodeo to her days as a teen performer in Wild West shows, in which she did trick riding and Roman riding. She transitioned from trick riding to barrel racing shortly after getting Spade as he was fast and agile, so she thought he was well suited for the clo verleaf pattern. She trained him and believed they only hit a barrel twice during his whole career. They cap tured the RodeoHouston title in 1968, the second year it was held at the Astrodome. Spade also spent some of his career as a bulldogging horse and she thought that made him tougher when it came to barrel racing. In addition to her world titles, another highlight of her career was meeting two U.S. presidents – Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy. She retired from rodeo in the 1970s

cause after all, her second world title came 10 years after her first (2006). Burger, at the young age of 68 years and 4 months in 2016, became the oldest world champion, male or fe male, a record that still stands today. She was born Aug. 18, 1948, in Decatur, Ind., but now makes her home in Pauls Valley, Okla. Horses were commonly used on the family farm and viewed as a tool. One of

That year a horse named Rare Fred carried her to her first WPRA World Title. She not only etched her name in the record books for the 2006 world title, but she also became the oldest world champion in the WPRA at the age of 58, a record she would break 10 years later. Burger qualified for the National Finals Rodeo two more times (2008 09) with Fred. In 2010, Fred was

MARY BURGER

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six children, Burger was diagnosed at a young age with Perthes disease in both hips, a condition that caus es inflammation and arthritis-like symptoms. The disease rendered her unable to walk and she required crutches. As a result, her father bought her a pony that served as her transportation until she was 10. Burger was able to recover from the disease with treatment, and it’s believed that horseback riding helped her hips spread, allowing her to heal. She first made a name for herself in the AQHA ranks winning the world titles in junior barrel racing and pole bending in 1974 aboard a horse named High Bars Wimpy. Burger added seven more AQHA World Ti tles in barrel racing (1985-86, 1995, 2001-03, 2005) aboard three differ ent horses, Showum The Gold, Miss Mergie and Rare Fred, before turning her attention to the PRORODEO ranks. Burger joined the Women’s Pro fessional Rodeo Association in 1985 when she moved to Oklahoma with her husband, Kerry, but just dabbled in the PRORODEO ranks until 2006.

sold and so began Burger’s search for the next great ride. Enter a buckskin gelding registered Sadiefamouslast words, known as Mo. Mo took to PRORODEO circuit like a champ, collecting his first big win at RodeoHouston and followed that up a few months later with the title at the Calgary Stampede. The first week of August, Burger surpassed Lindsay Sears’ record for most money won prior to the NFR with $185,439. Sears set the record in 2008 with $184,567. Burger set a then regular season record earnings mark with $190,977 and became just the third WPRA contestant in NFR history to wear the No. 1 back number, joining Charmayne James and Sherry Cervi. Burger finished the 2016 season with $277,554 in earnings, capturing her second gold buckle at her fourth and final NFR. LORETTA MANUEL : Manuel won the 1963 and 1967 barrel racing world championships aboard a black horse registered Full of Pep, that she simply called Spade.

LORETTA MANUEL

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12 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE APRIL 24, 2026