Jordon Briggs' first turn in the commentary booth brought a technical, experience-driven perspective to the NFR barrel race, one shaped by decades of greatness.
When Jordon Briggs took a seat in the commentary booth for the barrel racing at the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, she did so with unmatched knowledge of the sport.
Briggs delivered analysis rooted in timing, position, and those decision making elements that define barrel racing at that level but are often difficult to articulate in real time. While reactions to her style varied, one thing has been clear that Briggs was chosen for the role because she knows exactly what she’s watching and she’s proven it for years.
A Career Built on More Than Gold Buckles
Briggs’ résumé extends well beyond her world championship in 2021. In 2024, she surpassed $1 million in career earnings, a milestone achieved through a combination of rodeo success and extensive futurity and derby competition.
She is a four-time NFR qualifier, a WPRA World Champion, and a Reserve World Champion, with a career that includes wins at major rodeos across the country. Her 2021 world title season was historic because she not only won the championship but also claimed the average, setting a record for the fastest 10 runs ever recorded in the Thomas & Mack Center.
Long before that, Briggs was already competing on rodeo’s biggest stages. She qualified for her first NFR in 2009, building nearly two decades of Thomas and Mack experience that now informs how she sees each run unfold. She herself has ran down that alleyway many many times.
A Technical Eye in the Booth
Commentating barrel racing presents a unique challenge. The runs are fast, the margins are so super thin, and much of what determines success happens in fractions of a second.
Briggs approached the role the same way she approaches competition, by breaking down the details. Throughout the NFR, she discussed how horses entered and exited their turns, the timing of the girls hands, and how positioning early in the pattern often dictates the final result.
That level of analysis may sound subtle, but it’s the difference between a clean run and a tipped barrel. Briggs wasn’t guessing, and she wasn’t reacting after the fact; she was explaining decisions as they happened.
What separates Briggs from many voices is that her experience isn’t distant. She has competed and won against the same athletes running at this year’s NFR. Her perspective comes from recent, firsthand knowledge of the pressure, the ground, and the horsepower required to win inside the Thomas & Mack in today's age.
She also carries a deep understanding of the sport’s lineage as the daughter of Kristie Peterson, a four-time WPRA World Champion and ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee. That background has shaped Briggs’ approach to everything she does.
A Role That Will Continue to Evolve
Live commentary at the NFR is demanding, especially on the sport’s biggest stage. It requires accuracy, composure, and trust in your knowledge, all of which Briggs demonstrated.
Barrel racing continues to evolve, and so does how it’s presented to fans. By bringing a technical, competitor-driven voice to the booth, Briggs offered insight that reflects where the sport is today.
Whether viewers noticed every nuance or not, the information was there, and it came from one of the most qualified voices in the arena.