Charmayne James, Kristie Peterson, Martha Josey.

With 16 world titles between them, there's no denying their talent on the cloverleaf. 

But could we be seeing the next generation of someday-famous barrel racers right before our very eyes today? Better yet—could there be more of them than ever before?

With four world titles to her name, a tie for the most WNFR barrel racing qualifications at 19, and the highest earning barrel racer at over $3 million and counting, Sherry Cervi will easily go down as one of the greatest barrel racers of all time. Cervi joined the WPRA in 1986 and had the honor of running against some of those greats, but as her career and legend continue to grow today, there's a new crop of competitors that could make their own mark on history. 

"There were great horses back then but there were just three or four that dominated," Cervi said.

"I think that the depth of the great horses is deeper. There are so many good horses in all areas of the United States, wherever you go. There is no such thing as ducking off to go off to a little rodeo and it’s going to be easy because it does not matter where you go, it’s super tough.

"There are just more horses that at any time, can win first."

Yesterday's Greats

Of course, knowing the name of the cowgirl is just knowing half of a team. While some are lucky enough to find or train multiple world champion-caliber horses in their careers, in most cases that horse is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that proves to be the sought-after "perfect partnership" it takes to win a world title. 

"When somebody asks me about the best barrel racers, I think of horses," Cervi said.

She started to list the ones that came to the top of her mind:

Few barrel racing fans will forget Kristie Peterson’s "French Flash Hawk" aka "Bozo," who was named AQHA horse of the year five times from 1995 to 1999. Later this year both Peterson and Bozo will be inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. 

Or what about Kay Blandford and "Llave," registered as "The Key Grip," who won horse of the year in 2002? Or Lindsay Sears and her flashy sorrel "Sugar Moon Express," known as "Martha," that helped her to win two world titles and was also voted as horse of the year in 2008?

The list went on and on for Cervi as she rattled off horses she admired for their grit, ability to handle any situation, and even some for their ability to return from injury to be competitive once again. For many, though, when you think of the best horse of all time, one can’t go far without thinking of "Gills Bay Boy," known in rodeo households everywhere as "Scamper."

"That’s a hard choice because there have been so many great horses," Cervi said. "I think you can’t take anything away from Scamper and Charmayne. I don’t feel like, in my lifetime, I’ll ever see a horse that dominates the way he did—10 times."

While famous horses like Scamper will forever be remembered in a class of their own, today the world of barrel racing has become increasingly more competitive. As Cervi said, the field is deeper.

But what factors have made that field grow from three or four dominant horses at one time to the many we see today?

Accessible Knowledge

"There’s so much more knowledge out there with social media, you can learn something by watching it on the internet," Cervi said. "And when I first started, you didn’t have that access—you had to actually go to a clinic and learn something."

Not only is that knowledge more accessible, but you can learn from so many different people now, creating a stronger knowledge base as a whole. From a media perspective, even the advancement in camera equipment and that accessibility of good equipment like GoPro cameras, drones, and high-quality home cameras for both instructors to share their information and for you to video yourself and review have given competitors today a leg up on their past competition.

Rodeo Committees & Barrel Racing Producers

From the makeup of the dirt to the equipment used to groom it, the science of creating the "perfect" ground has continued to advance. With rodeo being a seven-event system, a fine balance has to be struck between each of the events "optimal" conditions in order to make everyone happy, but with the advancement of that knowledge and equipment used, barrel racing times will continue to get faster. 

"Committees and barrel racing producers are getting smarter about the ground," Cervi said. "That’s a work in progress and the ground being better and people being more aware of making the ground better has helped the horsepower and helps them be able to run fast times."

Breeding & Training

A good horse is a good horse: one that’s built to do it all and go in any direction. That just isn’t the case anymore, with all-around horses being taken over by specialists in the game, bred to excel physically in the field they are destined for. There are many breeders that develop pedigrees specifically for the barrel racing market, and those pedigrees have continued to fine-tune themselves and get faster over the years. 

The same goes for horse trainers. You can now make quite a living as someone who trains specifically for the purpose of selling barrel horses to all levels of competitors. 

Growing popularity—and increasing purses—of futurities and derbies could also be attributed to the expansion of both the breeding and training markets. 

Sponsors & The Expanding Western Market

The same way the creation of numbered team ropings changed the game, the invention of divisional barrel racings has completely turned the barrel racing jackpot on its head and created a world in which "weekend warriors" could compete in the same jackpots as the pros and still have a chance to win some money. The "D" system not only allows more people to compete, but it also creates a market in which horses are worth more money, even if they are off the pace.

"I remember when there weren’t divisional barrel races, it was just an open jackpot," Cervi said. "A 3D barrel racer can go win money and a 3D horse actually has some value. Before if you had a horse that was a second off, you may not get very much money for him but now there is a market for him."

Not only does this help put more money into the horse industry—giving more money to trainers and breeders—but it also adds dollars to the western industry as a whole. More people competing means more western clothing, tack, trailers, and trucks are purchased. 

If those companies start making more money because more people are buying their products, they can afford to sponsor more competitors at the highest level of the sport, allowing more competitors to be able to afford to compete at the ever-expensive professional level.

The Next Generation

Today, that horsepower has multiplied. There aren’t just three or four horses that dominate the professional rodeo game at one time; there are many that on any given day will take your money.

Lisa Lockhart and "An Oakie With Cash," known by the world of rodeo as that handsome buckskin "Louie" that runs that same consistent pattern every time, will undoubtedly go down as one of the great ones someday.

Cervi is hesitant to brag on her own herd, but you can’t go far in the barrel racing world without hearing people talk about her little mare "Stingray." The palomino "MP Meter My Hay" is responsible for a large part of Cervi’s extensive career awards and clearly holds a special place in the barrel racer’s heart.

Both of these horses have been around for many rodeo seasons and have proven themselves, but there are many that have just recently come on the scene and are starting their own journeys. 

To name just a few of the many standouts of today: reigning world champion Nellie Miller and "Rafter W Minnie Reba" aka "Sister," 2017 champion of The American Hailey Kinsel and her own "Sister," "DM Sissy Hayday," Amberleigh Moore and "CP Dark Moon" or "Paige," who have a world reserve champion title to their names. 

"I think you’re going to see records continue to be broken because they are made to be broken," said Cervi, who has been responsible for breaking many records over her career herself. "They’re running faster standard times—you used to go to a rodeo and a short 17-second run was a heck of a run, well now you’ll go to a rodeo and 16s are placing."

Today’s top horses are still new in their careers and time will tell if they will go down as the next generation of great horses that will be remembered for years to come, but this much is clear, they—along with the hard work of trainers, breeders, sponsors, and committees—are responsible for making the world of barrel racing tougher than it has ever been.