story by Lindsay King
Around a track or a cloverleaf pattern, racing is part of everyday life for Janet Kerr from Rogers, Ohio. “My husband, Wayne, trains thoroughbred race horses and futurity barrel horses. So lots of time at the track.” Janet’s sister used to show pleasure horses but she thought it was more fun to see how fast her pony could go. Her childhood neighbor Tony introduced her to barrel racing when she was eight and later he introduced her to Wayne. “We only knew each other six weeks when we got married. I lost my mind and moved to Ohio with him.” Janet has been in Ohio for the last 14 years with Wayne. “When I was a freshman, a random friend told me about a high school rodeo. I had never been to one before, knew nothing about it. I was lucky to have a great horse and we won that first one together. I was hooked from that point on.” Janet learned how to rope and goat tie after that, moving up the ranks and making it to nationals 1991 through 1994, sometimes in five events. “I was not one of those kids that grew up and knew it all from junior rodeo, I struggled. I knew how to run barrels and poles from speed events in 4-H but I had to work my way through everything else.” Her first year at state finals, Janet captured the title in barrel racing and her niece just did the same this year. “She is carrying on the family tradition and I am really proud of her for that.”
Janet still craves going to rodeos more than 20 years after she started. “Back in high school, I could fall down, wipe out on the goat run and people would still encourage me that I would figure it out eventually.” Most people never want to return to high school but Janet would love to go back so she could experience those years in rodeo again. “Some of the best friends that I will ever have for the rest of my life are from high school rodeo. It is a great group of people. They are there for the enjoyment of the sport.” Janet pursued an animal science degree at what was once known as Southwest Missouri State University, making the CNFR in 1996, winning reserve barrel racing in the Ozark region. “I tipped a barrel in the first round so I was out after that but it was an amazing experience.” She puts her degree to use helping her husband with Kerr Racing, Wayne has trained race horses for the last 20 years. “He is definitely the trainer of the family, I help out with everything else.” They are gone barrel racing at rodeos and jackpots all the time. “I got my MSRA card back in 2011 and went to the finals in 2012 and 2015.” She also runs in the SEBRA, winning the finals average in 2014. “Every year you buy your card you want to go to finals but now I have different goals. I am riding a three-year-old so I am going to try my hand at the futurity thing this winter. I am trying to get out my comfort zone a little bit.”
“I would love to have a chance to make a run for the IFR.” With the racing business it is difficult for Janet to travel far to rodeos. She likes the MSRA because most of the rodeos are close and they add a lot of extra money. “Everybody says you have your rodeo family and you truly do. You spend all summer with them. I have my own MSRA family. They try to do their best by their contestants, the stock contractors are great and it is not just a business for them.” Her main horse, Smarty, is a ten-year-old, 16-hand gelding known as the “overgrown pony” because of his sour personality. “He is real honest, he goes in and drills three barrels every time.” Janet recently went to Rwanda and Tanzania, Africa, for two weeks to visit her aunt. She has plans for more international travel in the future but barrels will always be her passion. She is sponsored by Chrome Girl Accessories; she says they keep her horses stylin’ by providing all her tack sets. “I am proud of the sport and I love to run. I love that every rodeo is opened with a prayer and the national anthem. When you look around the crowd, the culture and respect you see isn’t found at a lot of things anymore. I just love being a part of that.”
