Jessi Eagleberger had a plan for the 2010 rodeo season, a goal to shoot for as she and her tough gelding Say Hello to Goodbye set out on the road.

"My main goal was to win enough to get qualified for Houston and San Antonio for next year," says the Stringtown, Okla., cowgirl. Eagleberger had a tremendous rookie season in 2009, finishing fourth for the WPRA's Rookie of the Year title with over $17K earned. A fabulous first year but not quite enough to get her into the most lucrative rodeos in the winter.

With three months still left in 2010, Eagleberger has most likely already accomplished her goal. "Some of the other ladies said that I probably have enough won now to make it into those rodeos and I am really excited about that."

With a big weekend in which she collected checks worth nearly $3,500, Eagleberger now has over $26K won for the season. And now a bigger accomplishment is looming in front of her and her horse John.

With a win in Raton, N.M., and good checks from Santa Fe and Pecos, Texas, Eagleberger is ranked 17th in the WPRA NFR standings-less than $1,000 from being amongst the Top 15 and having a chance at qualifying to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

"I try not to look at the standings," Eagleberger admits. "Finishing in the top 45 was my goal and to make the NFR would be beyond my expectations. I would definitely love to go, there is no reason to be out here if you're not trying to make it [the the NFR]. But I think if it comes down to the wire [on qualifying], I will be a nervous wreck!"

Eagleberger grew up around team roping more than barrel racing; her parents, Larry and Donna, were both ropers and also produced events at their home. Eagleberger says warming up all the horses was her job for the ropings, and that her first barrel racing competition was at one of their jackpots.

Crediting her dad for all the help he has given her, Eagleberger says that neither she nor her father knew much about barrel racing when she decided to give it a try. "We watched and tried to learn," she says. "It was a lot of trial and error. My dad put in a lot of time and effort helping me."

As for her equine partner, John was owned by NFR qualifier Sherrylynn Johnson and Eagleberger heard about the horse from Johnson's parents.

"We called them and went down the next day. I loped him around the pattern and I really liked him," says Eagleberger. "We bought him the next day after that. Dad said that if I liked him that much, there was no reason to wait to buy him."

John was trained by Jimmy and Jaime Cagle and is a son of Freedom Flyer by Bridgetsuperhemp. Johnson campaigned the gelding for about a year at the rodeos before Eagleberger bought him two and a half years ago. The 10-year old is named after the man who raised him.

"My dad calls him Big John, like the song, because he is 16 hands tall," Eagleberger says. "And it fits him; he is pretty chilled out and easy going."

Eagleberger and Big John have made a big splash in 2010 beginning with a reserve championship at the National Western Stock Show in Denver in January. A steady stream of checks has followed, including third at Fort Smith, Ark., earlier this month.

"I learned a lot last season," says Eagleberger. "The biggest thing was to not over enter. I think it is much smarter for me to keep my horse fresh and go for quality over quantity."

Of course, with Cowboy Christmas looming this week, everyone is going harder than normal. Eagleberger is hauling with former NFR qualifier Meagan Reichert. The pair is entered at Greeley, Cody, St. Paul, Molalla, Eugene and Prescott.

"John really excels in those big outdoor pens, and he handles ground conditions well," says Eagleberger. "He's been out here longer than I have so he knows what to do."

"I put all my marbles into this right now, I'm not going to college, I really have no backup plan at the moment," Eagleberger explains what keeps her motivated on the tough haul. "This is my job right now plus I have so many people helping me. I don't want to let them down. This has got to work."

So far it is working beautifully.