Dakota Kirchenschlager won the 4-year-old incentive on Hangin On The Line in 2018, before he ever met his wife. Eight years later, the mare his wife’s family owns carried him to a World Show final.

Kirchenschlager and the 2014 Shine On Line mare tied for third in the L3 Senior Dally Team Roping – Heeling prelims at the 2026 AQHA World Championship Show in Oklahoma City on Saturday, Nov. 7, marking a 227.0 for $2,190. It was one of six finals berths Kirchenschlager earned across the Senior Heading and Senior Heeling — more than any other exhibitor in either class.

“It’s a crazy small world,” Kirchenschlager said. “Before I ever even knew my wife—I didn’t even know my wife existed in this world—I rode horses for her dad. And he sent me that horse to ride, and that’s the horse I won the 4-year-old incentive on at the ARHFA (in 2018), and won fourth overall in 2018 at Fort Worth on that horse.”

That was the 2018 American Rope Horse Futurity Association World Championship Futurity, where Hangin On The Line won the 4-year-old heeling incentive for $5,000 and placed fourth in the open heeling futurity for $14,000, according to QData.

Dakota Kirchenschlager’s Fast Back Rope

A family horse

Hangin On The Line has been passed around the Armenta/Kirchenschlager family since. Kirchenschlager and his cousin Trevor showed her as a 5-year-old, and Trevor showed her as a 6-year-old. His sister-in-law, Sarah Armenta, took her to the reining pen, and the mare has $29,571 in NRHA earnings. At the 2022 World Show, Hangin On The Line won the Level 3 Amateur Reining. His father-in-law ropes on her, and his wife heads on her.

After last year’s World Show, the family agreed to bring her back to Oklahoma City one more time to head and heel on her. Tate Kirchenschlager got the heading.

“I told him, I was like, man, I would love to get the opportunity to head on her, but we all know I’m not the best header,” Kirchenschlager said. “So we put Tate on her. We didn’t have luck in that, but she was great still.”

The mare made the finals anyway, with Kirchenschlager on the heel side.

“That’s a special horse, man—longevity,” he said. “She was one of the very first horses I’d done good on.”

The mare has has a good World Show before. She placed third in the L3 Senior Heeling at the 2022 World Show for $8,928. The year after his 2018 futurity run on her, he broke his leg.

She has $78,668 in lifetime earnings across roping and reining, according to QData, before this week’s check.

“It’s eight years ago,” he said. “Was at the highest level eight years ago, and to come back and have a chance to be at the highest level again is pretty, pretty cool to me. I mean, she’s a good horse, man. They’ve taken great care of her.”

The family has raised foals out of her, and they one coming to Pride And Joyy in 2027.

Six back, and not satisfied

Six finals rides did not leave Kirchenschlager happy. He watched his runs that night and again the next morning.

“I’m glad the judges liked our horses,” he said. “But out of six of them, there was three or four of the horses that I know for sure that wasn’t even close to their best, and the judges still liked them.”

Miss Peppys Rebel, a 2020 Metallic Rebel mare owned by Jared Crain of Gallatin, Tenn., and SJR Diamond Chanel, a 2020 CD Diamond mare owned by Rick and Missie Plummer of Sand Springs, Okla., each scored 224.5 in the heading to tie for ninth. Miss Peppys Rebel also tied for sixth in the heeling for $511.

“Both of those runs were just like practice runs,” Kirchenschlager said. “I mean, nothing, just smooth, simple runs, and they were right in the middle of the pack making the short round.”

On the heel side, he said none of his runs set up the way he wanted. He and Tate had not roped a steer together since last year’s World Show, and he took the blame for the timing.

“It’s not like it needs to be,” he said. “Today we need to get it together and make four good runs right out of the gates.”

Travelin For Acrez

The run that meant the most came early. Travelin For Acrez, a 2020 Travelin Jonez mare owned by Keith Barnes of Raymore, Mo., went 12th of 73 in the heading —early enough that most of the field still had to run—and still made the finals with a 224.0.

“Travelin For Acrez means a lot to me,” he said. “We had so much success early on, and then it’s just been hard to get it back rolling again.”

He said he has spent a lot of time with the mare, trying to prepare her better and let things happen rather than force them.

Fourteen horses, five people

Kirchenschlager brought 14 horses to Oklahoma City, including his help horses. He has 11 total to show. His crew is his wife, two employees and his daughter. The help shows up early to feed, clean stalls and saddle; Kirchenschlager and his wife do most of the riding.

“I know this sounds terrible, but this is freaking easy compared to a futurity,” he said. “It’s only one round, where the futurities, I mean, we got to do it four times in one day, or at least three times in one day. Takes a lot of horses, a lot of ropes, a lot of people.”

Watch Dakota Kirchenschlager’s training series on Roping.com.

Hangin On The Line

SHINE ON LINE x SPOOKS HANGTEN x SPOOKS GOTTA GUN
2014 Mare
Breeder: Mary A. Jansma, Tioga, Texas
Owner: Armenta Quarter Horses, Gainesville, Texas
Lifetime earnings: $78,668 (Robin Glenn Show Research, before 2026 World Show)

Prelims: Senior Heeling, tied for third, 227.0, $2,190 (Dakota Kirchenschlager). Senior Heading with Tate Kirchenschlager: broke the barrier, heeler missed.

Senior heading and heeling finals draws

L3 Senior Heading finals — working order

Prelim = prelim placing and score. Qualified: Prelim = top 14 placings with ties; *came from below the cut.

L3 Senior Heeling finals — working order

Prelim = prelim placing and score. Qualified: Prelim = top 14 placings with ties; *came from below the cut.