Try as she might, Aztec, N.M., native Kelsi Elkins can't seem to get her fill of professional barrel racing these days.

In fact, Elkins' love for her sport is such that she ran two races Saturday in different parts of the Land of Enchantment.

Elkins circled the barrels at the 32nd annual Raton Rodeo on Saturday morning before repeating her act just hours later at Rodeo de Santa Fe's matinee session at the Santa Fe Rodeo Grounds.

"We got here about five minutes before the event started," Elkins said after her run at Rodeo de Santa Fe, where she posted a time of 17.75 seconds.

"We weren't sure if we were gonna make it."

Elkins' time at the Rodeo de Santa Fe wasn't good enough to place her in the Top 15 in the barrel racing standings heading into evening session of the 61st edition of the Rodeo de Santa Fe — meaning she left without collecting a paycheck.

But overall the Northern New Mexico cowgirl has been a force to be reckoned with on the Turquoise Circuit — a regional professional rodeo circuit located in Arizona and New Mexico — since bursting onto the scene as a rookie last year.

Elkins, 23, established herself as one of the top rookies on the circuit, winning the year-end competition and advancing to the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho, which took place from April 7-10.

Elkins placed second overall at the National Circuit Finals, losing to champion Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, S.D., by just seven-tenths of a second in the final round.

Elkins was the only rider to post a time of under 16 seconds in all four of her runs at the finals.

Elkins said her experience in Pocatello let her know she can compete with the sport's best.

"It gave me a lot more confidence," Elkins said. "Just knowing that your horse can run with them makes you want to go out and compete more and more."

Thus far this season, Elkins' enthusiasm for hitting as many stops on the pro rodeo circuit as possible has paid off.

She is currently atop the Turquoise Circuit barrel racing standings at the midway point of the season and has her eye on a return to the National Circuit Finals.

Her sophomore season has not been without its share of adversity, however.

Elkins' primary horse went down with a leg injury in a competition several weeks ago, and she's been racing horses that belong to family and friends since the injury.

Although Elkins expects her usual rodeo arena companion to fully recover after a few months of rest and rehabilitation, adjusting to a new horse is no easy feat in a sport that relies on a seamless chemistry existing between horse and rider.

Elkins never rode the horse she raced on at the Rodeo de Santa Fe in competition, meaning she had more to contend with during her run than just the mud left in the arena from Friday night's heavy rains.

"This is my first run on this horse, and I rode another horse this morning in Raton for the first time," Elkins said.

Elkins is hoping to find a more regular replacement horse in the next few weeks, as she hits the summer rodeo circuit in earnest.

"We're headed to the rodeo in Prescott (Ariz.) on Monday," Elkins said, "and then we're just going to stay out there for the next month and hit as many rodeos as we can between there and Montana."

It's a schedule in keeping with a cowgirl who seems determined to spend her time during rodeo season either on the road or in the saddle.

Contact Jon Sward at jsward39@gmail.com.