“They’re both special,” Leslie said of her back-to-back titles. “I’m proud of my mare. This is a really nice mare; she’s always been consistent. It’s been a thrill both times. It’s an honor.”

Leslie bought the mare five years ago from her friend, Angela Danner.

“I told Angela, ‘When you’re through with her, I’d like to have her.’  So when she got ready to change horses, she called me and I got her, and I’ve never regretted it.”

 

Leslie Chapman Harrison and her mare, Yoder, set the pace in the barrel racing finals and never looked back, winning their second Bayer Select World Championship.

Leslie said she’d like to qualify Yoder in pole bending as well, but it’s been tough to acquire points this year. She said few of the shows near her hometown of Stamford, Texas, hold speed events.

“We have to go to the bigger shows to get points and that usually means hauling four hours at least,” she said.

Leslie works full time as a registered nurse at a small hospital in Stamford to support her horses.

“I try to work my schedule where I can be gone, or at least get one run and get back if I have to work the next day. I’m real lucky, I have a good work schedule. It works out real well.”

Leslie also rides Yoder in National Barrel Horse Association, West Texas Barrel Racers, and as many 4-D competitions as she can.

“She’ll do anything you ask her, she’s just honest,” she said. “She’s just real consistent; she’s been there for me every time.