Leon Harrel

This story begins on the grassy plains of Oklahoma. As a boy
in the 1940's, Leon Harrel worked alongside his father and
grandfather as they farmed their land and raised cattle.
Early on, the men instilled in Leon the western way of life
and the hard work it took to maintain it. As he grew into a
young man, Leon began to dream of one day becoming a World
Champion Cowboy.

16 years later, after moving to California , Leon became
deeply involved in the rodeo. Bull riding was his passion
until 1962, when a near-fatal spill left him unable to
continue the sport. Though bruised and disappointed, Leon
did not allow his injuries to interfere with his dream. And
while he began to train race horses, he missed the western
element that he loved so much.

In 1968, Leon discovered the grace and beauty of the cutting
horse. Their strength, stamina and cunning challenged Leon
and fueled his dreams. He began to concentrate fully on the
cutting horse business in 1969, and in 1972, purchased his
first training facility.

Leon has realized his childhood dream of becoming a World
Champion cowboy many times over. He is one of the most
consistent winners in major cutting horse competitions, and
is widely recognized by other horsemen as one of the top
cutting horse trainers in the world.

He has claimed the NCHA Futurity Championship twice, and has
qualified for the finals 23 times in the 28 years he has
competed in the event. He also was former President of the
NCHA, was inducted into the NCHA Hall of Fame in 1989, and
was recently awarded an NCHA lifetime membership.