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.