About Michele McLeod

Michele McLeod didn’t grow up with dreams of the NFR - she actually wanted to be a firefighter. That changed after high school when she learned about barrel racing from Bess Chaney. She joined WPRA in 2004 and moved to Texas soon after to train barrel horses full time. She became a household name in 2013, winning the Snake River Stampede, Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, Black Hills Round Up, Chisholm Trail Stampede, and Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, among others. She qualified for the Wrangler NFR that year for the first time, placing in 3 rounds and finishing 5th in the World Standings. The year 2014 was another banner year, qualifying again for the NFR. She placed in 5 out of 10 rounds, won Round 5, finished 5th in the average, and 4th in the World Standings. At the 2015 NFR, she placed in 6 out of 10 rounds, won Rounds 2 and 8, finished 4th in the average, and 4th in the World Standings with $218,744 in earnings. Michele qualified for the Wrangler NFR for the 4th year in a row in 2016, placing in 2 rounds and winning the 4th round. She ended the year ranked 12th in the World Standings. Michele continues to compete in WPRA, while also giving clinics across the country, training horses, and bringing along several prospects for the barrel futurities.