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“It was an amazing barrel race,” agrees Lockhart who is sponsored by B Bar Heart Per- formance Horses, Platinum Performance, Priefert Ranch Equipment, Woody’s Feeds, Polaris Ranger, Cowgirl Tuff, Classic Equine, Circle Y Sad- dles and DeTye Vet Supply. “Good ground really makes a difference for us as well as for the spectators. It just can’t be said enough.”


Oregon cowgirl Amberleigh Moore dominated the headlines all week. After coming to Vegas ranked 15th, the cowgirl took three round wins and brushed over a barrel to set a new arena record in the seventh round but returned the following night to tie the arena record. It was her      second in the average to Lock- hart.


“Amberleigh would have shattered the arena record [with- out the barrel penalty],” Lock- hart noted.


Instead, it was Lockhart’s name that will be etched into the history books with the fast- est ten-run average time ever. Given the quick runs that were being made all week, it’s no surprise this mark, an average of 13.79 per run, is almost two tenths faster than the previous record held by the WPRA’s only $3 million cowgirl Sherry Cervi.


“There was so much money to be won in the rounds,” Lockhart says when asked if her strategy changed after the hit barrel by Moore left Lockhart as the only cowgirl still clean in the aver- age. “And there were still sev- eral in the hunt for the World title. I didn’t want to safety up,


beginning with the 2010 Wran- gler NFR, Lockhart’s average is even higher, an astounding $116,457 per year.


“Bless his heart,” Lockhart says. “It’s an awe thing for me, that he’s made that many runs there.” Louie’s debut in 2010 wasn’t planned but came after her main mount Chisum, aka Fast an Gold, was injured. “He got forced into it.”


“Seventy runs is amazing.” Lockhart notes. “And we’d love the opportunity for more. We’ve been blessed that he’s been able to do this and that we’ve been able to keep him sound.” Always one of the most consistent competitors in the WPRA, Lockhart’s ten runs in 2016 ranged from 14.11 sec- onds, her slowest in the opening go round, to 13.58 in round four. She won her 13th career Wran- gler NFR round in round three with a 13.72 second effort; it was Louie’s 11th round win. For the second time in 2016,


the Top 15 barrel racers voted Louie the “Horse with the Most Heart.”


“I owe it all to my horses,” Lockhart says. “Louie and Chisum and the others I have ridden.”


In all, Lockhart placed in


  of $151,731 for her ten days in  the WPRA World standings, her - ish.


Lisa Lockhart and An Oakie With Cash “Louie” raced their way to the 2016 average title in record fash- ion. Lockhart was the only WPRA barrel racer to have 10 clean runs and finished in a time of 137.98 seconds. The South Dakota cowgirl also became just the second barrel racer to cross the $2 million mark in career earnings. WPRA photos by Greg Westfall


or change my riding, so it was still just be smart and try to go win as much as possible.”


For Lockhart, it was her best Wrangler NFR ever, and that’s saying quite a lot. The South Dakota cowgirl has been at every Wrangler NFR since 2007 and has won nearly $1 million in the Thomas & Mack alone, averaging $94,499 a year. During the “Louie years,”


time you come down that alley.” Lockhart admits to not paying much attention to stats and mile- stones.


“That doesn’t mean I take it for granted. Not at all,” she says. “I’ve had golden opportunities and I just try to take advantage of them.”


JANUARY 2017 WOMEN’S PRO RODEO NEWS 15


     you know, you just continue to surge forward,” says Lockhart. “You get up, put your boots on and go to work. Each day con- sists of the same thing—trying to do the best you can every


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