TURQUOISE CIRCUIT: BARRELS
Consistency Pays Off Pluemer Picks Up Average Title in Turquoise Circuit
By Kristen M. White L eia Pluemer loves that her horse, Sister, can be counted on to have a consistent set of runs. It certainly served her well at the Turquoise Circuit Finals Rodeo, where three good runs landed Pluemer at the top of the average standings, earning her a berth to the NFR Open next summer. Sis was so consistent, in fact, that she and Pluemer laid down identical runs in the first and second rounds at Camp Verde, Arizona. In the first round, they stopped the clock in 17.54 seconds for a second place finish, and were again second in the second round with the exact same time. “My mare is pretty consistent. And she went out and made the exact same run,” Pluemer said with a laugh. “With every run in the same place, she tends to get faster. Plus she really loves the performances and it ramps her up more. And this was a big outdoor pen, and that’s her kind of setup.” Cindy Smith won the first round in 17.30 seconds, and Shannon McReynolds was the winner in the second round in 17.21 seconds. Smith was leading the average by 0.03 over Pluemer headed to the short go, so they knew it was anybody’s rodeo. Pluemer said she isn’t necessarily a watcher and number cruncher, but she’d seen the details on a Facebook post, so she then kind of played with some thoughts in her head about the final run. Still, she said it didn’t change her gameplay of how to run Sis in the final lap around the barrels. Pluemer put down her best run then, finishing in 17.47 seconds, ahead of Jana Bean in 17.49 seconds. Smith was out of the top four, giving Pluemer the average victory. She finished in 52.55 seconds on three runs, with McReynolds behind her in 52.66 seconds. “I knew I’d just do what I do and she’d ride her heart out for me,” Pluemer said of the final round. “It was a random draw and I was
second out, but Cindy had to go after me. I tried to watch or listen to the rest of the times until I knew I’d won it.” Pluemer earns a trip to the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, and she’s excited about the location. It’s the same pen she first ran her mare in a few years ago, so she’s excited to return. “A friend of ours had some health issues and Sis was a lot of horse, a handful and wound up. She’d been watching me ride and asked if I wanted to ride her,” Pluemer recalled. “I’d never ridden a mare, but said I’d try. “We started clicking as we made more runs, and she started to really dominate and kick butt. The friend asked me if I wanted to take Sister to the college rodeos, but I didn’t want to just take and ride the horse, so she sold her to me.” In 2019, Pluemer and Sister won the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, so it looks like they should feel at home in the arena for the NFR Open. Making the Turquoise Circuit Finals was one of Pluemer’s goals for the year. She said she placed at nearly all the circuit rodeos she went to, so she knew she’d made the rodeo. But, she was far enough down in the overall standings that she didn’t think winning the year-end title was a possibility, making the average that much more important. In the end, things were a lot closer than she expected for the year- end title, as the circuit finals played into the final totals in a big way. Smith won the year-end title with $14,289, but Jana Bean and Pluemer were right behind her with $14,232 and $14,011, respectively. Pluemer recently relocated from Bosque Farms, New Mexico, to Fillmore, California, and has claimed the California circuit for the 2023 season. Her boyfriend lives there, and she said she usually hits more California rodeos than Turquoise circuit rodeos, so it’s already familiar. Leia Pluemer and Sister turned in three consistent runs to ride away with the average title in the Turquoise Circuit and punched her ticket to the 2023 NFR Open. Pluemer and Cindy Smith, who won the year-end title, will represent the barrel racers of the Turquoise Circuit. Photo by William Kierce
Leia Pluemer took home the average title in a total time of 52.55 seconds on three runs, with Shannon McReynolds second in 52.66 seconds. Pluemer and her horse Sister laid down identical times in the first two rounds in 17.54 seconds.
DECEMBER 2021 WPRA NEWS 24
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