A funny thing happened to Chalee Harms after the first two weeks of the Mountain Health Co-op Tour.

Her summer plans changed.

The friendly Miles City cowgirl is using two young horses, Winnie and Kid, in barrel racing.

“I was just going to season those two,” said Harms. “If I won, great. If not, it was a learning experience for them.”

The 21-year-old Harms is also riding Huck in breakaway roping. She purchased the nine-year-old sorrel gelding in February from 2023 world champion Shelby Meged. Meged (formerly Boisjoli) is the wife of long-time family friend Haven Meged, the 2019 PRCA tie-down roping world champion.

“That horse made roping way more fun,” said Harms.

Harms opened her season by placing third in breakaway roping at Conrad. She followed with winning the barrel racing and placing second in breakaway roping at Poplar and placing second in both events at Culbertson to jump boots first into the all-around cowgirl race.

“Depends on the day,” Harms said with a laugh about her favorite event.

Horses have always been her centerpiece.

The family ranches equidistant between Miles City and Broadus. “We’re 40 miles from each,” said Harms. Her father Ryle is a team roper. Mother Billie handles the marketing and media for the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit. Originally from Livingston, the family has been in eastern Montana 17 years.

Harms attended high school in Broadus her first two years and then was home-schooled.

In high school, Harms competed in pole bending, barrel racing, goat tying, breakaway roping, team roping, reining and cutting.

“I’m pretty good with memory loss,” she said of returning to the arena after a bad run.

Harms attended Central Arizona College for two years and is finishing her degree in Applied Humaness with emphasis in business administration at the University of Arizona.

“Mostly how to handle business,” she said. “I bought a four-year-old stud and want to breed him to mares and train them.”

This spring, she missed qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo in barrel racing by 4.5 points in the Southwest Region.

“I get along with horses,” said Harms. “I’ve rode a lot of horses. I’ve rode my fair share … there is not many I didn’t get along with.”'

And she’s not afraid of putting in the work.

Winnie, a five-year-old mare, was supposed to be a breakaway roping horse.

“She hunts barrels like there is no tomorrow,” Harms said. “She loves them. Shoot, if that’s what she wants to do, I’m OK with that.”

Kid, a seven-year-old bay gelding, is coming back from an abscess on her back foot and now wears a special bar shoe.

“Kid, we had our problems,” acknowledged Harms. “Mom told me to sell him. I’m kind of hard-headed. I wanted to prove her wrong. Kid has turned out quite well.”

As has Huck.

“We live 20 minutes from the Megeds,” Harms said. “We grew up with them. I work their sale barn with my father. “Huck, he is honest. He is the fastest horse I’ve ever rode.”

And fits the rider perfectly.

“He’s small, I’m small. He keeps his head down so I can see,” the 5-foot, 2-inch Harms finished with a good laugh.

Harms competed at the NRA Finals presented by nuWest Builders in 2021 and was rookie of the year. She also qualified in the junior events in 2018 and 2019.

Approaching mid-July, she was firmly in the top five for both events and the all-around.

Now the 2025 NRA Finals in October could be on her schedule.

“If I make the Finals, I’ll come back,” said Harms.

Last week

Local cowboys took advantage of the short travel as Leighton LaFromboise (bareback) and Jaxsen Petersen (steer wrestling) earned wins. Both are from Helena. LaFromboise is a three-time Montana high school state champion.

Roping was fast in Malta as Payton Levine of Wolf Creek and Circle’s Shaylee Wahl both ripped off times of 1.9 seconds in breakaway roping. The matching 1.9s are the fastest of the year, Grace Wiening of Lewistown was a tick back at 2.0.

East Helena winners: Leighton LaFromboise, Helena, bareback; LeRoy Eash, Fortine, saddle bronc; Bennett Weindel, Ronan, bull riding; Jaxson Petersen, Helena, steer wrestling; Quinn McQueary, Belgrade, tie-down roping; Cory Murray-Bryson Murray, Ramsay, team roping; Kayton French, Stevensville, barrel racing; Ellie Meeks, Geraldine and Rachel Ward, Belgrade, breakaway roping; Sylvia Eash, Fortine, junior barrel racing; Ridge Cameron, Townsend, junior breakaway roping.

Malta winners: Cooper Haefs, Livingston, bareback; saddle bronc, no qualified rides; bull riding, no qualified rides; Jack Cornwell, Glasgow, steer wrestling; George Marcenko, Havre tie-down roping; Radley Day-Kyler Day, Volborg, tie-down roping; Lisa Warfield, Helena, barrel racing; Payton Levine, Wolf Creek and Shaylee Wahl, Circle, breakaway roping; Sophia Neill, Cascade, junior barrel racing; Royce Levine, Wolf Creek, junior breakaway roping.

Up next

The Mountain Health Co-op Tour reaches the halfway mark of the regular season with three events for competitors and fans: the Great Northern RAM Rodeo in Havre, July 17-18; the Marias River Stampede in Shelby (July 18-19) and the Three Forks Rodeo (July 18-19).

Performances for all three rodeos begin at 7 p.m.