On the second night of performances of the 2022 SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo, multiple competitors from across the country were on hand to showcase their barrel racing skills.
Among those riders were Julie and Leia Pluemer of Bosque Farms, N.M.
The mother-daughter duo showed off their speed and technique, completing their races in almost identical times.
Leia, the younger Pluemer, clocked in at 14.74 seconds, while Julie finished in 14.47.
Competing in rodeos has been family business for Julie Pluemer for as long as she can remember.
“I grew up doing 4A to junior rodeos, high school rodeos all the way up till now,” she said.
Friday’s performance wasn’t the first time the elder Pluemer has competed at the SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo, this year’s edition marking the third time she has taken part in the professional competition.
She also competed in the event when she was in college.
After being around rodeos for a large part of her life, Pluemer knew it was a natural step for her daughter to make a name for herself in the sport.
Leia Pluemer said her mother noticed her interest in rodeos from the time she was very young.
“She said I could ride before I could walk,” Leia said.
Getting to compete alongside each other has helped the Pluemers strengthen their family bond in many ways, spending many months of the year on the road to participate in other rodeos.
When Julie isn’t competing, she usually handles the driving duties when the duo hits the road.
“It makes me really happy, usually I go with her and she does most of the competing and I do the driving,” Julie said. “We’re more partners than mom-daughter.”
The partnership includes holding each other accountable when they step into an arena.
Seeing her daughter work toward her dreams of competing at the highest level is a proud moment.
“She’s accomplished far more than I could have ever accomplished,” Julie said. “She keeps me inspired.”
Like many competitors at the SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo, Leia is looking to secure a spot in this year’s National Finals Rodeo in December.
For her race through the cloverleaf in Odessa, she opted to ride a younger horse to give her regular horse a break before heading into the next few months that include a multitude of other rodeos.
One of Leia’s favorite parts about competing at the Ector County Coliseum is the downhill alley that competitors go through when leaving the annex to reach the main floor.
She said there aren’t many other rodeos that have a similar setup.
She also enjoys having her mother around at rodeos.
“It’s pretty cool because, yeah we’re really close and we haul together but we also push each other to be better,” Leia said. “We’re pretty competitive.”
After their showing in Odessa, the Pluemers were planning on heading out to Midland to take part in another barrel racing event.
They’ll pack everything up and look for their next stop after that.
“The travel is probably the best part, we see a lot of cool things and meet a lot of cool people,” Leia said. “We kind of split up the driving, we both take our fair share.”
The younger Pluemer handles the navigating aspect of their road trips when her mother takes the wheel.
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