Taylor Jane Gardner and A Frenchmans Ledoux win the Average title at the Montana Circuit Finals in Great Falls, Montana, January 15-17. Ashley Day wins the Year-End title.
Though she didn’t come from a rodeo family, Taylor Jane Gardner found barrel racing at a young age. Starting at Little Britches rodeos at just six years old, Gardner wouldn’t start running a “real barrel horse” until she attended a Dee Butterfield clinic, helping her find an own daughter of Firewater Flit, who is now the foundation of her broodmares.
At 13-years-old the Alberta barrel racer filled her Canadian Pro Rodeo permit on horses she acquired from Butterfield.
“I rode horses I raised and then sold, but I never really got the momentum rolling in rodeo like I had when I was younger,” Gardner said of her first years pro rodeoing. “There was a lot of entering, doing okay, selling horses, then seasoning new ones. I had some futurity, derby and jackpot luck but rodeo just always seemed to be a struggle.”
Gardner set out in 2025 aboard 2014 stallion A Frenchmans Ledoux (Frenchmans Guy x Sierras Six Moons x Marthas Six Moons) and his oldest colt, Ledoux Showcase (“Chester”).
“I had two plans in my mind leading up to finals, and I wasn’t sure which route I wanted to take,” she explained. “One was staying closer to home, and the other was adventuring to new rodeos I’ve never entered. It’s kind of funny, but I kept talking to Ledoux while warming him up and basically told him, “This weekend decides what we do. If you want to rodeomore, we need to win money to go. For us to go to the NFR Open, we needed to win the average.” I guess he was listening and selected the bigger adventure we’ll be going on!”
Qualifying for the Montana Circuit Finals set Gardner and “Ledoux” on a path to rodeos outside her comfort zone and the great weather during the finals was an added bonus. Gardner and Ledoux placed fourth in the first round of the finals with a 13.05. They won the second round with a 13.08. Their 13.25 was out of the money in the final round but secured the average win. Gardner won $8,076 in Great Falls to kick off the 2026 pro rodeo season.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing about what Ledoux did — he was so honest each run,” Gardner said. “Mentally, I felt great, but after not making a rodeo run since September and only getting a few jackpots in before finals due to weather and cancellations, I felt a little behind on him. I think I need to step it up and start working out so I can stay out of his way and be more useful!”
This win marks years of hard work and continued learning paying off, a fairytale come true she added.
“It’s a major reminder to step out of your comfort zone and go on an adventure,” she said. “You never know where it might lead, but regardless, you’ll be able to sit back at the end of the day and relive the memories made along the many miles traveled.”
Gardner thanks her sponsors, the committees, the volunteers and the rodeo fans for making her Montana rodeo experience one to remember.
“A huge thank you to my parents for their continued support, and to my boyfriend, Owen, for pushing me on the days everything felt like an obstacle and helping me take the opportunity,” she said. “To those who have believed in Ledoux as much as I have over the years — thank you for your love and support through all the adventures you’ve followed us on.”
First round: 1. Tayla Moeykens, 12.66 seconds, $2,937; 2. Heather Crowley, 12.77, $2,203; 3. Cadee Williams, 12.89, $1,468; 4. Taylor Gardner, 13.05, $734.
Second round: 1. Taylor Gardner, 13.08 seconds, $2,937; 2. (tie) Ashley Day and Lisa Warfield, 13.15, $1,836 each; 4. Brittney Cox, 13.54, $734.
Third round: 1. Tayla Moeykens, 12.75 seconds, $2,937; 2. Heather Crowley, 12.91, $2,203; 3. Ashley Day, 12.99, $1,468; 4. Bailee Murnion, 13.13, $734.
Average: 1. Taylor Jane Gardner, 39.38 seconds on three head, $4,405; 2. Lisa Warfield, 39.75, $3,304; 3. Brittney Cox, 40.58, $2,203; 4. Ashley Schad, 41.11, $1,101.
