Lee Francois – His Time To Shine!

August 23rd, 2018 by Simone Cobb
Lee Francois & The Animal

Lee Francois & The Animal

He made the Open Derby Final at the 2018 Summer Spectacular on 3 different horses, but Lee Francois still seems to find time to minister to the needs of others. The pro trainer you see is also a pastor and it’s something he loves to be able to do together.

He inspired the crowd with his sublime 228 run on The Animal to win the Derby Championship. An emotional Lee said it has
been a roller coaster year since the pair was Reserve Futurity Champions, making this victory all the sweeter.

“It’s always a blessing to win something here. You got your family with you and they go through the hard times too. It just feels good. It’s great, you know to ride a great horse. You grow up dreaming about these moments when we’re kids and to have that kind of horse, it makes all the hard times worth it, we’re just a blessed family,” said Lee.

Lee and Holly Francois

Lee and Holly Francois celebrate his win

The Animal sustained a hoof injury following the Futurity which put him out of action for a time.
“He had a quarter crack after the Futurity and that hindered us a lot so it was mainly just getting that healed up. I got to give Pete May some praise for getting that horse healed up and taking care of him so we got that fixed and now he’s back 100%,” Lee said.

Lee faced immense pressure in the finals, going to the herd 3 times. He gave recognition to his wife, Holly for her support.
“It was a struggle. I know Holly, she was tired of putting up with me all day you know cause of nerves and trying to figure out how to handle it,” he joked. “But you know, you just take it one run at a time, one cow at a time.”

It’s the same philosophy Lee applies to his ministry work, serving one person at a time. For people who live on the road, hauling from one horse show to another, there’s not too many chances to catch a church service. So Lee brings it to the cutters.

Lee Francois baptizing Sadie with his wife Holly

Lee Francois baptizing Sadie with his wife Holly

After a full day of showing at the recent Breeder’s Invitational in Tulsa, OK, Lee even performed a Baptism behind the stalls.
A young non pro rider, Sadie Marie Watkins had attended Lee’s service that morning before the show began and asked him to baptize her that day. So once competition was over, he rounded up a horse trough, cleaned it up and filled it with water. A crowd gathered at the stalls to lend their support and Lee did the honors.

A video of the baptism was put on Facebook which to date has been seen by almost 14,000 people. “Thank you to the Francois family and all who participate in horses how ministries to allow the Lord to work thru you for victories like this one!” said Gita Crane, one of the many voices celebrating the event.

Lee Francois is one of our featured trainers on CHTO, You can click here to login and watch his awesome videos on connecting the dots in your training and correctness and efficiency plus more! Lee is also one of Get Coached coaches. So send the 2018 Summer Spectacular Derby Champion your video of a show run or training at home and get him to critique it give you personal coaching to fast track your cutting! Click here to get started.


Holly Francois Finishes On Top at 2017 NCHA Super Stakes Ltd Non Pro

April 15th, 2017 by Simone Cobb

Holly Francois was elated to win her first major title in the Will Rogers when she took out the limited Non Pro Final at the 2017 NCHA Super Stakes.

Holly, from Murchison, Tx, rode Smart Dual Kat and marked a 217.5, more than 2 points ahead of the field.

Holly, who is married to professional trainer Lee Francois, won more than $11,000, taking her lifetime earnings to $132,000.

She told CHTO’s Simone Cobb she only just purchased the horse before the event and also made the Non Pro finals on it.

Dual Smart Kat is a Dual Smart Rey out of Puddykat.

Becky Galyean on Smooth Little Linda won Reserve with a 215 and Charles Israel came third aboard Twisted Metal marking 213.5.


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