WPRA Barrel Racer Announces Semi-Retirement of 2024 Horse With the Most Heart

The team who broke countless records and turned many heads during their tenure of full-time professional rodeo competition will be slowing down for the future.

Leslie Smalygo | Courtesy of WPRA

From his early days on the racetrack, where owner and trainer Leslie Smalygo purchased him in Utah, JustAHeartBeatToFame (Justaheartofawarrior x Yawl A Fame Maker x Dash Ta Fame) found his calling in barrel racing. Better known as "Gus" and the 2024 Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) Horse With the Most Heart, the gelding has left a mark on professional rodeo.

Gus helped Smalygo earn the 2019 Prairie Circuit Rookie of the Year title and just two years later, they claimed the Prairie Circuit championship in 2021. That win qualified them for the NFR Open, leading them to new opportunities on a bigger scale.

The following year in 2022, they qualified for their first NFR in the No. 15 position. The team moved up to No. 10 throughout the 10 days in Las Vegas, winning $73,890 and earning a round win.

Smalygo and Gus finished just outside of the top 15 in 2023, but returned for the best season of their partnership in 2024. Very few (perhaps only one that we can verify, Mary Burger and Sadiefamouslastwords) duos have won RODEOHOUSTON and the Calgary Stampede in the same season.

Smalygo and Gus are the most recent team on that list, having earned both wins in 2024. They earned $251,548 last season. Despite Gus suffering from a pulled back muscle early in the 2024 National Finals Rodeo (NFR), they still finished a career high at No. 7 in the World.

Staying strong throughout 2025, the pair entered the recent CINCH Playoffs in Puyallup within striking distance of the top 15. Unfortunately, they did not move on to the final set and Smalygo decided to end their season early.

In a post on Facebook this week, she announced that Gus will be slowing down for a "semi-retirement" and thanked everyone who has played a part in their journey:

"As my 2025 rodeo season comes to an end, we are on our way home. As most of you know Gus’s health is 1st and foremost my priority. He has been a Gladiator for the last 7 years being the main and basically only horse I run. He is 15 years old now and needs to go home for much needed rest and recuperation. He is not hurt or crippled, he just needs to have time off and be a horse. While he is on vacation and starting his semi retirement, I need to get the next string ready. My sponsors are above and beyond amazing. They make me feel like family and is there for me through the ups and downs. They love Gus as much as me and my family. I could never do this without each and everyone of them. I love them from the bottom of my heart. A very special thank you to my husband Glenn and my mom and dad Tom and Marna Foster for being there to breed my mares and take care of things at home. My mom was a Trooper traveling most of the year with me. I am sure it was exhausting helping me and keeping me awake on long drives all over the country. Glenn came out the last quarter after putting up hay in the dead Oklahoma heat, and helped me drive and accessing my year. We ended up having a great year but will fall short but we will be back with a new string and I’m sure will be spotted at the big ones he likes."

While we will miss seeing this incredible duo traveling full-time, Smalygo's decision on Gus' behalf is a reminder that these athletes are more than "just a horse" to their partners. Gus has earned many fans during his time competing in the arena and we are grateful to have been able to witness this team make history on multiple occasions.