The ideals of the cowgirl spirit start with the grace bestowed on her by the Lord, and her determination to greet a challenge with hard work and grit. Mother, wife, singer, songwriter, worship leader, stock contractor and inspirational speaker LeAnn Hart exemplifies the definition of the cowgirl through her love for Jesus and her willingness to allow Him to guide her through life.
Hart grew up on a dairy farm and rodeoing in South Louisiana. Her church upbringing intensely molded the cowgirl’s life.
“I’ve heard so many people give their testimonies and say that they were drug to church, and it’s always in a negative tone. For me, I’ve thought about that and I’m like, ‘I am so thankful that I was raised in church’ because I was raised with foundation and routine and tradition. It helped me as I grew to have discernment for what was good and what was not good – what was God and what was not God,” recalled Hart.
The music playing on the farm’s radio also profoundly inspired Hart. She recalled always singing when she was growing up. At 17 years old, Hart auditioned to perform at Dollywood, where she got a spot in “The Life and Times of Dolly Parton.” The role allowed her to experience what it was like to perform on stage. The opportunity highlighted her strong gift of not “conforming to the patterns of the world.” Being in an industry that wanted to build performers into something admired by society, Hart chose to hand over her desires to God and live a life not of this world.
Hart later went to try her hand in Nashville as a singer, but it wasn’t until she started dating her husband, PBR World Champion J.W. Hart, that she was welcomed into the songwriting world. There, she was able to grow her writing abilities and tell the stories that the Lord had put on her heart. One of her favorite songs from that time in her life was “Where Jesus Is.” While grateful for the experiences she gained in Music City, Hart’s discernment from God revealed to her that she was “forcing something that was just not going to prosper.” It wasn’t until she traded in the music scene for ranch life that her song was recorded for Joey & Rory’s “Album Number Two.”
Hart’s knowledge gained from Dollywood and Nashville propelled her into ministry endeavors. The cowgirl has laid this purpose on the foundation of “greater is he that is in Me” (1 John 4:4). In 2024 alone, she spoke or led worship at over 100 events. Hart’s goal is for people to experience the effect Jesus can have on their lives. She recalled, “I want them to know ‘that girl loves Jesus,’ that ‘she’s different,’ that ‘the joy that she carries is Him.’ That’s what keeps me ticking. A lot of people will say often, ‘Girl, how do you do what you do?’ And I always say, ‘Oh, I’ve got supernatural health. I’ve got Jesus.'”
Photo Courtesy of Wrangler & by Chris Douglas
Aside from her ministry, Hart spends a lot of time working on J.W. & her ranch in Oklahoma, raising bucking bulls and children while also training J.W.’s PBR team, the Kansas City Outlaws. Working in male-dominated industries has proven to Hart that “it’s so important for you to have your own personal disciplines. For me, it just starts with integrity, being able to be honest with yourself, and knowing your own limitations. You could probably do just as much as your husband does in a lot of ways, but you don’t have to do everything. There also has to be a limit because you’ll stretch yourself so thin. You have to be self-disciplined in the truth, know who you are, and give yourself grace.”
In typical bull-riding-love-story fashion, J.W. and Hart fell in love at a PBR event. The couple married in 2005. In the last 20 years, they have gained six children – Junior, 7; Elsie, 9; Chrystal, 11; Sapphire, 12; Wacey, 15; and Mackayla, 16 – and started a stock contracting company, Hart Cattle Co. While many of life’s challenges have come their way, the two have constantly kept God at the center of it all. Hart said, “I always tell people that he’s the grit to my grace, and I pray I’m the grace to his grit. J.W. had said he truly believes God took a rib from him and created me and that’s truth. And when you seek the things of the Kingdom, you’ll consistently be refreshed. But if you are looking for things on this earth and you’re looking to be fed from the things on this earth, it will starve you. And it will starve your marriage. It will starve your mind. It will starve your soul if you’re constantly looking for that. Seek the things of the Kingdom, look to heaven, and He can renew anything that we turn over to Him.”
Hart proceeded by explaining how this focus can also affect the ways you look at life. Hart expanded, “I don’t think it would be fair to say that it’s not going to be hard at times. We need more people in this industry who are first seeking the Kingdom instead of self-seeking. When you’re consistently turning your eyes to Jesus and you’re trusting Him to keep everything together – you put Him between you and even your own thoughts, you put Him between you and your marriage, maintaining what God’s given you – it’ll always be worth it. You don’t have to do it. You get to do it. If you look at it like, ‘This is the life I get to live.’ You’ll get jacked up for it. You’ll get motivated by it, and you’ll start to see the value. You start to see the gold, even when the grass is still brown and it’s not green in springtime yet, because you already know that the green grass is coming. And you’ll always have that to look forward to because God’s faithful in every season.” Hart continues to exemplify the cowgirl way with her unbridled love for Jesus and the Western way of life.
Photo Courtesy of Wrangler & by Chris Douglas
Rodeo Life readers can follow the Hart family at @jwandlee on Instagram or LeAnn Hart on Facebook. To book LeAnn for speaking engagements, go to leannhartminitries.com.
