On a cold day in January 1960, Charlotte Mary Johnson was born, fighting for her life. The small baby’s body did not like her parents blood type combination and survived two complete blood transfusions. She has been a feisty cowgirl ever since.
Raised on a ranch on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in the small community of Del Bonita, Charlotte grew up riding horses alongside her family. She could be found regularly on horseback, whether she was gathering cows or barrel racing in local kids’ rodeos.
Charlotte’s first competitive barrel horse was Craze, whose reputation earned him his name. Charlotte and Craze chalked up the wins in high school and amateur rodeos in the U.S. and Canada. Charlotte’s next calf-horse-turned- barrel-horse to load in the trailer was PJ. He was her 4-H project as a yearling and went on to compete in barrel racing at rodeos.
Then along came Loppy, the “crooked- neck mare,” born and raised on the Johnson Ranch. As a young horse, Loppy contracted distemper, leaving her permanently disfigured. Loppy took Charlotte all the way to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and the duo earned the 1989 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association Barrel Racing Rookie of the Year title.
Charlotte’s next super-star barrel-horse was a bay mare named Cola. She took Charlotte back to the NFR in 1993, 1994, and 1996. Cola and Charlotte won the 8th round at the 1993 NFR, making a coveted trip to the Gold Coast Casino for the buckle presentation.