The Wilderness Circuit is quickly becoming popular among the ProRodeo breakaway crowd thanks to plentiful summer rodeos and big earning opportunities—but in the end, it was local Carly Bedke that secured the Circuit Finals Average win with a time of 10.6 seconds riding “Candyman.”
In the Year-End race, 2023 Resistol Rookie of the Year Braylee Shepherd got the win with $25,551 earned on the year. This win came after standings leader Josie Conner opted to go rope in the Hondo Rodeo during the Circuit Finals, forfeiting her Year-End award.
Wilderness Circuit Average Champion: Carly Bedke
2025 was Bedke’s fourth trip to the Wilderness Circuit Finals, and she put together three clean runs to win the average title with a combined 10.6 seconds aboard her 8-year-old gelding, “Candyman.”
The Oakley, Idaho, roper earned $7,042 on the weekend and secured her qualification to the 2026 NFR Open in Colorado Springs.
Bedke opened the Finals with a patient 4.5-second run as ropers navigated a set of stronger calves on Night 1. As the herd evened out and competitors began pushing the barrier, Bedke tightened up, dropping a 3.3 on Night 2 and sealing the championship with a sharp, confident 2.8 in the short round.
“By the second and third nights I felt like we finally got on the barrier,” Bedke said. “The calves ran a little stronger at first, but once things evened out, everything fell into place.”
Bedke rode Candyman—registered as Finest Little Cat, a High Brow Cat-bred gelding—through all three rounds. She purchased him as a 5-year-old ranch horse and has spent the last several seasons seasoning him herself.
“He was pretty much just a ranch horse when I got him,” Bedke said. “I’ve trained him, taken him everywhere, and he’s really come on. He’s easy, he’s chill, and he loves his job.”
Bedke and her husband Britton run Bedke Performance Horses, producing and selling young rope horses with a foundation of ranch miles. They’ve raised horses like Captain, now a standout mount for Corley Massey, and rely heavily on cow-bred lines that handle pressure and travel well.
“We like to ranch on them for a year or two before ever roping on them,” Bedke said. “It makes them tough and gives them good minds.”
Mrs. Consistent is going faster
Bedke openly admits she’s naturally more of an average roper than a go-for-broke, 2-flat thrower. But 2025 pushed her to evolve.
“I should be better about throwing to be two flat,” Bedke laughed. “I like to catch. But this year I’ve gotten better about bombing off when I need to—and I’ve won more because of it.”
Her mindset paid off in Heber City, where staying sharp without sacrificing accuracy proved key.
With the NFR Open ticket secured, Bedke plans to adjust her usual stay-close-to-home strategy. Her husband ended the season in the Top 30, so the couple will winter in Texas and consider entering more winter rodeos.
“Now that I have some money won for the new year standings, I’d like to try to go to some winter rodeos and see how it goes,” Bedke said. “If it works out, maybe I’ll go harder.”
For Bedke, the success is built on family support. Her Texas family traveled up for the finals, and Britton remains her daily practice partner and horse-training teammate.
“We help each other every day,” Bedke said. “It’s really fun doing this together.”
The Wilderness Circuit Finals have become a Bedke family tradition—made even sweeter now that cousins Auburn and Zoe are also competing at the Finals.
“It’s become a little family vacation every year,” Bedke said. “This year was definitely the best one yet.”
2025 Wilderness Circuit Finals Breakaway Results
First round: 1. Aubryn Bedke, 3.8 seconds, $2,347; 2. (tie) Carly Bedke and Zoie Bedke, 4.5, $1,467 each; 4. Summer Williams, 4.6, $587.
Second round: 1. Megan Burbidge, 2.7 seconds, $2,347; 2. (tie) Brylee Smith and Summer Williams, 2.8, $1,467 each; 4. (tie) Carly Bedke and Eryn Maddock, 3.3, $293 each.
Third round: 1. Zoie Bedke, 2.6 seconds, $2,347; 2. Carly Bedke, 2.8, $1,761; 3. (tie) Addy Hill and Ryland Lufkin, 3.2, $880 each.
Average: 1. Carly Bedke, 10.6 seconds on three head, $3,521; 2. Zoie Bedke, 11.6, $2,641; 3. Brylee Smith, 19.5, $1,761; 4. Summer Williams, 7.4 on two head, $880.
