WINNIN' MACHINE
The Breakaway Breakdown: Cheyanne McCartney talks about the Old West Futurites Road to a Million, balancing rodeoing and futurities and how her and her husband, Cody, make it all work.
Cheyanne McCartney backing in the box at the old west futurity in Heber City, Utah.
Cheyanne McCartney | BRJ File Photo

Cheyanne McCartney joins this episode of The Breakaway Breakdown fresh off a two-for-two week at Old West’s Heber City Futurity, where she won the 4-&-Under Pre-Futurity Breakaway on Thiccthirty and the 6-&-Under Futurity Breakaway on Hez Talkin Smack—with a runner-up finish thrown in on Dont Quote Me, “Muffin.”

 She talks through what it actually takes to keep four horses straight over two days of competition, why she builds “a little routine” with each one instead of treating the string as one job, and how reading fresh calves changes as the barrier shortens round to round.

She also gets into the bigger picture: Reyzin Royals’ run at Old West’s $1 million Road to the Million bonus after the mare’s $40,000 side-pot win at Guthrie, the trade-offs of chasing both a WPRA Top 15 run and a full futurity calendar—including skipping Nampa to make this week’s short round—and the family storyline that made Heber City extra sweet. Hez Talkin Smack carried her to an $8,933 futurity check, then turned around and carried husband Cody to a split win at the Pleasant Grove Rodeo days later.

This episode is brought to you by Old West Futurities. Old West isn’t just raising the bar—we’re redefining what’s possible in the rope horse industry. With more than $1.12 million paid out in Guthrie and over $1.37 million paid out in Heber City, Old West has quickly become one of the premier destinations for heading, heeling, and breakaway competition.

With record-setting horse sales, industry-leading payouts, exclusive Sale Graduate incentives, and a $1 Million Bonus opportunity, Old West is where legends are made and records are broken.

Learn more about our futurities and horse sales at OldWest.com.

CATEGORIES
TAGS
RELATED
Split screen photo of Cheyanne McCartney riding Hez Talkin Smack and Thiccthirty to win both the 4-&-under and 6-&-under breakaway futurity in Heber City Utah
QUEEN OF THE FUTURITIES
Cheyanne McCartney Wins Both Breakaway Divisions at Old West’s Heber City—Hez Talkin Smack in the 6-&-Under, Thiccthirty in the 4-&-Under
cheyanne mccartney calgary stampede
You couldn't write it any better
Storybook Ending: Cheyanne McCartney Wins $69,500 at Calgary, Moves to Projected No. 1 in the World
hope thompson
Chattin' with Hope T
The Breakaway Breakdown: Hope Thompson Talks Rodeo, Futurity Horses and Building a Training Program
Cheyanne McCartney and Dont Quote Me at the 2026 Old West Futurities Gamble at Guthrie
THE MONEY
2026 Breakaway Futurity Earnings: The Top Horses, Riders and Breeders 
breakdown graphic
host change
The Breakdown: Blake Ramsey Joins the Mic as Breakaway's New Voice
Kayelen Helton's Riata Sidepot entry paid off in a way other than cash—she earned an entry to the Kimes Million Dollar Breakaway SemiFinals when the two ladies above her had qualified through placing in the go-rounds and average.
MORE THAN BREAKAWAY
The Breakaway Breakdown: Kayelen Helton Breaks Down Mental Toughness, Horse Power and the Evolution of Breakaway
GET UPDATES

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Name*
Country*

Additional Offers

Additional Offers
The Breakaway Roping Journal
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.