Shelby Boisjoli-Meged put together the week of a lifetime in ProRodeo breakaway roping, winning both the inaugural Calgary Stampede Breakaway and the NFR Open for a total of $81,125 on her two powerhouse mares, “Onna” and “Rootbeer.”
Those paydays, coupled with a check from Estes Park, Colorado, bring Meged’s WPRA earnings to $129,030—putting her close to current leader Taylor Munsell’s projected $134,920. (Munsell earned approximately $15,156 in the last week.)
But for Meged, the money wasn’t even the best part—it was winning the first-ever breakaway roping at her hometown rodeo.
“It’s a great time to be a breakaway roper,” said Meged, 27. “Calgary is the biggest and most meaningful check I’ve ever won in ProRodeo. Yes, even more than the world championship, because while a lot of my family got to come watch me win my gold buckle, not all of them did. To have them here today, it was just a lot more special.”
Meged said former classmates from junior high—some she hadn’t seen in years—messaged her to celebrate the big win.
“It wasn’t just my family. It kind of felt like I had a whole province or even a whole country behind me,” Meged said. “I had so many messages, and just getting to rope on that stage in front of everybody you grew up with is a whole new high.”
Road to Becoming Calgary’s Breakaway Champion
To say Meged had a busy week prior to her big wins would be an understatement. She joked that she has a full time secretary in husband Haven, who is out of the calf roping scene for the time being with a serious lower back injury.
“He’s got me running hot out here,” Meged said. “He’s like, ‘I’ve got you in 10 rodeos the week of Colorado Springs.’ And I was like, oh… perfect.”
The last few weeks had been a self-described rollercoaster for Meged. After coming off Cowboy Christmas with less than $2,000 in earnings, her confidence was down. She’d been flying across the West more than ever in an effort to capitalize on breakaway’s expanding opportunities.
“One thing that I struggle with quite a bit is being confident. If I go three rodeos and don’t do well, I think I’m harder on myself than anybody could ever be on me. I’ve had to realize that struggling is something everyone goes through—not just me.” – Shelby Boisjoli-Meged
The night before her first performance in Calgary, she flew from St. Paul, Oregon, to Canada, arriving at 3 a.m. and getting up early to practice—“for Onna, not myself.”
“She hadn’t worked that good in a long time,” Meged said. “So I knew she was comfortable. She liked it there, and my confidence grew after that first run.”
Onna must have liked Calgary a lot, as she carried Meged to Pool A’s Round 1 and 3 wins with times of 2.3 and 2.6 seconds. That added $14,000 to Meged’s bank account and secured her spot in Championship Sunday.
Then, Meged left Onna to rest in Calgary and headed south for the NFR Open—hitting two Canadian ProRodeos along the way.
A Doubleheader Victory
Not to be overshadowed by Calgary, the NFR Open in Colorado Springs is a prestigious title in its own right. Meged qualified via the Montana Circuit by punching her ticket in January.
She roped in Set 1, catching two calves in 3.1 and 2.8 seconds, respectively. That effort advanced her to the short round, held Saturday evening.
“I was hoping to just finish top three at Colorado Springs,” Meged said. “I’d been on cloud nine after my pool in Calgary, went to two Canadian rodeos and did awful again. So I came straight off my high from Calgary and was humbled really quick.”
Does humble pie pair well with champions’ champagne? It must, because a 2.0-second run sealed the $13,000 win at the NFR Open, bringing her Colorado total to $17,125. From there, it was back to Calgary.
Meged roped in 2.8 seconds in the Calgary short round to advance to the shootout, joining Bradi Good and Hali Williams as the final roper out. A 2.2-second run secured the biggest check of her career.
The Horses Behind the Headlines
Not only was Meged’s support system visible from the Calgary stands and roping box—where Haven stood beside her for her final two calves on Championship Sunday—but her horses were the true stars of the week.
“I got a pretty big eye-opener, because Rootbeer gave me a great shot to win the NFR Open, and then to fly to Calgary, ride a different horse and be competitive there too? I realized how lucky I am to have two horses that I could split up and ride for huge amounts of money and not have to worry about it.”
The dream team: 2023 Horse of the Year “Onna,” registered as No Wimpy Turns, thrives in shorter setups. “Rootbeer,” registered as Sexy Lil Blue Blood, excels in any setup—especially longer scores.
What’s Next
Meged is entered in Cheyenne Frontier Days slack on Tuesday, July 14, and will rope in Salinas, California, later in the week. Rootbeer will get the call for both rodeos, while Onna rests up for the Utah run of rodeos coming soon.
