Braylee Shepherd won $5,118 on home turf in Vernal, Utah, June 14–17, 2024, with newly purchased mare “Promise” she won the 2023 Resistol Rookie of the Year with.
Shepherd is coming off the heels of a successful rookie season, having won the title with $38,773 in earnings—besting No. 2 by more than $8,000. She did it with the help of Promise, a mare loaned to her by Hope Thompson and Lari Dee Guy.
Thompson and Guy generously allowed Shepherd to ride Promise through the 2024 winter Rodeo season, where they won a total of $11,209 between the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, and RodeoHouston.
“I need this horse.”
“Buying [Promise] never really crossed my mind until the winter rodeos this year, and I saw how good she worked and how well I did on her,” Shepherd said. “I thought, ‘If I want to do this, I need this horse.’ I mentioned it to LD in Houston, but I didn’t have the money to buy her. LD said, ‘Well, if you get [the money] figured out I’ll wait for you.'”
Promise was sent back to Guy’s property following the San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo in early April. She sat while Shepherd tried to make her new mount “Peso” work.
“I rode him the month of April in California and to no fault of his own… things weren’t clicking,” Shepherd said. Promise is flat and gets across the line fast. She’s out of my way more than [Peso] is, because he was more elevated and a bigger horse.”
Shepherd listed Peso for sale, and he sold to a family in California who plan to use him for college rodeo in the breakaway and heeling. Money in hand, Shepherd called Guy back.
“LD said, ‘Yeah she’s sitting here waiting for you, come get her.’ I picked her up, ran three calves on her and went to the Vernon rodeo. She felt even better than when I dropped her off—the time off was good for her.”
Reunited at last
With Promise back in the trailer—a horse Shepherd was deeply familiar with—the ProRodeo trail likely seemed more inviting. Shepherd noted that her yearly plan shifted from a ‘day-by-day’ mentality to something like, ‘I should try to make the NFBR.’
Shepherd drew up No. 7 in the Vernal slack, and didn’t know her calf well. She decided to study the first six runs and make a judgement call from there.
“I saw the start I needed and went and made my run,” Shepherd said. “It was kind of funny, I nodded and the guy missed my nod so I had to reset. But I think it helped me, more than anything. Promise is getting to where I can reset her. When I first got her last year, she was blown up in the corner. But now I know how to work her, get her reset and get her right again.”
Their 2.1-second run resulted in a satisfying payday—one that’ll see Shepherd rise from No. 28 to about No. 22 with approximately $25,570 in earnings.
Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo Results
Vernal, Utah, June 13-15
1. Braylee Shepherd, 2.1 seconds, $5,118; 2. (tie) Maddy Deerman and Rickie Fanning, 2.2, $3,711 each; 4. (tie) Josie Conner, Amber Hutto and Aspen Miller, 2.3, $2,047 each; 7. Kelsie Domer, 2.4, $1,280; 8. (tie) Timber Allenbrand, Kassidy Dennison and Kacie Jo Wiersma, 2.5, $1,024 each; 11. Kinlie Brennise, 2.7, $768; 12. (tie) Bailey Bates and Addy Hill, 2.9, $576 each; 14. Chloe Lambert, 3.0, $384; 15. Rylee A George, 3.2, $256.
