Braylee Shepherd is leading the breakaway roping Resistol Rookie of the Year race with $22,882 in earnings, $5,981 of which she gathered at the Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City July 19–24, 2023.
To advance to the four-woman Gold Medal Round, Shepherd had to wade through two rounds of slack, finish in the top two of her performance, and finish in the top four of the eight-woman short round. She earned $1,250 in her performance on July 21, $2,500 in the Gold Medal Round where she roped in 2.6 seconds, and $2,731 for a No. 4 finish in the aggregate.
Find full results for 2023 Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo here.
“It was really cool to advance to the short round, roping against everyone,” Shepherd, 19, said. “I just tried to go make my runs and let whatever happen, happen. Just let things fall and stay the course.”
The Breakaway Roping Journal sat down with Shepherd to break down her Gold Medal Round run and a slack run where she had to hustle Promise down the arena.
Gold Medal Round – 2.6 seconds
Before the performance: “She was really good loping around before. She knew it was short round time and backed right in there. She’s a horse that gets better the more runs she has at a place.”
In the box: “Promise isn’t the most predictable in the corner, but I try to be patient with her and let her find it. Especially in the performances, she’s still so green to all the commotion. I’ll walk a few circles and then back her into the corner, or I’ll walk in and turn one circle before backing her in.”
Launch phase: “Coming out she stutter-stepped when I nodded to go, so I just had to keep my left hand solid and see that start—point-of-shoulder. The stutter threw me off a little bit—she’s so quick across the line that she’s one I’ve got to keep your left hand solid and underneath me, otherwise I’ll get rocked back. She’s so powerful.”
The catch: “After the stutter in the box I just tried to drive my swing and left hand to the calf and roped him when I got there. When she stops she slides, then punches in the front and comes up in the front end. She’s not one that keeps sliding. It’s been an adjustment for me. My dun horse Dollar would slide.”
“I’ve been playing with bits, and I’ve found that ones with less shank let her push but still allow me to get ahold of her. The best mouthpiece has been a squared mullen mouthpiece—one break in the middle. I was using a port but I felt like it was too sharp on her.” – Braylee Shepherd
Qualifying round — 3.7 seconds
Stock talk: “I knew this calf was stronger than my first slack calf, but I still wanted to see my start and make a run.”
Launch phase: “I saw point-of-shoulder and was a little off the barrier, but I ran him down and made sure I stayed aggressive and sharp with my swing all the way through.”
Managing the hustle: “The thing that gets me when the calves are running like that is that I’ll get ahead of my horse instead of staying with my left hand and the mare underneath me. I really focused on riding square. I focus on staying centered with my left and keep my swing powerful and sharp. Not letting the angle get flat.”
Main focus: “I am really focused on doing my job and benefitting Promise the most. We’re roping so many calves out here you don’t have time to tune. I am trying to throw smart shots and make them count. Make sure my horse is free instead of shorting me through my delivery.”
Next up for Shepherd is the Mountain Valley Stampede in Heber City, Utah.
