Shelby Boisjoli finished an incredible year of ProRodeo roping as 2023’s Breakaway Roping World Champion, earning $197,706 across 100 rodeos and the NFBR.
“This win means the world to me,” Boisjoli said. “This is the biggest blessing.”
In 2021, Boisjoli entered the NBFR ranked No. 1, only to lose the title to Sawyer Gilbert. This year, though, there was absolutely no question as to who is the queen of breakaway.
“Over the last two years I’ve grown a lot as a competitor and even more as a person,” Boisjoli said. “I truly don’t believe I was ready to win the world in 2021. This year I think I was mentally mature enough to win the world, and it was my year to win it.”
Boisjoli credits her relationship with God as the key factor in her ProRodeo game, saying every rodeo was placed in His hands.
“All the glory goes to God right now.”
– Shelby Boisjoli
Taking No Wimpy Turns to Las Vegas
Boisjoli was consistent throughout the 2023 winter rodeos, winning the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo with powerhouse mare No Wimpy Turns, or “Onna.” Come late June, she was sitting No. 2 in the world behind RodeoHouston Champion Hali Williams with $53,640 in earnings. That’s when things were kicked into high gear.
Seemingly, Boisjoli and Onna were winning rodeos every weekend. They were the high-money winners over cowboy Christmas with $15,397 won and picked up big wins including the Reno Rodeo ($12,035), the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Arizona ($7,994), the Dodge City Round-Up ($5,957) and Caldwell Night Rodeo ($7,082) throughout the summer. The crown jewel of their regular season was a massive $25,000 payday at the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“My consistency this year can be credited to Onna,” Boisjoli said. “She’s everything you could ask for. It was the best summer ever—a fairytale year. The main word I would use to describe that mare is ‘confident.’ She is so confident; it’s unreal. She really does love her job and she loves to win.”
Onna was voted AQHA/Nutrena Horse of the Year for the second time—an honor that only became more fitting as the 8-year-old mare showed unwavering resolve throughout the 10 go-rounds of the 2023 NFBR.
Viva Las Vegas
If one could dream up a difficult, high-pressure roping competition, the NFBR would fit the bill. With 10 rounds taking place in back-to-back fashion over two days, negative thoughts following a bad run can easily spiral with little time to reset.
That wasn’t the case for Boisjoli. After missing a calf in Round 3, she came back to continue earning her way toward the World Championship.
“I wanted to hit the barrier, and everything else is something you can’t think about at the time,” Boisjoli said.
Boisjoli’s NFBR Results
Round 1: 2.3 seconds, placed No. 3, $3,766
Round 2: 2.1 seconds, placed No. 1 (tie), $4,204
Round 3: no time
Round 4: 2.1 seconds, placed No. 4, $3,328
Round 5: 2.0 seconds, placed No. 1, $5,080
Round 6: 2.2 seconds, placed No. 4, $2,452
Round 7: 2.6 seconds, placed No. 5, $1,576
Round 8: 2.2 seconds, placed No. 8
Round 9: no time
Round 10: 12.1 seconds (barrier), placed No. 10
In all, Boisjoli won $29,301 at the 2023 NFBR, finishing No. 3 in the average with a time of 27.6 seconds on eight head and becoming the 2023 Breakaway Roping World Champion.
According to Boisjoli, her most memorable go-round was Round 5—the first NFBR go-round that she didn’t tie to win.
“I’ve never won a go-round by myself before, and it felt really good to come back from missing a calf in Round 3,” Boisjoli said. “I was proud of myself—that I could pull myself up out of the slump and not let it get me down.”
Boisjoli has a right to bask in her accomplishment, especially considering she’s set the breakaway season earnings record by more than $60,000. She plans to “ride this high” before cheering calf roping husband Haven Meged on at the National Finals Rodeo and eventually turning her attention to 2024 ProRodeo. (Round 1 of the NFR has been canceled following a mass shooting on the UNLV campus Dec. 6. Details behind the decision and ongoing updates can be on teamropingjournal.com.)
Editors note: Boisjoli will begin using the last name Meged in 2024.
Coverage of the Top 15 race throughout the summer and NFBR has been supported by Top Hand Ropes.
