Shelby Meged and Kitty Corona claimed victory in the 6 & Under Breakaway Roping at the Royal Crown in Buckeye, Arizona, on February 10, 2025, earning an impressive $20,000.
The 5-year-old mare, sired by the legendary Highbrow Cat and out of Dressin Up by Peptoboonsmal, delivered three stellar performances, earning a total score of 302.07.
Staying Focused for Success
Meged came into the Royal Crown with a clear focus—eliminate past mistakes and give her horses the best chances to succeed.
“I’ve done really bad at futurities in the past,” Meged said. “I’ve made mistakes that have definitely hindered the horses. Going into today, the main goal was to stay behind the barrier, rope the neck, and just give the horses a chance to win something. If they get drawn out, that’s okay. If you draw a bad calf or mistakes happen, that’s okay, I just didn’t want them to be my mistakes.”
Looking back at previous futurities, Meged was candid about the errors that have cost her wins.
“I broke a lot of barriers I shouldn’t have, and I missed a lot of calves,” Meged said. “I pretty much just got in the horse’s way. You have to stay behind the barrier and catch the calves. There are already so many other variables when the horses are being judged, and they’re green horses. It’s the first time out for some of them, so there’s a lot that can go wrong. If you don’t stay behind the barrier and rope the neck, you won’t have a chance to win anything, and all that hard work goes down the drain.”
The Rising Star: Kitty Corona
Kitty Corona, the standout mare of the day, has been in Meged’s program for just eight months. Owned by Bar One Land & Cattle, the talented young mare has quickly proven her talent.
“We are super grateful to Seth for letting us show her and trusting us with her,” Meged said. “She’s been awesome and is super talented.”
Shelby Meged and her world champion calf roper husband, Haven, have worked to develop a training program suited for horses like Kitty Corona. Together, they train each of these horses with one goal in mind—to showcase their full potential.
“Haven does all the tracking and gets the horses locked in, and I start all the horses out of the box,” Meged said. “I’ve had her in my string for the last four months, and I’ve worked really hard on her. We actually weren’t even going to enter her in this because we thought there was no way she would be ready. But she took to it super-fast.”
Overcoming Nerves and Exceeding Expectations
Meged initially had reservations about Kitty Corona’s readiness, especially compared to the other horses in her string.
“I felt like the mare that I expected to win more was Gunnawhizaround, but she just didn’t draw very well today,” Meged said. “We had to run some really tough calves, and it didn’t work out in her favor.”
Despite being her first time entered, Kitty Corona stepped up to the challenge in a way that exceeded all expectations for Meged.
“She’s never been entered for money before,” Meged said. “I was just super excited that she took the pressure so well. She got better every run, tried harder, stopped harder, ran harder, and stood in the box better. Her heart rate even went down as the day went on. I’m really proud of her, and I think she’s going to have a huge future.”
Looking Ahead
With this Royal Crown win under her belt, Shelby Meged is eager to see what the future holds for Kitty Corona.
“I’m really excited for her,” Meged said. “She’s got so much potential, and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here.”
