Caitlin McArthur CFR 2025
Caitlin McArthur and her grey gelding Wild Berry Rye, (Berry Shiny x Super Time Jubal) aka Sherman, competed at 49 rodeos, winning two and placing at 18, pocketing $27,782.33 to qualify for her first Canadian Finals Rodeo.
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What is your main mounts back story
I bought Sherman from Cora Croteau September of 2022. She ran him at a summer series I held at my house. I had also been shoeing Cora’s horses for over a year at this point. I had been around Sherman lots and loved his personality. Then Cora won the Youth on him, and I told her that I was going to start pro rodeoing next year and that she should come with me because I think Sherman had a shot. She told me she wasn’t interested…
A few months later Cora texted me and she said “I think I’m going to sell Sherman”, and I remember eating dinner with my dad and said to him “oh my gosh, Cora wants to sell Sherman!” I had just sold my horse trailer and a couple other horses, so I told Cora I’d be there tomorrow to get him!
How does it feel to have qualified to the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton, and what are you most excited for?
I’m beyond excited to have not only qualified for the CFR, but in Rogers Place is just so cool to me!
I don’t think there’s anything I’m not excited for! I’m excited for the back number ceremony, orientation, and the fashion show. But of course most of all, running down the alley at Rogers!
What was your most memorable run this season, and what made it memorable?
I’m not sure I could decide the most memorable run, they’re all so important to me in different ways! Every run got me just a little closer to my dream!
Taber was very exciting for me because I ran Shadez to give Sherman some rest and had no expectations, and he won it!
What was different about your rodeo season this year compared to last year?
This year I learned to cater to Sherman. I know what he needs compared to my other horses. Between hauling, watering, resting and exercise.
My goal was really clear, and I just kept my head down and worked hard. I never stopped learning.
What challenges did you face this year, and how did you overcome them? How do you keep confidence when things aren't going as planned, or you are in a slump?
I think by far the most challenging thing this year was my mental game! Between asking people for advice, books, podcasts and just trying to remember the basics, that’s how I got through this year. No matter who you are, it’s mentally tough to rodeo between being on the road for so long, horses not working or getting a tough draw, all of it is tough. I would say there really is nothing easy about rodeoing!
Tell readers something good that happened to you this season, other than winning or placing at a rodeo?
This year was full of a lot of great things!
I got to add a couple new young ones to my program which is always exciting! I have 4 beautiful nieces and 2 handsome nephews that came to support me at a few rodeos this summer, which is always so fun for everyone!
I got to have a student, Ryen Freeman ride with me doing dentals this year. We had a great time!
I also learnt a lot more about vet work this year! I think with hauling a few horses down the road this year and trying to keep them all competing at a professional level has taken more for me personally than previous years.
What would be your rough estimate of vet work annually to get to the Canadian Finals Rodeo?
My vet work was somewhere between 12-15k this year.
What was the best restaurant you stopped at all year? Any hidden gems to mention?
I have a huge list of my favourite places to stop when we’re rodeoing!
My number one that I talk about 364 days of the year until we get there again is JenAlios in Vernon. It’s the most amazing homemade Italian restaurant.
Believe it or not, I love the Italian restaurant in Bassano, Armando’s.
As we see, Italian is a loved meal in the rig, haha
Colossi’s in High River is an amazing coffee shop. Though it’s very hard to park a rig downtown, we still manage to get it done to have the best coffee!
What is your least favourite part of being on the rodeo road, and what is your favourite?
Of course the hardest part of being on the road is being away from home, the missed birthdays and family functions. It’s also hard for me when I’ve got young horses because they do go a fair shot of the summer without being rode as much as they should be.
The best part is the memories. It’s absolutely a lifestyle and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
We get to meet people from all over, see the most beautiful sunrises and occasionally have a great time.
What therapies are a must have for your horse?
I do have a handful of things that I think would benefit any horse on the road! I do chiro/massage on my horses at least every week. I Bemer my horses after I ride them, I mud them if we have to get on the trailer right after our run, and I use blue lineament and mix it in a spray bottle with water so I can just spray it on the legs whenever it’s warm out. Lots and lots of electrolytes!
How do you manage to balance life at home/work with life on the road?
I do find I have it a lot easier to balance work/ rodeo life because my boyfriend rodeos aswell so we get to cross paths sometimes and it’s better than seeing him the 2 days a month I’m home… and I run my own business, Elevate Equine. Specializing in equine dentistry, equine bodywork, farrier and equine nutrition.
So between working on rodeo horses, my clients meeting up with me at rodeos, and working from home when I’m there. It makes my job really fun!!
My dad and boyfriend help me out tremendous with my horses that I leave at home, or driving another rig to a rodeo so that my other horses can haul less. I appreciate everyone’s help so much!
Who did you travel with this year? Do you have a funny or heart warming story you could share about your time together, or anything you would like to share about them?
Anyone who has travelled with me probably finds it so frustrating lol. I never know when the rodeos start or how long it takes to get anywhere. I truly am lucky that I even make it to some of the rodeos…
I got the opportunity to travel with a bunch of amazing girls. But my main travelling partner is Madison Wilkerson.
She has been the best travelling partner. I simply wouldn’t have been able to do this without her. Between splitting up the hours of driving, and the pep talks she has been one of my rocks!
We were in the top 12 at Ponoka after Madison ran and we were driving to Williams Lake.
I told her “can you believe in 24 hours we could be driving back and have both made the Canadian finals”
We placed 2nd and 4th, though our earning at that time wouldn’t have qualified us. It was a really fun drive home!
I think I could make a whole podcast of the fun we have! There really isn’t ever a dull moment in our rig!
How are you preparing for the Canadian Finals Rodeo practise wise? What is your routine like to be ready for Edmonton?
I’m very fortunate to have an extremely consistent horse, so I’m just trying to keep him in shape, and free, and he will do the rest!
I’ll spend a few days a week riding him, the other days he will just get the hot walker. We’re not going to do anything different than we’ve done all year!
If your horse was an actor/actress in a movie, who would play them, or if your horse was a character from a movie, which character do they remind you of and why?
When I read this question, the first character that came to mind was Maximus, the grey horse Flynn rides from Tangled. Ironic it’s also a horse, but his sense of humour and charm is exactly like Sherman!
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up, and what do you do now?
When I was younger I’m sure I thought I was going to be superwoman, then right out of high school I took a medical route and worked for AHS. After COVID I decided to start my own business and here I am living my dream working on horses. But, if I had to pick another job, I would be a culinary chef!
If you could swing a leg over another qualifier's horse, who would it be and why?
I would have to go with Blake Molle’s horse JJ, he looks so honest and my style! I would love to run him!
How many barrel horses do you currently have in your string, tell us about them?
I have a couple of nice 3yos that are just getting patterned, a 8yo that I cracked out a few times and then just my 2 grey horses.
Shadez and Sherman.
Shadez helped me a lot this year when I was giving Sherman some time off. He really stepped up and it feels good having another great horse in my trailer!
What is your advice for someone who wants to take a shot at making the Canadian Finals Rodeo?
I’ve been told a lot of amazing advice from alot of wise people.
You have to put in the work to get the reward.
When you’re working, your competition is working 2x harder. Never stop trying to learn, if you think you know enough, you’ve already failed.
Do best by your horse. No one remembers Hailey Kinsel as the girl who didn’t win the world in 2024. We remember her as the girl that didn’t run sister the last round to possibly win the world because she cared more about her horse than winning.
And, have fun with it. That’s the whole reason we started…
I’d love to start off by saying a big thank you to my dad, he has supported me through it all… through high school, amateurs and now pro rodeoing. He shows up when he can through his busy schedule and never stops trying to make me better. For that I will always be grateful!!
My boyfriend has been so supportive and helped me chase my dreams more than his own it feels like. Anyone would be lucky to have a support team like I do.
It truly does take a village!
The last thank you I’d like to send out is to my sponsors who have shown unbelievable support this year!
Jones Boys, J9 Equine, HayBoss Feeders, Sands Dust Control, Olson Farms and Elevate Equine.
