Shaya Biever CFR 2025
The 2023 Canadian Champion, Shaya Biever is headed to Edmonton for her fourth Canadian Finals Rodeo.
Shaya and her two horses CQ Badgers Thor (JBS Badges Patric x Cheyenita) aka Bullet and Poppy Of Resort, aka Poppy, entered 46 rodeos, placing at fourteen, and winning two, banking $22,485.21, to finish fifth in the regular season standings.
Breakaway interviews are presented by, Crown + Crow Coffee. Good things come to crows who wait. But first, coffee.
What is your main mounts back story; when and where you found him/her, and what was it about this horse that you knew it was destined for great things/what makes them so special?
My dad bought Bullet as a 3yo for $1800 on Kijiji (man those were the good days). He started him as a heel horse then I also made him into a head horse, heck I even ran barrels on him in high school rodeo and for me it was the speed and athleticism. From the get go everything he did was fast, but he would also watch a cow and rate naturally, made it super easy to rope on.
I bought Poppy at 9 years old this winter from Randal Graf, who is good friend of mine that I met going to school in Vernon, Texas. Randal actually raised this horse from a baby, and trained him his 4,5 and 6 year old year. I actually was there roping with Randal and got to see him his 4 and 5 year old year, what really caught my eye was his calm demeanour in the box and his speed/quickness, Randal had done a great job on him. Flash forward to the winter of 2024 I called him and asked if he would sell him to me because he hadn’t been used that much and he did. I knew Randal’s foundation and training would make it easy to just start hauling him and its proven true this year.
What was your most memorable run this season, and what made it memorable?
This year Falkland was my most memorable run, it was the 3rd rodeo I have ever taken Poppy too. I had never done any good on Bullet there for 3 years so I figured might as well take him. We ended up winning the rodeo together, it was a cool thing and really was special to me and to Randal who I had bought him from. He always thought Poppy was destined to do great things so it’s pretty special I was the one to do it.
What was different about your rodeo season this year compared to last year?
This year I had two horses going down the road. The last 3 years I’ve always had a backup but never took him to any rodeos I always stayed on Bullet. Poppy changed the game he was super easy to rope and win on, so a lot of the weekends was the decision of what horse to take. At the beginning I would take Poppy to arenas with longer boxes but near the end it really didn’t matter which one I took.
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 started off this year very strong, which hasn’t happened as much my last couple years, but with starting out so good comes the point where things might stop going good. For about 4 weekends in a row, with some pretty big rodeos in them, I didn’t win a dime, heck I wasn’t even catching the calves, I think I caught 1 and it wasn’t fast enough to place. After being pretty frustrated about it, I got told something that lit a fire under me, and that was “If I put as much time into my attitude as I do into actually practicing roping, I would be winning more”. After that I switched how I thought about everything instead of getting frustrated I found everything positive in every run especially at home, instead of being mad I was missing I would focus on how well my horse was working and then transferred it over to the weekend. No coincidence that when I did that I started catching and placing again. There is only so many things you can control in rodeo and I really think if you can strive to stay positive it directly relates to your confidence. The mental and physical game should be 50/50.
Tell readers something good that happened to you this season, other than winning or placing at a rodeo?
My bay horse Poppy coming into my life this year was probably one of the best things to happen to me. It always hard trying to find the next best thing or try and replace the feeling you get riding your main mount, but I found it in Poppy, and I will be forever grateful for that.
What would be your rough estimate of vet work annually to get to the Canadian Finals Rodeo? Do you know a rough estimate of what it cost (without factoring in truck/trailer cost) to make a run at the CFR?
I don’t even have a good estimate, Bullet gets his hocks and stifles injected every year, as well as adjustments twice a year. Poppy hasn’t needed any injections yet but same thing I like to them adjusted and looked over twice a year in case they need any work. I think it’s different for every horse, we ride them so much you can almost always tell when something isn’t feeling right, and they need attention.
What was the best restaurant you stopped at all year? Any hidden gems to mention?
I think we only ever went to Boston Pizza this year, but that is always a classic stop. The hidden gem to mention isn’t a restaurant but Fruit World. We stopped every time we passed it.
What is your least favourite part of being on the rodeo road, and what is your favourite?
My least favorite part would be the driving and dealing with traffic. My favorite part would have to be my traveling partners, it’s like a weekend getaway and you get to do what you love with your favorite people.
What therapies are a must have for your horse?
I bought an Equipod this year and it has been an absolute game changer when being on the road. It is a microcurrent device for horses and help with every degree of recovery and well-being. I also like to get my horses chiropracted or have an osteopath come out once or twice a year.
How do you manage to balance life at home/work with life on the road?
I stayed mostly at my parents place in Claresholm, AB this year. My parents are very big supporters in my life, my Dad always helps me practice when I need it and they both help take care of the horse and calves that I leave at home. If it wasn’t for their constant support I probably wouldn’t be where I am at today.
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?
I started the year with Jenna Dallyn and Amanda Terrell, they are the best most positive in your corner girls anyone could hope to travel with. When they headed south, I finished out the majority of the year hauling with Mikenna Schauer and same atmosphere as Jenna and Amanda. You truly are who you hang around and I’m happy to say we all qualified together!
Funny story this year, leaving Kennedy with Mikenna, we wanted to leave and get to Morris so we could sleep in. We got about 15 minutes from the rodeo grounds and realized we only had about 20 miles til empty, if you know us, we are very known for having no fuel in the rig. Thankfully we had a Co-Op lined out and we’d make it with still 8 miles to spare. We pulled up thinking we won, only to find out Mikenna’s Co-op card was expired, so there we were at 1 in the morning with no way to get fuel. Through the power of the rodeo community, we were able to find a friend of a friend that lived on the edge of town come in and use their Co-op card. Definitely a funny story, and what can I say, we are just girls.
How are you preparing for the Canadian Finals Rodeo practise wise? What is your routine like to be ready for Edmonton?
My practice doesn’t change a whole lot heading into finals. My outlook for all of rodeo is no matter where you rope the job description doesn’t change. Bullet will just get exercised and then I will rope on him the Monday before the CFR starts, he's just such a solider and the biggest thing with him is just keeping him feeling good and firing off my hand. Poppy gets used a bit more like a practice horse but same thing, I keep him firing to the cow and moving through my throw. I take about 2/3 calves for myself and then taking 2 or 3 swings by my shot for the horse and keep him running. I also have two three year old colts I practice on most days and they help to keep my swing the same no matter where I am, and always remind me to make sure I have my horses going to a position to where I can always see the calf.
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?
I would say my Bullet is most like Rocky in Rocky Balboa in the later movies. He is tough, driven, full of heart and a total winner but is slightly older and grizzled. Poppy definitely reminds me of Seabiscuit, he's pretty small, he's a bay, but he's very fast and again just a winner. He also has the same separation anxiety as in the movie, always needs a buddy.
If you could swing a leg over another qualifier's horse, who would it be and why?
Teacher, ridden by both Bradi and Kylie Whiteside, and owned by Ben Bamford. That horse is unreal from the corner to the calf. He scores like rock and runs hard and fast to the cow. There is a reason he gets both girls to the finals every year.
Are you a type A or type B breakaway roper?
I walk a fine line between the two quite perfectly. I like to go check the draw and see what calf I have and be prepared but at the same time I’ll wait till the last second to have a plan made it just wait and eventually things just fall into place and work out.
How many breakaway horses do you currently have in your string?
I currently have two in my main string, with a couple colts coming up.
What is your advice for someone who wants to take a shot at making the Canadian Finals Rodeo?
Whatever you do don’t quit and go home halfway through. If you want, make to make the commitment to try and make the Canadian finals rodeo then you need to honor the commitment and give it everything you have. It’s easy to get discouraged when things aren’t going well, but if you give it your best and come up short the next time you try again you start with experience.
I would first like to thank all the committee’s that had breakaway this year and to each and every one that keep adding more money to the event! I also would like to thank my family and friends that reach out and keep me going all year long, this life wouldn’t be possible without any of you!
