Océane Veilleux proved her mettle by tackling 100 rodeos on the road to becoming the 2024 WPRA Resistol Rookie of the Year.
The road to a Women’s Professional Rodeo Association Resistol Rookie of the Year title contains many miles of travel across the United States. In the case of this year’s winner, 19-year-old Océane Veilleux, hometown of St-Alfred, Quebec, Canada, the road was even longer. With a home base in East Texas and while juggling university classes, she hit 100 rodeos on her quest. When her efforts landed her $47,370.43 in earnings, she topped the Rookie rankings for the coveted title. Road trip, worth it.
The Need for Speed
Veilleux grew up with horses in her blood. Her parents Julien Veilleux and Marie-Andre Bolduc started building a barn before they even built their house, and they bought horses because they thought they were beautiful. So, she began her journey with horses going on trail rides. But when she saw barrel racing at her hometown rodeo, she was immediately interested.
“I thought it sounded like fun,” Veilleux said. “It sounded more exciting than just trail riding. I thought it was a little too much skill for me. But I’m a very outgoing person and wanted to try something new.”
She began barrel racing with her pony, who was blind in one eye.
“He would turn the first barrel, and then come back. That’s the only thing he could see,” Veilleux said.
Eventually, Veilleux’s dad had a futurity barrel horse named Charlotte that wasn’t quite ready for the big leagues speed-wise, but she was perfect for his young daughter.
“It worked out great — she taught me everything I know, and I grew up with this horse,” Veilleux said. “She was an amazing kid horse and would take care of me when I wasn’t ready to go fast. But eventually we started going faster together.”
After Charlotte suffered a career-ending injury, 12-year-old Veilleux began riding a horse named Vegas — not the same Vegas she currently shows.
“This horse really taught me to go fast,” Veilleux said of Vegas. “I started coming to Texas for the first time with him.”
With Vegas, Veilleux began winning at races like the Diamonds and Dirt, and interested in rodeo, she took classes with Quebec-turned-Texas trainer Caroline Boucher to improve her horsemanship. She also learned English at that time, since French was her first language. Boucher introduced the teen to 2015 gelding Heavens Guy, “Ice Cream,” her “yellow good horse” when the gelding was three. The pair spent a few years going to jackpot barrel races, incentives and slot races.
When Veilleux started college at Texas A&M Commerce, she began college rodeoing and felt like she’d found her place.
“I really liked rodeo, and my horse was in love with rodeos because he loves the music and he loves when people talk about him,” Veilleux said. “He’s a big shot. So I knew I wanted to [pro rodeo], but I never went all in.”
Road to Rodeo
The American was the biggest rodeo Veilleux competed in prior to this year. Last year, she set a goal of competing in PRCA rodeos, as soon as she turned 18.
“That’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Veilleux said. “Last year I got my permit, filled my permit over the summer at a barrel race, and then started rodeoing in September.”
Veilleux is a junior in college, studying biological sciences—a major not offered online, which would be more convenient for rodeoing across North America. But she’s used to studying on the road from her barrel racing days in high school.
“Now, it’s the same way, so it is a little harder, but my teachers are there that I can email if I have questions,” Veilleux said. “My absences are not excused, but they know I’m not skipping class.”
Veilleux looks up to Wenda Johnson for being able to rodeo at a high level, and also work in the medical field.
“I’m a big fan of hers, and she’s one of the reasons why I keep going, because—it’s possible, she’s done it. She works in a hospital every day, and she still rodeos, too,” Veilleux said. “And she’s a really sweet person, too.”
Starting out this Rookie year, Veilleux didn’t intent to go to 100 rodeos. She went to rodeos close to home in Texas, and Ice Cream was doing well—until he got hurt in March, and was sidelined for three months. She wasn’t sure her backup horse would be up to the task for pro rodeo.
Fortunately, a fellow Quebecois Chantal Auger sold her a horse the Veilleuxes had been wanting for years, a 2017 gelding named Frenchmoney To Vegas.
“I know she doesn’t sell a lot of horses, so I was really, really honored by that,” Veilleux said.
She took “Vegas” to the Resistol Rookie Roundup in March in Fort Worth, Texas, without any expectations, just wanting to make a good run, and ended up winning first, pulling a check for $2,500.
“That’s his favorite place now,” Veilleux said.
Veilleux didn’t know she was allowed to turn out of a rodeo without it counting toward her total rodeo count. With an injured horse, she thought she still had to run, but learned the hard way that wasn’t the case.
“I should have just stayed home and focused on getting my horse better—this is all the little things I’ve learned over the year,” Veilleux said. “And also, to make every rodeo count. Sometimes I knew my horse didn’t like a particular pattern, but I was still going to run it because I didn’t have my other horse, who was hurt. I should just be like ‘OK, this is not my setup. We’ll go to another one.’ But I didn’t know that.”
She says she still has much to learn, but the seasoning she got this past year had made a huge difference. And the scenery was worth the drive.
Quick Stats
Name: Océane Veilleux
Horses: Heavens Guy “Ice Cream” 2015 palomino gelding (JL Dash Ta Heaven x Easy Guys x Holland Ease); Frenchmoney To Vegas “Vegas” 2017 red roan gelding (French Streaktovegas x Flash Mia Money Red x Honor For Money Red); Frostys Crackerjack “Crackerjack” 2013 red dun gelding (PC Frosty Bird x Time Ta Whistle x No Whistle)
Hometown: St-Alfred, Quebec, Canada
Total 2024 rodeo earnings: $47,370.43
Rodeos attended: 100
Pro Rodeo World Standings: 40th
Notable win: Resistol Rookie Roundup, first in finals, $2,500; Eagle County Fair & Rodeo, first place, $2,352; Golden Spike Rodeo, fifth place, $2,728.
“I feel like I’ve learned so much, and traveling over the summer was really fun,” Veilleux said. “I’ve never seen that part of the U. S. before, going out West.”
During the low points of the year, Veilleux’s family came to stay with her off-and-on for a month. Veilleux’s dad and her brother, who is 13, do roping, and they helped tremendously with her mindset and practically, with her horses.
“They traveled with me, and that’s when it started going so much better,” Veilleux said. “They know me so well, and they know what to do when my mind is not in the right place. It helped me be back on top of my game.”
With her family around to help leg up her horse and spend time with, she got to see more sites, like go for hikes and eat home-cooked meals.
“I learned that it’s good to do that and not always be on the road, ready to run all the time,” Veilleux said.
Her family also brought her dogs. Which was a good thing, until her Dachshund was killed at a dog park during their travels.
“It was really horrible,” Veilleux said.
Ice Cream was back in the game by July, and Veilleux had more consistent success with the two horses available for the arenas where they did best.
“Ice Cream is my best friend, he’s my man,” Veilleux said. “I’ve had him for five years now, so I know everything about him, and he knows everything about me. He’s the funniest horse ever. And he’s really good and so sweet.”
With Vegas, she’s still seasoning him. She says he’s got a good heart and wants to be sweet, but can be a little bit of a bad boy. Fortunately, he is Ice Cream’s best friend and a good companion.
“I gave him a break over the summer, I hauled him but I was riding him, not running him,” Veilleux said. “I just wanted him to get experienced. He’s so talented, so hopefully this year he can go out there and run and figure more out.”
Over the summer, Veilleux also hauled a 2013 gelding named Frostys Crackerjack “Crackerjack.” He is also friendly with Ice Cream. She loved hauling with three geldings.
“I love geldings, and they’re three best friends, so no one is hating the other, and it was awesome,” Veilleux said.
After her long journey around North America to achieve the Rookie title, Veilleux is pleased.
“I’m really happy, this is what I was aiming for this year,” Veilleux said. “I worked really hard for it — 100 rodeos. I put in the effort for sure, and I’m really happy how it ended. It was against a good group of girls, too. They all did really amazing.”
Now that she’s fallen headfirst into professional rodeo, Veilleux says she’s never going back. She hopes to make it higher in the overall rankings this year to compete at the Houston and Fort Worth rodeos. She is hoping for sound horses and perhaps a chance at the NFR before she goes to pharmacy school.
“Rodeo has my heart now, and I just had an amazing year, even if I had lots of ups and downs, it’s a thrill,” Veilleux said. “There’s always another rodeo.”
This article was originally published in the December 2024 issue of Barrel Horse News.
