Barrel Horse News caught up with National Finals Rodeo qualifier Cheyenne Wimberley to find out what she considers to be her keys to success throughout her career.
“Of course good horses, but I’m kind of a horseman at heart. I’ve never stopped learning. I’m always looking for something new and it’s one of those things that whenever I’m on a horse I’m always trying to learn something. I would say I’m a competitive person and don’t let my circumstances try to get to me. I feel like I’m fortunate that I have a good feel for a horse, and I wouldn’t say I try to use that to my advantage, but I definitely don’t try to use it to a disadvantage. You know, I just take the God-given gifts and try to make them work.
Good horses are hard to come by – the breeding has made them where there’s so many. I wouldn’t say these horses nowadays are any tougher than the ones I [took to rodeos] 20 years ago, but there’s more of them. They aren’t any different—the good ones then were great then and they’re great now, but there’s just more, there’s more numbers. I just try to stay consistent. I try to stay consistent in the riding and the training and let it take care of itself.”
– Cheyenne Wimberley
Cheyenne Wimberley of Stephenville, Texas, got her start in pro rodeo in 1987 when she joined the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association at the age of 12. A lifelong horsewoman and competitor, Wimberley has more than $343,000 in Equi-Stat reported lifetime earnings. She’s qualified for the National Finals Rodeo three times—her most recent qualification in 2019 with help from Robin Weaver’s great horses VQ Sucker Punch and KN Fabs Mist Of Fame. She also earned $50,000 for her win at the 2019 World Champions Rodeo Alliance Windy City Round-Up aboard Liz Prickett’s mare Streakin Images.
While 2020 has been an unconventional year for rodeos due to the coronavirus forcing many rodeos to be cancelled or postponed, Wimberley and her home-trained Royal Blue Fame kickstarted 2020 with a win at the Woodward Elks Rodeo from June 10-13 in Woodward, Oklahoma.
