Beasley Equine Podcast
Welcome to the Beasley Equine Podcast, where horse lovers, riders, and industry experts come together to explore the fascinating world of equine care, training, and culture. Hosted by passionate equine Veterinarian Dr. Travis Beasley, each episode dives into the latest trends in horse health, innovative techniques, and inspiring stories from the saddle. Whether you're a seasoned competitor, a backyard horse owner, or simply captivated by these majestic animals, join us for practical tips, expert interviews, and a celebration of all things equine. Saddle up and tune in—your next great ride starts here! New episodes every Tuesday!
Beasley Equine Podcast
Rodeo Dreams: From Junior Champion to Broadcast Booth
Meet Cailey Divine, a remarkable 17-year-old who embodies the perfect balance of academic excellence and rodeo prowess. Already taking college-level courses while serving as her FFA chapter president, she's set to graduate with an associate's degree before even finishing high school—all while competing at championship levels in breakaway roping, barrel racing, and pole bending.
From her earliest days on horseback to winning rounds at prestigious events like Oklahoma's Richest Breakaway Roping, Cailey's journey reveals the extraordinary dedication required to excel in both academics and rodeo. Her strategic approach to time management—completing homework during long drives to competitions—demonstrates wisdom beyond her years. With multiple sponsorships from industry leaders like Prefert, Heel-o-matic, and Smarty Rodeo (where she now serves as a trainer), Cailey has established herself as a rising star in the rodeo world.
What truly sets Cailey apart is her crystal-clear vision for the future. After exploring various career paths, she's set her sights on agricultural communications with the goal of becoming a rodeo broadcaster—a dream sparked by meeting professionals in the field. Her perspective on the unique supportive culture within rodeo provides heartwarming insight into why this community remains special: "Someone's horse is sore? Jump on mine. Blow a tire? We're coming to get you." Behind her success stands incredibly supportive parents who've built practice arenas, driven countless miles, and maintained her rigorous schedule. Cailey's advice rings true for anyone chasing dreams: find your passion, surround yourself with supportive people, and never let others' opinions derail your journey. Ready to be inspired? Listen now and discover how determination, family support, and clear goals can create extraordinary results at any age.
are we rolling, are we rolling? We're live. What's been going on, kaylee?
Speaker 1:nothing much just got done with college classes today, so oh yeah, sic, yes, what are you taking there? Right now I'm taking psychology, business law, english um. I don't remember my psychology.
Speaker 2:Yes, so you can tell what I'm thinking right now no that's, that's psychic. That's different. Um, do you like the psychology? No, no, hopefully your teacher doesn't watch this. I wouldn't share it with them. So you have. How old are you?
Speaker 1:I'm 17.
Speaker 2:And you already have quite an impressive resume under the rodeo column. Yes, you've done a lot. When did you start riding horses and everything?
Speaker 1:I started when I was like ever since I've been walking I've been on a horse, but I actually started competing when I was like ever since I've been walking I've been on a horse, but I actually started competing when I was five.
Speaker 2:What were you doing at five?
Speaker 1:So five was I think we did like goat tail and tying and then barrels and poles and I think that's oh and dummy roping Dummy roping. Oh, mutton busting. That's the mutton busting part.
Speaker 2:I love to watch those little kids hang on for dear life. I'm afraid my daughter's going to want to do that too. My second one I was not a fan.
Speaker 1:I would cry, like every time before I got on the sheep. I did not like it Did they make you do it.
Speaker 2:Yes, I guess that builds character.
Speaker 1:Yes, me and my good friend Kale, like we both despised it, we did not like it, we didn't want to do it because all the boys were so big and they got like the smaller sheep and you know they put us on the bigger sheep because they were easier to ride, but it was like one of those. At the time we just saw them and we were like, ooh you just grab a handful of wool and hang on right.
Speaker 2:Well, we had used like a rope, oh you.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that's more like county fair. At the Junior Rodeo we were really professional.
Speaker 2:You had a mutton rope.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Have you ever ate mutton?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Did you go? Where'd you go?
Speaker 1:We get it from home.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you Kentuckians eat a lot of mutton.
Speaker 1:Not really. I mean, it's good, I like it, but I'm not going to go after it.
Speaker 2:Have you been to Moonglow, I think is what it's called in Owensboro? Moonlight, moonlight, yes, yeah, that's the first place I had mutton and I wasn't looking forward to it, but it was actually pretty good.
Speaker 1:It's not that bad.
Speaker 2:No, that's like the biggest. They go through more pounds of mutton there than anywhere else. It's alarming, john. Can you look that up Like how much mutton they go through at this place per week or year? Moonlight Barbecue in Owensboro. Yes, it's a buffet style. That's what we had, the buffet.
Speaker 1:Everything was good.
Speaker 2:Yes, and you're from Kentucky, where at?
Speaker 1:I'm from Morganfield.
Speaker 2:Morganfield, which is just right across the river from here, right across the river, from here, right across the river. Yeah, and you drive to school every day. I guess I went to SIC too. Mm-hmm, I can't imagine going to a big university from a small high school.
Speaker 1:Mm, I don't know. I feel like it's just kind of one of those like you just do it.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean versus SIC. Like my organic chemistry class there was like three kids.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Then the first I had to take a freshman level economics class when, I got to U of I and I walk in and there's like 300 people in there. That was the worst grade I got at U of I was economics.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's definitely going to be different when I finally go off to college.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Where are you wanting to go? I'm wanting to go in Texas somewhere. I'm undecided. I have my top three schools picked out and I'm fixing to go tour and visit and do all the all the college things next month.
Speaker 2:Awesome. What's the what's the top three? A&m stay in there.
Speaker 1:East Texas A&M, Sam Houston and Huntsville and Angelo State University.
Speaker 2:How come you picked those three?
Speaker 1:So I originally wanted to go to Texas A&M in College Station. I spent some time down there. That's where I go to rope a lot of times. We have some good friends and family down there.
Speaker 1:That's where Dirty he came from their trailer and that's where he lives. And I stayed down there by myself for about like a week and I was just like driving, driving around and being in College Station, I was like this is really big and I haven't even been on the campus. And then I went and took a campus tour and it was like a two-mile walk just for the campus tour and I was like I don't, I don't think this is, I think there's a little bit too big.
Speaker 2:So well, those other ones are really good too yes yeah, and what are? What are you studying? What's your major?
Speaker 1:so right now I'm studying ag business, but I'm going to switch my major to ag communications with a minor in business and marketing and then hopefully go on to do broadcast oh, like rodeo broadcast.
Speaker 2:Oh, that would be awesome. Yes, that's um, I don't, I don't know. I've ever met anybody that wants to do that.
Speaker 1:I didn't know. I wanted to do it and then I had to fill out this questionnaire and it was like what's your dream job? And I was like, honestly, I don't know anymore, Because used to I wanted to be a vet and then I spent time around a lot of vets and I was just like we scared you away. No, I just didn't want to be on the clock all the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And just didn't want to be on the clock all the time, yeah. And so I was like I want to do something where I can still be involved in rodeo, still be involved in horses. And then I really started getting into like social media and outreach and all that stuff and I was like, okay, marketing that school, I might want to do that. And then I actually met Katie Lucas from the cowboy channel and did an interview with her and she was like I was just talking to her about it and I was like you know, this would be like an ideal dream job.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that would be awesome and I think and it seems like after Yellowstone too- all the broadcast and televised stuff is before it was. What's his name? Ronnie Gay at the. Nfr and stuff. But I mean they're televising everything. There's a cowboy channel, rfd tv and all that. So that that's pretty good. We'll write you a good letter of recommendation for somewhere, I'm sure um, john printed off a bunch of stuff that you've done. You've been at some pretty big places and done pretty good against the pros.
Speaker 1:I've tried.
Speaker 2:What's the biggest highlight of your rodeo career so far?
Speaker 1:Let me think that's, um, probably last. Yes, so last year I went to oklahoma's riches, which was, which was also a million dollar breakaway qualifier. Um, I did not do good roping outside, unfortunately, and that's where all the pros were, that's where the million dollar breakaway qualifier was. But then we went inside for oklahoma's richest and I won the second round in the 19 and under and then split third and fourth or fourth and fifth with Brealey Arms in the third round oh, wow, that's good.
Speaker 2:And you also went to Cheyenne Frontier Days, right, the daddy of them all. How was that experience?
Speaker 1:it was very interesting, it was cool, it was awesome. Definitely want to go back. Um, I really liked I forget what they called it. It was like something saddle bronc riding, but I don't remember. It was just like they just started going, like when one person fell off, they were pulling another gate, like, and it was. There was like 20 horses out there at one time and we know some of the pickup men jake and, um, I can't think of his name, not Charlie, that's his daughter.
Speaker 2:Anyway, we noticed yes, Charlie's dad.
Speaker 1:We noticed some of the pickup men out there and like they were scrambling, trying to get you know, make sure people weren't just still on these horses and then making sure that these other horses weren't fixing to like run through the fence. But it was cool, I liked it, liked it that's wild.
Speaker 2:So was there a big crowd you were roping in front of I wasn't roping there, oh okay, I just. We just went oh, okay, I got you that. Um, that's on my bucket list.
Speaker 1:Yes, because that that would be really, really cool it's definitely a good one to go to, to say you've been and to just go experience all of you?
Speaker 2:have you been to the nfr? I haveR.
Speaker 1:I have been to the NFR.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, that's right. Oh, I remember now. How did you end up there? Why don't you tell us that story?
Speaker 1:So I filled out an application for a Boot Barn Future Star Rodeo which it was like the first year that they'd done it in a long time and it was just anyone who qualified for the high school finals could fill out this application and basically, like, the big picture was, you won a trip to the NFR and you got to work with Boot Barn, and so I was just like you know, this seems cool, I'm going to fill it out and see. So I filled it out and I got selected to be a top five candidate and there was five girls, five boys, so 10 in total. And then it went on to online polling and voting, and so I had to reach out to a lot of people, um, you know, just to tell them and ask them to vote. That way I could have that experience and I ended up winning by over like 3000 votes.
Speaker 1:So, thank you to everyone who voted for me. And then I got to go to the NFR and me and my mom went. Dad didn't come with us, sadly, but we had a great time and it was just cool to actually be in the Thomas and Mac, which it looks a lot bigger on TV.
Speaker 2:That's what everybody says. I've been out to Vegas during it, but we didn't go because everybody's like you'll see it better on TV.
Speaker 1:It's also one of those things you probably want to go just once in your life to say you've done it and to say you've went and just to see, because it is very different, different. We were like right behind the roping boxes, so it was cool to watch them in there yeah, and vegas during nfr is just crazy it was insane, yeah do you do any shopping?
Speaker 2:I did lots of shopping, yeah since your dad wasn't there, did he leave his credit card he did not? Oh, that's too bad um. So this past year I guess well, 24, 25 you did um junior rodeos, right? Yeah, I did high school and then just amateur rodeos okay, how'd you, how'd you fare in the high school rodeos?
Speaker 1:High school rodeos. I ended up reserve champion breakaway roper and I was third in the barrels and fourth in the poles, I believe.
Speaker 2:Wow, I love to watch the pole bending. Yes, I think after the first one I'd fall right down. You're also very involved with the FFA.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:In fact, I remember was it the what do they call it? The Creed, or whatever? Your dad put you on the spot here and made you recite it one day yes. How long ago was that?
Speaker 1:That would have been three years ago now, so it was freshman year. I won county for Creed speaking, went on to play second at regionals and then went to state and gave gave the creed at state.
Speaker 2:That's awesome where is where state for you?
Speaker 1:guys is in lexington. Lexington lexington's a crazy town.
Speaker 2:At rup arena oh wow, that that's a big place.
Speaker 1:Yes, was it full um, so it's not actually like in, it's in the building of arena we don't like they have some workshops in that, like on the actual court, but it's like one of the many side conference rooms that we're in but we we fill it up in sessions or they're crazy. People are running in there trying to get to the front and get good seatings. And I was on the foundation committee so we had a little. It was just people who were doing work for, you know, sponsors, outreach, stuff like that and we got, you know, I think it was like 10 seats in the front row, so we never had to worry about it, and that was the one time that I went to state in the past few years. I've just been busy with rodeo.
Speaker 2:Right, and are you an officer with the FFA?
Speaker 1:Yes, I was secretary last year. This year I'm president.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you're still in high school and also doing college classes yes, and rodeoing yes, and kicking butt at it.
Speaker 1:I guess so.
Speaker 2:How do you, are you passing your classes?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Okay, you must be. If you're already in college, how do you manage your time for all that stuff mean as far as high school classes, college classes, keeping your horses going and keeping you going like what's your practice, and everything like that look like so I actually only go to the high school for ffa and any like state or standardized testing.
Speaker 1:That's the only time that I'm physically at the high school, because at our high school we have an early college academy, early college program, which is how I've had the opportunity to be at SIC. So I'm just full-time college. I don't take any high school classes anymore so when will you graduate from SIC? I'll graduate in the spring. I'll graduate SIC or I'll turn 18, graduate SIC with my associates in art and business or arts and science, sorry and then I will graduate high school after that.
Speaker 2:Holy cow, you've done more, all right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but going back to your question, um, I, anytime we're on the road and going, most of the time that's when I spend time doing homework. I do homework, obviously, whenever it's due, but, um, that's kind of my time to get ready for rodeos, but also just get some school out of the way, cause most of the time it's about a two and a half three hour drive to get anywhere. So it's just time that I'm going to be sitting on my phone or taking a nap.
Speaker 2:So I might as well be doing something productive with it and you're not driving I'm assuming while you're doing this?
Speaker 1:with it and you're not driving, I'm assuming, while you're doing this. I haven't been lately. I've got a great dad, a very good dad, and he likes to drive, and my mom and dad, they love to go everywhere with me, so they haven't really kicked me to the curb yet and been like go by yourself, so I've just been in the back seat.
Speaker 2:So you don't waste any time.
Speaker 1:No, I think it was.
Speaker 2:Tony Robbins calls it net time. Yes, no extra time because I'm bad about that. I'll make autumn drive places and do you work on a computer? Yes, yeah, that makes me dizzy sometimes like car sick.
Speaker 1:I try to make sure that I only have like one or two assignments that are just kind of quick and easy, that I have to do any of my big stuff. I'll try to get it out of the way before I ever have to think about leaving yeah, and your main mount right now is that dirty.
Speaker 2:Yes, tell us a little bit about dirty.
Speaker 1:You said he came from Texas yes, so he came from Bryan, texas. Um, he was originally a reigning horse. He was an ex-reigning horse and Derek Traylor got him, turned him into a calf horse and he Derek rode him for a few years. Then Derek just kind of put him on like the back burner and Corey Solomon took him as a backup horse to a few rodeos while he was pro rodeoing and then somewhere along the lines lines 30 was a heel horse too. I don't know when all this happened, but, um and I guess it was three years ago is when I bought him and brought him back home to kentucky and corey is corey payne no, corey solomon, corey solomon okay because there's also a corey payne
Speaker 2:yes, right and that's a family friend. Veterinarian in texas okay all right, I'll get this straight here in a minute. So when you're riding, how old is Dirty?
Speaker 1:He's 17.
Speaker 2:He is that old.
Speaker 1:I didn't realize he was that old Me and him are the same age, and that's the only way I can keep it straight. That's cool.
Speaker 2:Did you find that, John, on the Moonlight Barbecue? I found it on there, Like how many pounds of mutton? Oh, I can't. Oh, we'll look later.
Speaker 1:I'll let you know, kaylee. Okay, so when you, when you practice, do you practice a lot at home? Yes, so I got on the Preford Junior Elite team and we'd been. We just moved to our farm where we're at now. We were in the process of building a house and everything. When I got on that team and we went down to Mount Pleasant to the headquarters for their roundup that they have, and we learned a lot about their products and everything like that and you know, then that kind of made dad's mind up on what he wanted to do. So we got that arena from pre for we got it set up and, um, when we set it up, I was not able to rope in it because it just rained oh I roped in it one time, and then it poured and poured.
Speaker 2:That was this spring.
Speaker 1:This has been a year, I guess.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:So it just rained and it kept raining and it was like as soon as it would get dry and dad would work it, I might rope one time and then it would rain. So we kind of let it sit and get settled. But that's where I've been practicing. Thankfully it's been very dry yeah for like two months now yeah, it's been really dusty, but I'm not going to complain about it and you said you were on the pre-fert.
Speaker 2:What? Junior elite team how did you do that? What is?
Speaker 1:that that's also fill out an application and then you just get selected from that. But it's just another sponsorship program. They um really believe in giving back to the youth and just um showing people what pre-ford is all about. So you do go down to mount pleasant for two, three days, I guess um to their roundup and you learn all about products. You get to talk to like the head people there and they're an amazing family um, and then also their sponsored athletes that they have all the pros they'll come down there. You get to do some like training with them. We got to rope, I got to rope the dummy with Larry D Guy.
Speaker 2:That's who was with us. Yes, yeah, do you do a lot of the dummy roping for practice. Yes, fundamentals, yes, yeah. So when you're practicing at your house, you got live calves.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, so when you're practicing at your house, you got live calves, or yes? So I have my sorry, I have my Helimatic dummy. I'm also sponsored by them and they're another great product, but I have my Helimatic dummy. I like to get on the necks and just get my fundamentals down. Usually I'll rope it about between five and 15 times before I ever get on my horse. Then I'll take Dirty or whoever I'm riding that day down to the arena. Usually I'll pull a sled a few times if my horse is a little bit tight or my horse maybe is just a little bit free. Get on the sled, warm them up a little bit more and then I'll rope live calves For Dirty. It's turned into really just roping like two or three just to make sure he's firing and he's working. Good, I don't really rope for myself on him. That's when I use repeat.
Speaker 2:Okay, repeat's kind of your practice horse now. Repeat tried to kill himself a couple times with us, didn't he?
Speaker 1:He did yeah.
Speaker 2:Is he still staying good on his hind end? He is Good, good. Yeah, is he still staying good on the signed in? He is good, good. So you said you're the helomatic that's made by smarty, correct? Yes, and you're sponsored by them as well, yes, geez. So how'd you? How'd you do that?
Speaker 1:another application that was another application, um. So two years ago I filled it out for helomatic. Helomatic then got um bought by smarty and it all turned into Smarty Rodeo. And last year they just loved me so much and I did such an awesome job. They brought me back this year as a trainer. Oh, cool. So I got to go back to camp again, work with some more pros, try out some new equipment. They have some demos out there that we get kind of first look at. So I got to do that, oh sweet.
Speaker 2:And then I got to meet all the um young pros this year, so they're calling you a trainer. Did you get to help any young kids? Yes oh, how'd you like that. You like teaching it?
Speaker 2:was good yeah, do you have any advice? There's I think, there's some kids that listen to this. Do you have any advice for a young kid who wants to get into it? Um, just anything for any kid that may just want to start rodeoing or rope it, or anything yeah, if you have a dream, just chase it and it doesn't matter what people say about it.
Speaker 1:You know a lot of people at my high school um, they all knew that I rodeoed and none of them understood what I did and they all were just kind of like oh, why do you do that? And I was like it's because it's what I love and it's what I do. So just, no matter what people say, follow your dreams.
Speaker 2:And if you have that dream and you think you can do it, you definitely can yeah and find the right people yes, find the right people that'll be in your corner and back you no matter what yeah, and that's one thing I've noticed with the youth rodeos especially, like the camaraderie and support everybody has is, even though you're competing against somebody, everybody seems to help everybody.
Speaker 1:It's a great community yes, and everyone's happy for everyone, no matter like who's winning, no matter who's not doing so good, like you'll always see kids back there, especially and it's so funny now when I look back at it especially like when I go to junior rodeo and I see those kids. You, you know they just went out there and ran like a seven second breakaway run and they're all so happy. You know the kids are on the bucking shoots and they're screaming and clapping and you know just one of those things. I think now you don't see it as much in sports, where people are genuinely happy for each other, but in rodeo you see it all the time. You for each other, but in rodeo you see it all the time. You know someone's horse is sore here, jump on mine. If someone you know they blow a tire, we're coming to get you. You know, no matter what it is, it's just always it's very family oriented and everyone wants to see everyone succeed at the end of the day.
Speaker 2:And that's something you can do beyond high school. Yes, I mean a lot of my. I didn't play sports while I played golf, but I could go pick up my clubs and go have fun today, and I think that's the same with the rodeo and horse stuff. I mean, that's something you can do the rest of your life, and if you're good like you, you can win some money too, right?
Speaker 2:I try and sponsorships and you've got some. You mentioned your dad earlier. You've got some pretty awesome parents in your corner that we've come to know over the past years working on your horses. So anything you'd like to say to them because I'm assuming they're- going to listen?
Speaker 1:yeah, they definitely will. They'll be like, why'd you say that? I'm just kidding. But, um, my parents are awesome. They've done, they've given me every single opportunity that I've ever had and you know, they've always been in my corner.
Speaker 1:There's been days where I haven't wanted to practice. You know, I've been tired, I've been at school all day and I'm just kind of like I don't really want to rope today. And dad's like, no, I already got the calves pin, let's go like go get your horse. And my mom, she's kind of like our secretary, she keeps everything lined out, she puts ropings on the books. She's like, hey, this rope ends this day, do go. And I'm like let's go, and then we'll be planning on going to that one. She'll get about five more.
Speaker 1:One time we went to like I think it was like four or five days, I don't know how many rodeos and rope-ins we went to. We were like out of town and we just kept bouncing around and hitting them. But if there's a rope in somewhere she will find it. And she's taken us to. Last year I was nominating for some WCJR stuff and she found this one rodeo no box pads. There was two calves in the whole, like the whole pen. There was just two of them and there was like 12 girls that entered in the breakaway.
Speaker 1:It was crazy, but my parents are awesome and they do a lot for me and I'm very thankful for them.
Speaker 2:We're thankful for them too, because it's great to see you young kids doing awesome things, because you guys are the future of my livelihood too, yes, so we're trying to do all we can for you guys, so we took everything down, but I think, did you already pick up all your stuff?
Speaker 1:Yes, we're getting you.
Speaker 2:Okay, awesome, yeah, shout out to all the companies that donated for you guys. I think it's great. I guess that's all about it. I think we need to have you back again after certain things and maybe you can tell us some secret, smarty stuff you roped. Is there anything else you want to go? Any questions for me?
Speaker 1:I don't know. I've talked to you a lot. You've been working on all my horses.
Speaker 2:Yep, yeah, we appreciate you guys bringing your horses here and trusting us to take care of them. I hope we do them justice. It's always so much fun to work on horses like you ride, because Autumn says it all the time. Can we just trot older geldings, older rope horses all day?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Some of the young ones can be a bit challenging. Well, kaylee, thanks so much. I know you're super busy, so thanks for taking the time to come over here and do this with us, and I hope to have you back sometime. Yes, thank you for having me All right.
Speaker 1:Everybody, thanks for tuning in and until next time, take care of your horses and yourself.