Karli Cowie - CFR50
Karli Cowie is back for her second CFR with her great mare, Queen Fingtima. Last year she finished as the Aggregate Champion. In 2024 the duo won Fort MacLeod, Bowden, Rockyford, and placed at Stavely, Innisfail, Ponoka, Teepee Creek, Morris, Strathmore, Pincher Creek, Lethbridge, and Merritt, finishing the regular season in tenth spot with $21,080.11 won.
This interview presented by Hanks.Original Popcorn Seasoning! Made with real ingredients, Hanks is LCBs must have seasoning for watching the Cowboy Channel with a bowl of popcorn!
What is it that makes your horse so special to you?
Her huge heart!! She has more try than anything I’ve ever rode before. She wants to win as bad as I do!
What has been your most memorable run in 2024, and what made it memorable for you?
Stavely and Innisfail! It was my first runs back on Fling after her surgery and 6 months off. I had no idea how it would go. She placed at both rodeos and won over 3 thousand that weekend! I was on top of the world to be back on my girl!
What was different about your rodeo season this year compared to last year or other seasons?
Last year I got to take Fling to all the spring rodeos and I had her all year. This year I took my younger horse to the spring rodeos to season. My first run I made on Fling was June 15th so I felt like I had to play catch up for most of the year. She felt way more seasoned this year though so I was able to go to the rodeos and do well right away whereas last year it took us a few months to figure out the rodeos and we never really started winning money until the end of the year.
Did you face any challenges this season? Tell us about them
There’s always challenges when you’re trying to rodeo! Of course, having my main mount out for a lot of the year was one of them. Always trying to do what’s best for her and keep her feeling good. Many trips to my great vets clinic! Rodeo isn’t easy, one weekend you win a bunch of money and you’re on top of the world and the next, nothing seems to go right and you come home with empty pockets. Just trying to keep a positive mindset when things aren’t going great is so important. There are so many rodeos in the summer and so much money to be won you can never get down! You never know when your whole summer will turn around.
Tell the readers something good that happened to you this season, other than placing at, or winning a rodeo.
I think the best part is the people you meet along the way! I have met so many lifelong friends coming out west to the pro rodeos that I can’t imagine my life without now. Everyone is willing to help you or let you stay at their place in between rodeos. We all have the same passions and goals. It’s so fun to be around people who crave it as bad as you!
Who is your travelling partner, and what do you enjoy most about travelling with them?
I travel alone a lot, as there are not many people who pro rodeo from Saskatchewan. When it works out and we get set up the same, my boyfriend Tyce usually jumps in with me. I know I said in my interview last year that he doesn’t drive much, but he’s getting better this year and driving more, so that’s nice! Lol! But in all seriousness, he’s a great travelling partner. He doesn’t mind talking barrel racing for hours and he’s always willing to help me out and critique my runs with me. He even rides my horse when I ask!
What is the best advice you’d give to readers, about horses and or competing?
If I learned anything this year, it’s to appreciate your horse when you have a great one! They don’t come along every day so when you have that special one, treat them like gold and they will give back to you in return. And always try to be the hardest worker at the rodeos. There are 100+ girls at most rodeos in the summer and all of them have a chance to win. There is no room for error or laziness. If that means getting up at crazy hours in the morning to ride, or putting in the extra time and money to make sure your horse is feeling their best, do it.
Favourite Canadian rodeo this year, and why?
It was sure fun to do well at Ponoka this year and qualify for the short go! It’s such a big intimidating rodeo to compete at, to do well there is just the cherry on top! The Calgary Stampede was also incredible, and it was so surreal to get to compete there with the best in the world!
Which of the other CFR Qualifiers horses would you swing a leg over if given the chance and why?
My answer is still the same. Brooke Wills horse Famey! That mare is incredible. Deep ground, hard ground, muddy ground, shifty ground, she wins in it all!
What can you or your horse not live without on the road?
I definitely can’t live without my bemer! In the summer Fling gets it twice a day, every single day. Also, pop up barrels. They get put to good use in the summer.
Mental game; how do you stay mentally strong in the rodeo game, with many ups and downs?
I think you just have to know that there is always another rodeo and it will always turn around. You have to have a very short memory when you are going to the rodeos and forget about your bad runs and not let them carry on to the next run. Start each run with a clean slate and clear mind.
Do you have plans of heading south this winter? If so, what does this look like for you, where do you plan on entering?
I have no plans of anything so far! I plan to let my horse have a couple months off this winter so we can come back in 2025 better than ever!
Do you have any up and coming prospects, and or, what do you look for in a prospect that you could share a little about with readers?
I have 2 futurity horses for next year and a very nice 3 year old as well. I definitely look for well bred horses and bloodlines that I like. My 3 year old is also by the same great stud “A Streak of Fling” as my good rodeo horse Fling is. You figure out what kind of horses you like to ride and what you like about certain horses. I also prefer horses to be on the smaller side versus bigger. I find they are more athletic and quicker footed.
What was one thing a committee did this year that you appreciated the most?
I love a rodeo with a good hospitality! And committees that go the extra mile on the ground to keep it safe and even throughout the rodeo. That is huge!
What is your advice for someone who wants to take a shot at making the Canadian Finals Rodeo?
Never say never! 2 years ago I never would have thought any of this would’ve ever been possible. Now I am heading to my second CFR. Take the leap and just go for it! You will never know until you try.
Thank you to my great vet Ty Corbeil “Corvet” for getting Fling back running this season! We wouldn’t be here without you and your team!
Alliance Equine, Complete Equine Performance horse supplements. Anderson and Company, ETB, Wand & Plafond, and Highway 4 land and cattle for helping me get down the road! Also my mom for working my shifts for me when I couldn’t make it back from the rodeos in time!! I’m lucky I haven’t got fired yet!
