Makayla Boisjoli 2023 CFR
The 2023 Canadian Finals Rodeo will be Makayla Boisjoli’s first CFR appearance. She won $17,246.21 after 36 rodeos, winning Dawson Creek, Olds, Stavely and Edmonton, and placing at thirteen rodeos.
What is your background with horses? How did you get started roping?
Started when we were young kids. Mom was Stampede Princess and her family was into horses their whole life. My Dads family trained horses and all roped, so we started very young.
What is your main mounts reg name, bloodlines and does he/she have any quirks?
I have two main mounts. “Capone” - CAUGHT A WHISKEY. He is very cold backed a bit of a gangster, that’s why I named him Capone. He has to be kept in check.
“Shooter” - PLAY MIA GUN. He HATES clapping I always have to earplug him in perfs because of it, but even if you’re sitting by friends and they clap, he does not like it.
What is your horses story?
Capone - My dad bought Capone out of a sale in Claresholm as a prospect in 2022 heeled on him for about 30 days and decided he was too much horse to be just a heel horse for him. He asked my sisters and I if anyone wanted to buy him and both my sisters tried him before me and decided they were not going to get along with him. Mainly from his gangster attitude. I got him tried him and decided him and I would get along. I started him in the BAW (breakaway) and tracked his first calf around the arena at Celie and Kodie Jangs house in Texas the third week of September in 2022. He had his days but each day progressed so fast. One day I thought, “ya know, I just don’t know if he’ll ever love it.” Celie and Kodie instantly were like, “Makayla do not sell that horse keep going on him.”
In April I took him to his very first rodeo EVER which was a performance at Austin pro rodeo, and we ended up winning money out the first round. So, I took him to California where he placed at 2/4 rodeos we went to on tough set ups in Red Bluff, and Logandale, Nevada, so I decided to keep him and bring him to Canada to season him for the summer, where I could practice throughout the week. Almost exactly 1 year from the day I started him, I got to say I qualified for my first CFR with him on September 30th. He’s just an amazing horse that truly loves his job.
Shooter - I got shooter from my cousin, Jake Watson when I was in 12th grade. He and his friends had all breakaway, goat tied and calf roped off of him. Jake gave him to me then, and he’s pretty much been mine ever since. When Shooter gets retired he will go home to the W6 Ranch, but he’s still got lots of years of breakaway left in him, so I think until then he’ll be with me. Jake trained Shooter. He is an amazing horse, but a grumpy little one! He is the kind of horse you never practice on, just keep in shape and take to the rodeos. I have gone a full year without running a calf on him, got him in shape, never practiced and hauled him to the rodeo and he worked perfectly.
What is your go to saddle, pad and bit on your main mount? What do you like about them?
Both horses I ride my H&W calf saddle on with Relentless pads by Cactus. Shooter usually gets a small broken port, while Capone gets a smooth snaffle with very short shanks. Shooter also gets a twisted snaffle Randy Reid every once in a while as well. Always use Fastback Boots. I don’t think you can ever say just one bit for a horse.
What do you do to keep a sharp mental edge in the game of rodeo? How do you stay motivated throughout the season?
You only get what you put in, is the mentality I try to keep. Yes, we’re gone lots not able to practice, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go rope the dummy at each rodeo and mentally put yourself in scenarios roping it. I think when you feel prepared and show up knowing you did all you could to prepare you will have confidence. Try and follow Trevor Brazil’s and a lot of the other greats mentality of a short memory. I watch my bad runs, go to dummy or practice and fix it and forget about it. When I’m driving to a rodeo I always rewatch rodeos where I felt I did really good and made a good run. Just solidifies my confidence in the fact that I know what I’m doing my horse does and that I can do it. I try to talk to Donene Taylor who is my mental coach when I can as well.
Did you face any challenges this season? Tell us about them.
This year was very smooth sailing honestly. Only challenge you could say I faced was seasoning Capone; the first 10 rodeos I went to Capone made a lot of mistakes that kept us from placing - just the seasoning aspect no fault of his own- so I almost started to get down but I got on Shooter for Innisfail and Stavely, and was able to place and win at those rodeos to remind myself to just trust the process with Capone.
Tell the readers something good that happened to you this season, other than placing at, or winning a rodeo
This summer for me was all about my family and relationships in my life. My goals outside of rodeo were to spend time with family and that was the greatest thing for me. My family came to a lot of rodeos took a little vacation during Armstrong and it was the best. My family is the most important thing to me. I hadn’t been to Canada for about 3 years before this summer so getting to spend that time again with everyone was the best.
What is the best advice you’d give to readers, about horses, competing or life?
Ya know, this game can chew you up and spit you out pretty quick if you get a bad mindset. Stay positive there’s ALWAYS another one to go to. At the end of the day it’s just rodeo it doesn’t define who we are. People NEVER remember who won what. I couldn’t even tell you what rodeos my traveling partner won or even what rodeos I won. I don’t remember who won the NFR or CFR every year but I do remember the people who are good people inside and outside of the arena. Being a good person and being good to your animals are the most important things. That’s what people will remember about you.
What has been your most memorable run over the years, and what made it memorable for you?
I think my most memorable run over the years was either Green Bay WCRA, when Shelby and I both qualified and won all that money together, and my parents and youngest sister last minute all decided to go, or my most recent was the final four at the CFB Finals because my whole family was there, and it was a goal I really wanted to accomplish, and when you achieve a goal you had your sights set on for a while, there’s no feeling like it. I let our great horse Flop, down in the final 4 the first year they had CFB, and I hadn’t been home until this year to attend again and I really wanted to do it right this time. So it was very important to me that I did that.
Who is your travelling partner, and what do you enjoy most about travelling with them?
I travel with Macy Auclair, and have since 2019. I sometimes travel with my sister Shelby, but we have had different goals the past years so we don’t get to travel much.
I love traveling with Macy because no matter what, the rig stays positive; whether she’s winning or I’m winning it’s positive. And ya know, girls always will have little things that bother them or moody days, and Macy and I have always been able to work through all of that without ever having a fight because she’s so grown up with everything, and that’s just so important to me. I also love traveling with her because she treats my horses like her own and visa versa. Macy never ever drives bad with my horses in the trailer which is my biggest pet peeve, and makes sure if I have to be gone she takes care of them the way I do. We honestly push each other to be better each day, and she is one of my best friends because of that. Surrounding yourself with the right people is important and Macy is one of the right people for me in my life.
Which of the other CFR Qualifiers horses would you swing a leg over if given the chance and why?
I’d ride Shelby’s or Macys, or the Whitesides’ or Shaya, or Aubrey Ross, or Jenna Dallyn; I would honestly swing a leg over almost any of the qualifiers horses if I had to, but I can honestly say I have never rode someone else’s horse other than Rootbeer - Shelby’s horse at a rodeo. I am a terrible jump rider, (lol) so I don’t think I would do any of them justice.
What products can you or your horse not live without on the road?
Have to have my horses Seminole grain. I notice the biggest difference in them from when they’re on or off. I am pretty easy going don’t need much also my horses fly boots. I notice they stomp soo much less with them.
I want to say the biggest thank you to all of my family aunts uncles grandparents friends. They all know who they are and they just support me so much. I truly feel I have one of the best support systems in the world and I just would never be able to manage a full time job and rodeo and all my horses without all of them. It takes a village and I am so blessed to have one of the best. I also want to say thank you to Fastback ropes and Seminole feeds for all they do for me keeping the best products in my hands and standing by me for all these years.
