October has been the month of Champions for Team SUCCEED®. We have had Circuit Finals Champions, a Canadian Champion, and athletes whose equine partner earned Horse of the Year honors. October also marks the start of the 2025 season so these earnings will give a great jumpstart to our athletes who have been able to pocket big paychecks.
Gaining momentum so early in the 2025 season is a great feeling especially if you are also getting ready to head to the NFR. Being able to start your new season with monumental wins such as the Circuit Finals and Canadian Finals is how every contestant dreams of beginning their new season. Team SUCCEED is proud of our athletes who were able to make the most of these early opportunities and hope to see that success continue.
Circuit Finals and Canadian Champion
The Texas Circuit Finals were good for our team. Ilyssa Riley won the Texas Circuit Finals Average Championship for the second year in a row. Ilyssa and her great horse “Money” dominated the field by placing in the top 3 in all 4 rounds. To have such success back-to-back is a testament to the fierce competitor that Ilyssa is, and also how consistent and reliable Money is.
After being the picture of consistency placing in every round, Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp were crowned the average champions in the Team Roping. The money earned at the Texas Circuit Finals counts for 2025 earnings. The reigning World Champions have been on a roll and they don’t seem to be slowing down! Not to mention, Texas has the richest Circuit Finals giving contestants a great start to the new year.
Along with the prestige of winning the average championship, average winners of each circuit qualify for the NFR Open which is held in Colorado Springs in July. Only the year-end champion and average champion from each circuit get the invitation to this prestigious and wealthy event. After winning the Texas Circuit Finals Average Championships, Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp, as well as Ilyssa Riley have punched their ticket to the NFR Open. The NFR Open is another prime opportunity to capitalize on a big payday that could have major implications on World Standings.
While some of our team was dominating down south, Haven Meged was dominating north of the border at the Canadian National Finals Rodeo. Haven didn’t just win the Canadian Championship; he also won two rounds and broke the CFR Calf Roping record with a 6.8-second run. Haven came into the finals second in the standings. After a mishap in round 3 that took him out of the average, it was a battle to the end for who would walk away as the Canadian National Finals Calf Roping Champion.
Horses of the Year
Lastly, every contestant knows that they would be nothing without their horses. One of the highest honors for any contestant is when your fellow competitors recognize and vote your equine partner as Horse of the Year.
Tyler Wade and his wife Jessi are the proud owners of the 2024 Head Horse of the Year fondly referred to as, “Spur”. Spur is a veteran at 17 years of age and has been Tyler’s main mount for several years now. Tyler knows how important it is to have such a trustworthy partner who allows you the chance to win every time you back in the box. Spur was also ridden by Tanner Tomlinson who is the traveling partner to Tyler and Wesley. Anytime a horse can be ridden by multiple people and win consistently, it is a testament to a horse’s ability and that is exactly what Spur has done.
Nine years ago, Ty Erickson and his wife Cierra took a chance on a racehorse they found on Facebook and thought they would see what he could do. For two years “Crush” was ranched on before he found his job in the steer wrestling pen. Crush didn’t start until the spring of 2018 as a steer wrestling horse and in 2019 Ty rode him at the NFR, which culminated in his first World Championship. Now, Crush is still taking Ty and many other guys to the pay window and has helped qualify Ty for another Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Haven Meged’s main mount “Smoke” was recognized as the Reserve Horse of the Year in the Calf Roping. Smoke has been Haven’s main mount for the last few years carrying him to many career wins and milestones. From helping Haven win Reserve World Champion in 2023, to most recently helping Haven win a back-to-back Canadian Championship, Smoke has done it all.
October in Review
Team SUCCEED is so proud of the widespread success our team has had this month. One of the most challenging aspects of rodeo is that there is truly no off-season. When one season ends, another one begins. No matter how your season ends, you must be at the top of your game and ready to get your new season off to the right start.
Whether you are coming off an incredible season like Haven Meged, or your season went the opposite of how you were hoping, there is no time to waste. It takes extreme mental toughness to compete at the level our athletes do day in and day out, and to see them start a season so strong makes us so proud to be in their corner.
