Four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Cheyenne Wimberley is a professional barrel racer with a quick wit and plenty of hustle. She’s busy managing multiple equine careers, all while staying competitive on the rodeo circuit. For Cheyenne and her horses, every second counts in the ring—as every barrel racer knows. And while her horses may run hard, Cheyenne knows that they are up to the challenge with the help of SUCCEED.
Pursuing a Career Centered Around Horses
Cheyenne says it was completely natural to center her career around horses. Her parents both trained racehorses, and she spent her youngest years in the saddle.
“My mom barrel raced and my dad team roped,” Cheyenne explains. “When we were at the racetrack, I had a round pen that they’d put me in with a pony. I won my first state championship at the Mexico Junior Rodeo Association when I was four.”
Cheyenne’s early start with horses gave her a firm foundation for barrel racing. When she was 11 years old, Cheyenne acquired her professional permit and won the WPRA Rookie of the Year in the Turquoise Circuit just one year later. At the age of 12, she ranked 16th in the world as a professional barrel racer.
Clocking Impressive Barrel Racing Times
After going professional at age 12, Cheyenne continued to ride throughout her formative years. She earned her first National Finals Rodeo qualifier title just 10 years later in 1997, and her second in 1998.
“One of my fondest memories during that time was competing at the Calgary Stampede. It’s one of those rodeos that you hear about your whole life and to actually get there and to win was incredible,” Cheyenne says.
Cheyenne finished the 1998 season ranked 14th in the world and decided to take some time off from the rigors of competition and traveling. But she never took a break from horses—she spent the next 20 years surrounded by them and still immersed in the equine world.
Today, Cheyenne runs an active breeding and training program for 30 horses on her farm in Stephenville, Texas. She’s also a licensed realtor specializing in selling horse properties, an equine insurance agent, and a marketer for the family saddle-making business, Cowboy Classic Saddlery.
A Second Barrel Racing Debut
In 2019, Cheyenne took the opportunity to reenter the professional rodeo world, and she made a big debut after nearly two decades out of the ring. In her first season back, Cheyenne won six stampedes and placed second at three, ranked thirteenth overall, and earned her third qualifier title for the National Finals Rodeo. Talk about a comeback!
Cheyenne’s rodeo successes continued into the 2020 season, with major wins in Mississippi, Oklahoma and North Dakota. She started the season in tenth place and finished as a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier.
Cheyenne Discovers SUCCEED for her Horses
Increasing her travel for rodeo competitions this past year presented its challenges, particularly for one of Cheyenne’s horses with some behavioral concerns. Her six-year-old quarter horse, Chewy, had a few wins to his name in 2020 but didn’t adjust well to life on the road. Cheyenne decided to keep him home and started treating his foregut. When she didn’t notice any improvements or changes in his behavior, Cheyenne’s vet recommended that she try SUCCEED.
“My vet said, ‘Look, you need to try SUCCEED. It’s the only thing that truly works on the hindgut. You need to see if it will help his behavior issues.”
Cheyenne took her vet’s advice and started Chewy on SUCCEED. Right away, she observed that Chewy was more approachable and calmer in his pen.
“Chewy is a hard horse to handle, but after starting on SUCCEED, I noticed that he was more relaxed when I rode him. I’ve been able to ride him in the pasture and be more out and about,” Cheyenne says.
Using SUCCEED for Her Competition Horses’ Nutrition
Cheyenne was so impressed with the difference she saw in Chewy that she put all of her competition horses on SUCCEED. She soon noticed that they adjusted better to travel and their overall appearance improved.
“My horses were on SUCCEED all through the National Finals Rodeo, which is high stress for everybody. They never went off of their feed, and they looked so good,” Cheyenne says.
For Cheyenne, nutrition is essential, both at competitions and at home. She is very involved in the management of her horses and finds that SUCCEED fits well into her program. Cheyenne feeds “a very clean” program that consists of oats (with no fillers), alfalfa, and plenty of turnout. And now, she feeds SUCCEED to support her horses’ hindgi tract health.
You don’t have any sure way to treat the hindgut unless you feed SUCCEED. My horses love SUCCEED. They’re standing at the door waiting for it like it’s a treat. That’s so important to me because it’s hard for me to like a product if they don’t like it.
Why Cheyenne Wimberley Recommends SUCCEED
Cheyenne knows that it’s hard for horses to get settled when they’re moving from place to place, especially at the height of competition season. She believes SUCCEED is essential for a feeding program and says that supporting her horses’ hindgi tract health makes a big difference in their overall health.
Even if you can’t see it, your horse probably has some type of hindgut issues. It’s worth it to try SUCCEED at any time. You’re getting 100 percent of your money, and you know it’s working. You have to try the product to see the difference. Every person that I’ve heard of who has tried SUCCEED has seen the difference. So to me, that’s a win-win.
For more on Cheyenne’s rodeo successes, follow her on Facebook @CheyenneWimberley.