Shelby and Haven Meged are undoubtedly among the best in the game when it comes to breakaway roping and calf roping. They are both world champions and multiple-time NFR/NBR qualifiers and hold records and titles all over the country. The couple calls Stephenville, Texas, home, but for many months out of the year, they live in their horse trailer on the rodeo trail.
Every year, Shelby and Haven are both top contenders for not only an NFR/NFBR qualification but also a world championship. With similar goals in mind, you would imagine that the husband-wife duo would hit the road together, right? Although that may be ideal, it doesn't work out that way at all. In fact, during the busiest of rodeo season, Shelby and Haven may only see each other for a few minutes at a gas station passing through the same town.
Earlier in 2024, Haven and Shelby both punched their ticket to the NFR Open while competing at the Montana Circuit Finals. In an interview after his win, Haven was asked about getting to rope alongside Shelby in Colorado at that event. He said, "Yeah we might get to actually see each other for a day or so. But yeah, it is exciting."
A few nights together is a rare occurrence for the Megeds among other rodeo couples and families. So why is this you may ask? They are both roping, they are both traveling thousands of miles a week, and they both have the same goal. Although scheduling may be one issue, there is a bigger barrier standing in the way, and it's called the Buddy System.
Since 1976, Professional Rodeo Communications, commonly known as PROCOM, has been the one-stop shop for entering all professional rodeos. Originally, it was all by phone call and some representatives would do all of the work, but now it is completely computerized, including the "Buddy System."
The Buddy System allows contestants to 'buddy' with their traveling partners or spouses while entering. This means that you will compete in the nearest performance or Slack the same day your PRCA buddy is competing. This system made traveling with friends and family much easier because schedules could look the same. If the husband was a steer wrestler, and the wife a barrel racer, they could buddy together and be put in the same perf. The NFR Insider author Susan Kanode, talked about the buddy system in a story where she said, "They travel with people that have the same goals, mindset and moral compass. It makes life on the road and in close quarters so much easier."
The system seems perfect right? Well, it did work pretty well, until the addition of breakaway.
When the breakaway roping came up in the professional rodeos, PROCOM had some immediate issues. They said that their system was just not designed and prepared to handle another event, especially another ladies' event. This did not stop breakaway from growing into a fan-favorite professional rodeo event. Now, the ladies can enter the breakaway at a majority of the pro rodeos and this gave the Buddy System a challenge. Breakaway ropers cannot buddy with any other event, so not only can breakaway ropers not buddy with their husbands who are in a different event, but they also can not buddy with themselves if they wish to run barrels, too. This all has caused a bit of a fiasco for the ladies of the sport.
PROCOM Manager Daidra Sims said, "Our system doesn’t allow for both barrel racing and breakaway. So right now, girls have to give two sets of preferences if they want to enter two events. In fact, breakaway entries don’t even open until all of the rodeo’s other entries close. PROCOM has tried to accommodate the breakaway the best it can, but they’ve had to compromise to make it work."
In the world of rodeo, this just does not work. There is no time to sit around and wait for your wife, your husband, or your traveling partner to rope a few days later at the same rodeo because there is always another one or ten more rodeos that you have to get to. There are many challenges ladies in rodeo have faced for years now, but this is a new one. Many of the breakaway ropers end up traveling together themselves and often times send their husbands the other way to hit all the big money opportunities.
Even though you will most likely see both Shelby and Haven competing at many of the same rodeos, there is a good chance they are not there together, not because they choose that, but because it just does not work for them or anyone else at this point. Entering has gone online, and PROCOM claims to be working on their system to make it so that breakaway ropers can buddy very soon. This would be a big wave in breakaway roping and would make their lives a whole lot easier, especially during the busy summer months of intense travel, multiple rodeos, and tons of entering to do.
