Haven Meged, Shane Hanchey, and Shelby Boisjoli plan to found the Gold Buckle Futurity, with its inaugural event tentatively planned for October, 2023.
Meged’s fianceé, Shelby Boisjoli, is a core part of the couple’s training program. Their investment in breeding quality horses that they will compete on complements their interest in founding the Gold Buckle Futurity. Jackie Jensen Photo.
Haven Meged, Shane Hanchey, and Shelby Boisjoli plan to found the Gold Buckle Futurity, with its inaugural event tentatively planned for October, 2023. A unique futurity, this program will combine the best aspects of all existing programs: stallion incentives, as well as open entries that do not require an incentive. Because of the founders’ vested interest in tie-down and breakaway roping, the futurities will feature these events as well as team roping.
Their goal, according to Meged, is to make it possible for anyone to compete while also giving extra incentives to those competing on offspring of paid-in stallions. The incentives will have a 100% payback, while the general competitors will have a separate entry fee.
As all three founders know, it takes several years to raise and pay for the fees of any colt to be eligible for specific incentives. The good thing about futurities such as the Pink Buckle or Royal Crown is that these are often the events that pay well for the owners, stallion owners, and trainers. On the other hand, the upside to a futurity like the Roping Futurities of America–which Boisjoli and Meged recently competed at–is that anyone can enter, no matter the lineage of their colts. As far as the Gold Buckle Futurities will go, “We’re just making sure everyone can enter,” Meged says
While some may be wondering, Why another futurity?, Meged has legitimate motives for the building of another avenue for competition. It has little to do with besting other futurities, and more to do with providing further opportunities for trainers and owners as a whole. He is an owner and trainer himself, and realizes that the input oftentimes does not outweigh the output with the scant number of current roping futurities. Meged and Boisjoli have several colts under six years old, but their futurity year may only consist of a few outings. “That’s not really factoring in all the investments in the horse. Going to only three of them doesn’t make enough money. We just want to put more events on for everybody to have a chance at winning more money [on their young horses],” he says.
Gold Buckle Futurities also seek to diversify the industry. While Hanchey, Meged, and Boisjoli are in the prime of their rodeo careers, it won’t last forever. A long-term goal is for their reputation to carry them into the inevitable next phase of their careers, which is training and showing client horses. Creating the Gold Buckle Futurity would, alongside the other existing roping futurities, help solidify another career path. Those wishing to make a living with a rope no longer are limited to just one way of doing it.
The pending October date for the first Gold Buckle Futurity will allow for more time and growth for the young horses in their futurity year. While southern horses may foal in January, foals are often born later in the spring in northern states. This means that some horses have barely turned four during some of the futurities held in February. Meged says they wish to allow trainers and horses more time, thus the fall date.
With a gold buckle apiece between Hanchey and Meged (pictured), the launch of their new futurity is aptly named. Meged’s horsemanship is key to his rodeo career, and he enjoys the different opportunities brought about by roping futurities. Photo by Jackie Jensen.
Meged says when he was growing up, he would have never dreamed of starting a three year old out of the box. But, with the proper time and patience, starting a colt correctly in roping events can lead to many more years of competition. The years between four and six years old are proving to be even more lucrative than ever in the current competitive landscape. For example, Meged and Boisjoli’s training program collectively won over $150,000 at the RFA in Abilene in February.
The engaged couple have also been investing in their future in terms of progeny. In November, they purchased a full sister to Stevie Rey Von, a sorrel mare called Darling Nikki. Boisjoli also purchased the dam and full brother to her good mare, “Onna” (No Wimpy Turns). Meged says that though the cow horse bloodlines are popular, he prefers his prospects to have more size than the average cutting horse. Therefore, most of their future broodmares have good size and bone, along with good papers. They are laying the foundations of their own breeding program, but admit that it will take several years of breeding to see the results. Until then, they will continue to take in a handful of select outside horses, show their young horses, and rodeo professionally. For updates on the upcoming Gold Buckle Futurities, keep an eye on the social media pages of Meged, Hanchey, and Boisjoli.
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