7 minute read
BLAZING TRAILS IN BREAKAWAY: SHELBY BOISJOLI
WITH SMARTY SADDLERY, ELITE CUSTOM SADDLES AND SHELBY BOISJOLI
It’s been a big year for Smarty Roping, the go-to brand name behind the best roping machines on the market. Earlier this year, Smarty acquired Elite Custom Saddles in a bid to leverage Elite’s top-quality production and provide superior standard saddle options under the Smarty Saddlery name. Elite has a solid reputation for its top-tier custom saddles, which Jon Carpenter artfully handcrafts and customizes to meet the needs of the industry’s most discerning cowboys and cowgirls.
The acquisition is a result of a shared philosophy that puts quality over quantity. It brings together two of the most reputable brands in rodeo, promising the top-tier products people have come to expect from the Smarty and Elite names.
Everyone in the rodeo business knows Smarty Roping, which sells top-of-the-line training machines made to the highest standards. Founded in 2010 by four-time world champion and Hall of Fame team roper Allen Bach, Smarty offers a variety of products for team roping, calf roping, and breakaway roping.
With its acquisition of Elite, Smarty will enhance its saddle offerings under its Smarty Saddlery brand. However, it will also continue to offer custom, handcrafted saddle options under the Elite name.
“I met those guys, and we just kind of hit it off,” Elite’s Jon Carpenter says of his decision to work with Smarty. “They seemed like they had good ethics about them and were looking to do the right thing. We didn’t want to put quantity over quality. Sometimes it takes a little longer to build a better product, and they were pretty understanding.”
Carpenter made a name for himself by customizing saddles for his friends in rodeo before starting Elite as a proper business. Today, Elite offers customization options for colors, stirrups, tooling, conchos and more.
Shelby Boisjoli, who is headed to the Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping (NFBR) first place in the 2021 standings, knows all too well that Smarty Roping and Elite Custom Saddles are a great match. As one of breakaway’s most competitive ropers, she earned sponsorships from both companies well before the acquisition.
“It was really cool to see those two companies combine because they’re both really big companies, as far as your roping and your horse. It’s pretty cool that Smarty can make roping sleds to make your horse better, and now they’ve adopted this new saddle company to design saddles for the roper and the horse,” says Boisjoli. “I was really excited about their partnership.”
Carpenter says his daughter, who is just getting started in breakaway, helped influence him to sponsor Boisjoli. He knew Boisjoli as an accomplished breakaway roper, but was even more impressed when Boisjoli took the time to chat with his daughter at a rodeo event.
“We started talking to Shelby, and she was just very genuine,” says Carpenter. “I think it’s just a lot of character to be able to spend some time with younger kids that are looking up to you.”
A Breakthrough for Breakaway
For Boisjoli, working with Smarty and Elite is about more than just sponsorship. It’s also about securing the future of breakaway roping as a mainstream rodeo event.
She recently worked with Elite to design a custom, handcrafted saddle that also suits her personal needs as a competitor. Breakaway ropers often use calf roping saddles that saddlemakers typically design for male builds. However, Boisjoli’s one-of-a-kind saddle highlights why saddlemakers should consider women’s preferences as breakaway continues to grow in popularity.
“I think that the saddle is going to be a huge step for breakaway ropers. I wanted to design something because there’s a lot of great calf roping saddle makers, and they do a really great job,” she says. “But nobody’s ever made a saddle specifically for breakaway ropers.”
Because women have different builds than men, saddles designed for male body types aren’t optimal for breakaway ropers. So, with Carpenter’s help, she sought a narrower design to help her better hold herself at the front of the saddle as she leaves the box.
She also addressed the size of the stirrups, which has proven an issue for her in the past.
“With a lot of saddles, the stirrups are huge. I’ve had a lot of calf roping saddles. My foot goes through my stirrup a lot, so we made it mainly for breakaway ropers,” she says.
Though Elite was already working on a breakaway saddle design, Boisjoli’s input on her custom saddle led Carpenter to design a second option.
“The one we built had more of a dally horn on it. We changed hers up a little more, made it look a little more like a calf roping saddle, but it’s still going to sit the same as that breakaway saddle,” Carpenter says. “So, now we’ve got two options in that breakaway saddle because of her.”
The Push to Make Breakaway Better for the Next Generation
Boisjoli is part of a group of women who are elevating breakaway’s future. Thanks to these women’s efforts, breakaway has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years.
“I think we’re just starting to get our foot through the door, for it to be really good money for the breakaway ropers,” she says regarding the rodeo community’s emerging interest in the sport. “I think that it’s going to be a really good thing, to open a lot of doors for us to be able to rope for the same amount as the cowboys and have the same opportunities as them.”
Breakaway ropers faced frustration this season because it was unclear whether there would be a sanctioned national finals event as part of the Wrangler NFR. When faced with a proposal that offered the breakaway ropers a limited appearance at the Thomas & Mack Center during the NFR, the women stuck to their guns. Instead, this year’s NFBR will be held over two days at the Orleans in Las Vegas, with a prize pool of at least $200,000.
“We’re all on the same team, and we all make decisions together,” Boisjoli says of her fellow breakaway ropers.
“We all agreed that we’re not going to do anything without each other, and if one person doesn’t agree, then we’re going to figure out a way to make it good for everybody.”
These women play a vital role in the event’s future. Support from companies like Smarty and Elite furthers these efforts. The emergence of saddles designed specifically for breakaway can help show that the industry takes the sport seriously.
“We’re making it better for the next generation. That’s what’s mainly talked about in all the meetings — how we can make the sport better for the up-and-coming girls?” Boisjoli says.
As for her strategy for the Orleans, she plans to keep doing what she’s done throughout the season.
“I’m really not trying to worry myself too much with it. I’m not trying to do anything different or prepare in any other way than I have the whole season,” she says.
To learn more about Smarty Roping and Smarty Saddlery, visit www.smartyroping.com. To find out more about Elite Custom Saddles and its wide array of customization options, head to www.elitecustomsaddles.com.
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