2016 WPRA Rookie of The Year Looks towards Her First WNFR
By: Hope Sickler

Burneyville, Oklahoma Cayla Melby-Small has had a year that she will never forget. She was named 2016 WPRA Rookie of the Year, qualified for her very first NFR and just recently married the love of her life, Zac Small, who will also be competing at the NFR in the team roping.

Melby-Small is going into the NFR in 10th place with $87,763.36 won and if you were to ask the very talented jockey if she thought she would be making the NFR her first year turning pro, her answer would be yes. "When I was 3 years old, I told everyone that I was going to qualify for the NFR when I was 18. I knew in my heart that I was going to do exactly what I set my mind to when I was just a kid. Winning Rookie of the Year was just an added bonus and icing on the cake," explained Melby-Small.

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Melby-Small grew up in a rodeo family with her old brother Colton and credits her parents for their love for the sport. Their father Ryan is a Great Lakes Circuit Qualifier in the steer wrestling and the team roping while their mother Jane has 2 World Titles in the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA) and National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) and also qualified to the NFR twice.

Melby-Small had a special horse in mind before she turned pro that she thought was going to take her to the top. Unfortunately though, things don't always turn out as we'd hope for them to. "Eyema Rare Bug was my ticket to the NFR and to full-fill my dreams but unfortunately she got hurt in the first round at San Angelo last spring. I was devastated because I thought I had maybe lost my chance but like most things in life, there always seems to be a silver lining."

The silver-lining was another horse. Melby-Smalls mother, Jane had always wanted to buy a horse by the name of Shameon U "Gator". So she tracked the talented horse down and made her daughters dream a reality again. "My mom tracked "Gator" down and bought him from NFR barrel racer Annessa Self in the middle of February. Then we bought Docs Frosty Blue Bar "Whitey" from Lindsey Hayes Banks the end of April. My last horse that helped me qualify for the NFR is Brookstone Jo, who we bought from John Read Foster when he was 3. All three horses have been paramount in helping qualify me for the NFR this year," Melby-Small said.

Melby-Small is anxious for Vegas and has been keeping her horse's health and well-being her number one priority.

"My preparation for the NFR is making sure that my horses are feeling their best and ready to endure over 10 days in Vegas. My goal for myself is to ride the best that I can and to also win more rounds then my mom did when she made the NFR. She won 3 rounds, so I need to win at least 4 rounds to trump her!"

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