Not all horses got trailered to Vegas this month, some took to the air and the sea to get there. Shelby Rivera from Kaupo, Hawaii, had to boat her horse from Maui to Oahu. She then flew him to Los Angeles, California, from Honolulu, and finished the trip by driving him to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Shelby Rivera riding Badgers Lil Doc at the ALL In Barrel Race

Shelby sent her gelding, Badgers Lil Doc AKA "Cowboy" to the mainland to run against the big boys in Vegas. Their confidence prevailed, and they managed to make their trip to Vegas worthwhile. Cowboy and Shelby ended up winning 1st in the 2D for the adult side pot, at the All In Barrel Race. The duo ran a 15.1 and a 15.2. Then, they went to the Big Time Race and ran again, winning the 3D.

Shelby Rivera and her horse Badgers Lil Doc at the Plaza Hotel after running in the Big Time Race.

But it's not just Vegas, Shelby and Cowboy have more big plans on the horizon. Shelby will be keeping Cowboy on the mainland for awhile in preparation for Art Of The Cowgirl's World's Greatest Horsewoman. She plans to show Cowboy in the four eventer going on in Arizona in January. This was not Shelby's first time to compete in Vegas. In 2008, she was Miss Rodeo Hawaii and represented her state in the Miss Rodeo America pageant.

Shelby Rivera as the Miss, Hawaii Rodeo

Shelby refers to Cowboy as her all-around, Hawaiian horse. "I bought him in 2019, just so happen that I was at the right place at the right time," says Rivera. She reluctantly purchased the gelding because her fiancé saw potential in the sorrel. "Now, I treat the horse better than I treat my fiancé," she says. Shelby will be flying Cowboy back to Hawaii at the end of their trip to the mainland.

Cowgirl Hotlist

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  |