 NCHA Non-Pro World Championship and that was Caitlin Wimberley. She rode light and lily in the finals. Congratulations to you Caitlin. Thank you so much. How did you feel coming into the finals event? You were leading by some $23,000 so a good lead. Pretty confident? I was confident but I was also concerned. I had a little bit of stress after the first night but all in a way thank goodness because I was second the first night and that definitely sealed it and the stress that was taken off my shoulders was huge and it felt so good to know that it was just going to be fun the last three rounds and I didn't have to worry about how we placed and how we did and my secondary goal was to be the average champion so that all worked out and it was surreal. Well it looks like you probably got the top score of the event, the 227? No ma'am. The 229 was the highest score. That was the first night because when I marked the 227, Judy marked the 229 that night so I was second that night. Judy, that horse and her are phenomenal. They're such a great pair. There's so much fun to watch so I was happy for her. Tell us about Light and Lily. You had not just this mare, you had some other horses throughout the year. Tell us firstly about the mare and who else you had. Lily, she's bred at home, raised at home, RL Chartier, he keeps her going for me. He does a great job. They take such great care of her. She's part of their team too and so I'm very fortunate to have them and she's just outstanding. That mare has taken me through so much. In 2013 we were a reserve horse of the year with her, showed her a lot. She was great. She's been great the whole time. She's so much fun to show. And then I also have two geldings, Laredo Montana who's also home bred and raised and Sir Stylish Lizzie who I bought from Michael Cooper and his family and they're both great geldings and all three are so different to show. It's like I have to reset and retrain myself every time I set on one because they're all three so different. But they're so much fun and they mean so much to me. Those three horses have gotten me where I am today. They really, they mean so much. So when I set out for the world this year I wanted to show those three and do it on those horses because they're just, they're my favorites. You know, everybody's always asked me to pick a favorite and I don't have one there. I can't, I can't choose between the three of them. So you had a bit of a strategy with your horses coming into the year. How did you choose which horse and when? A little bit with the situation depending on the ground, the pen, the cattle, where we were. But for the most part I showed Lily at the Mercurias. I showed Sir Stylish Lizzie and a couple as well. I was reserve on him twice. But yeah, it kind of just depended on, on the situation, the circumstances. I tried to be as smart as I could about it and I think for the most part it worked out like it needed to. Lily was phenomenal at all the Mercurias. I mean, she couldn't have been any better and I really, I just enjoyed, I enjoyed the strategy part of it because it was, it was, that was the most stressful part was the planning, getting where we're going, which horse we're taking, how we're getting there, where we're going after. So much of it has to do with the calendar and, and how you organize and, and plan all that. There's a lot more to it than just showing up and showing. I think that's the easy part really because the horses are so good. So the hardest part for me was actually the planning and, and figuring out where to go, when to go, who to go with, you know, that's, that's the, that's the hard part. That's the key. That's obviously a big part of your success. Would you say being smart about the planning? Definitely, definitely. I think, you know, when I hauled the last time, I wasn't, it was my first time to try and I think that that was, I learned so much that year and, and if it hadn't been for that year, I may not have come out on top this year. I think, I think doing it twice, for somebody that can just go the first time and win kudos to them because I think it's, it's a really, really hard thing to do. It's the hardest thing I've ever done. Hands down, I mean, and, and the most stressful and the most work, I mean, it is so much work and so much planning, like I said, so much goes into it, so much more than just those two and a half minutes. There's a lot to it. So it, it means so much. Did you do a lot of it on your own or did you have help or people traveling with you? I had, I had help along the way, but for the planning part of it, the working part of it, most of it, I did myself. I had some help, like I said, from RL, like he keeps really tuned up for me when I was on the West Coast, so I was working her myself. And so that was kind of stressful because she's, she, she's so special. I have a hard time working her myself because it worries me that I'm gonna mess her up. But, but the gildings I work myself. And, but yeah, for the most part, you know, I pick my own cows, I do my own thing. And, and I think, and that means a lot to me as well, you know, I don't have it going down the road with me. I'm not under somebody's wing. I, I handle most of it myself. And with a lot of help, don't get me wrong. I mean, it's a team effort. And I have so much support and so many people helping me along the way. But when it comes down to it, yeah, it was kind of kind of a, you know, by myself kind of situation, you know, but, but there's so many people that I could mention and think if I tried to, I'd miss somebody. So I'm not going to. But, but yeah, there's so many people that helped me along the way. And I'm so thankful for them. When you say it's the hardest thing you've ever done, what stands out in your mind when you say that? Oh, man. I think, I think channeling the thoughts, you know, keeping yourself at an even level and not getting too high or too low, like just to stay consistent. Consistency is definitely key for all of this. And there were lots of high times. I was very fortunate that, that for the most of the year, we were on a good role most of the year. But there were definitely sometimes when we were on a bad role and to stay even and to not get too emotional about it is really hard to do. And the first year I did this and really any year up until now, I just at the beginning of the year, I kind of, I tried to train myself to just, to just go show like it is what it is and is what it isn't, you know, and it's just hard to, it's hard to stay mentally game. And I think I did that this year. And I'm really proud of myself for doing that. And then that was hard. It's very challenging, very challenging to stay focused and stay even and, and to just go to your job. Yeah. Well, as you say, it might only go two and a half minutes, but you have to do that repetitively in different places throughout an entire year. So, staying focused is, is not the easiest thing when you've got life happening as well. Ultimately, what would you say this, this championship means to you? Oh man. That's, that's a hard question. It means so much. I mean, obviously I can't, it's something I've wanted for a long time. And I've looked up to all these people that have hauled for so long. And the respect I have for the people that do this, you know, especially you can't understand or appreciate what it takes until you do it. And, and that's something that I think everybody in this industry should, you should have a goal, whether it be to haul for a world championship or, you know, to go show you three year old, well, whatever it is, those goals, you know, you set them and you work hard. And sometimes you achieve them, sometimes you don't. But just because you're second doesn't mean that you didn't do a good job. I mean, I've come up short in this industry a lot. You know, being reserve world champion, it was hard to be reserved, but at the same time it doesn't take away from, from the accomplishment. And the same thing with horse of the year, I was, I was reserve horse of the year. And it seems like I've always been second. And, and exactly, you know, I'm there and I'm competitive, but I've always, I've always been second. And this year, I was so happy to be first. And finally, what did you learn about yourself hauling this year and winning this title? How strong I am. I'm stronger than I thought I was, I think. I'm really, and, and aggressive. I didn't know I had so much grit to me, I think, you know, and I'm glad. I think that I've learned, I've learned a lot about myself and, and I'm excited to see where, where I go from here. Because I think that I'm kind of a new, new mentality, new focus on life. And, and I'm excited to see where I can take it from here. I'm excited to show my age now, really get back to the, back to the big fans. Well, congratulations and good luck with all that.