Resistol Rookie

Veilleux Wins Barrel Racing Rookie of the Year Title

By Ted Harbin

Raised in the tiny village of St-Alfred in the province of Quebec near Canada’s eastern border with Maine, Oceane Veilleux knew at an early age that rodeo was going to be part of her life.

Her parents had horses, and she started life trail riding with her folks. At the age of 5, the family attended a rodeo near their home, and that’s when she learned about barrel racing. It didn’t take long before she was hooked.

“There was something missing with trail riding,” said Veilleux, 19, a student at Texas A&M-Commerce northeast of Dallas. “I thought there wasn’t any thrill to it. I need some adrenaline in my life, I went to watch this rodeo, and I really liked barrel racing.”

Her parents got her a pony, and it wasn’t long before she was making turns around a single barrel with her miniature equine partner that was blind in one eye. They would turn the barrel, then return to the chute.

Fast-forward 15 years, and the talented cowgirl whose first language is French finished her inaugural season in ProRodeo as the Resistol Barrel Racing Rookie of the Year. She went to 100 WPRA-sanctioned rodeos and accumulated $47,370 to claim the crown while also finishing 40th in the world standings.

“This means a lot,” she said. “I’ve had my eye on this title for a long time. As a little girl since I first got on a horse and saw the NFR, I was like, ‘One day I’m going to compete against these girls.’ That was my whole dream. This year, I was warming up with my idols and was competing against these girls that I’ve looked up to for my whole life.

“Just competing against them and being the Rookie of the Year, I was realizing my dream. We focused on the rookie standings, and we made it to 100 rodeos, so I’m really glad it turned out good. I know these other girls worked hard for it, too, but I’m really happy I got it. I know we worked hard for it.”

Veilleux’s highlight came in April during the Resistol Rookie Roundup at historic Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, aboard Frenchmoney to Vegas “Vegas,” an 8-year old roan gelding.

“It stands out because I was riding a new horse, and that was actually one of my first runs on him,” she said. “I hadn’t even had him for a month yet, so I went in there with no expectation because I just didn’t know the horse. I was surprised I actually won that, because it was not an easy race.

“I’m also happy because this was the only year I could compete at that show. We made the best of it.”

Yes, they did. That wasn’t the only victory for her. She earned money at 40 rodeos splitting time running Vegas and her 9-year old palomino horse Heavens Guy “Ice Cream,” but that’s what she’s strived to do. She is a two-time competitor at the KK Race for Vegas during the Junior World Finals, an event produced by two-time world champion barrel racer Kelly Kaminski. The feel of being involved in a championship-caliber event only fueled her fire.

“They really made us feel like we were big shots,” said Veilleux, who is earning a degree in biological science at Commerce with plans to become a pharmacist. “I felt like, ‘I made it to Vegas,’ and it felt amazing. It felt like practice to maybe one day go to the NFR.

“I really want to try to make it to Vegas again one day. This is the dream I’ve had since I was a little girl, and I know this is my horse’s dream, too.”