CIRCUIT FINALS: TEXAS BARRELS MOMENTUM BUILDING Following adversity, Castleberry ready to take next step in professional rodeo journey By Alex Riley, Special to WPRA W hen the 2023 rodeo season began, Ashley Castleberry had no expectations. In September 2022, the Montgomery, Texas native was traveling between rodeos in Washington when she
got into a single vehicle accident. Ultimately, Castleberry came away from the wreck bumped and bruised but in relatively good shape. Unfortunately, one of her horses sustained injuries that it would not be able to recover from. The moment left Castleberry unsure of what was next for her as a barrel racer in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Associatiåon. She still had her primary horse, Sky, and eventually decided to purchase another horse named Stormy. The plan was to use 2023 as a reset year to train. Very quickly, things took a different turn. “At the beginning of last year, I had no goals for myself,” Castleberry said. “I had my good horse, Sky, and whenever I got (Stormy), I told myself I was just going to go season him a little bit. Once (Stormy) started winning more and more and then winning at the big rodeos, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know where we’re going to end up this year.’ I just kept going and kept following God’s plan all year. We were so close, but I was so grateful for where we ended up anyway.” Castleberry finished the 2023 season sitting 17th in the WPRA world standings, two spots away from reaching her first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. It was her highest ranking ever, edging her 2020 showing of 18th. Along the way, she earned just shy of $88,000. While last year came up slightly short of professional rodeo’s biggest stage, the momentum hasn’t slowed down. Her regular season success in 2023 earned Castleberry a spot at the Texas Circuit Finals last October where she dominated. She placed among the top four to earn money in every round, including wins in the third and fourth round, helping her secure the average title at 63.62 seconds on four runs. In all, Castleberry earned $10,231 at the Waco-
based event, giving her a strong start to the 2024 season and punching her ticket to the $1 million NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in July. After a few runs at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver recently, Castleberry is sitting third in the WPRA world standings with more than $17,200 to her credit already. “This will be my sixth-year hauling and I’ve never had a good winter. Every winter, I’ve gone into my summer run with about $12,000,” Castleberry said. “This winter, I’ve already got $17,000 won and I’ve never had that. I’m hoping that I can go have one of my normal summers and we can be in Vegas this year.” Ashley Castleberry dominated the Texas Circuit Finals winning money in every round and taking home the average title in a time of 63.62 seconds on four runs. Photo by Rodeobum.com (James Phifer)
Ashley Castleberry (second from right) is looking to collect more cash and hardware in July at the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo by Rodeobum.com (James Phifer)
Last season, she came in with no expectations and a lot of uncertainty. Now, Castleberry enters 2024 with a plan and a focus. She calls her two-horse combo a game- changer as each mount gives her a chance to win. She’s qualified for all of the large indoor winter rodeos, giving her the opportunity to add more money to her ledger and solidify herself as a top 15 competitor. No matter what happens next, Castleberry’s outlook is to simply enjoy the ride and see where it ends up. “I’m just following God’s plan for the year. I can’t go against it, so I’m just going with it with an open mind and grateful to be going every year,” she said. “I hope that we end up achieving our goals this year – making the NFR. “
Ashley Castleberry punched her ticket to her first NFR Open after winning the average title. She is hoping 2024 will finally be the year she cracks the top 15 and earns a trip to the Wrangler NFR. Photo by Rodeobum.com (James Phifer)
16 WPRA NEWS FEBRUARY 2024
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