story by Lily Weinacht
Carli Cavin started her rodeo career with barrel racing, but she wanted to beat the clock by an even narrower margin and started breakaway roping in high school. Now 21, Carli competes in the APRA in breakaway—and barrels on occasion—and runs sound for her boyfriend, Ty Miller, who is an APRA and PRCA rodeo announcer. “I’ve always ridden, ever since I was little, and I started out doing some western pleasure and hunter under saddle,” says Carli, who lives near Upperco, Maryland. She’s the first in her family to rodeo, and her parents, Jim and Lisa Cavin, support her and come to her local rodeos. “High school rodeo came around and I joined that and started going from there. I just like the speed of breakaway, and it’s something different for the girls to do. I started learning from a guy named Matt Hilligas, and now my boyfriend helps me.”
Carli started running sound for Ty two years ago, and sometimes enters the same rodeos he’s announcing. “Every time I’m on a winning streak, we have performances to do, but I have a feeling this is the year,” says Carli, who’s working hard for her first AFR qualification. “We’ll go over our opening weeks before the rodeo, but all the music in the programs is ready to go. We have about 30 performances.”
Ty occasionally announces on horseback, and he and Carli both ride a 12-year-old gelding, Cinch, who does everything from breakaway and barrels with Carli to heeling and announcing with Ty. “He’s pretty nice. Ty did most of the work on him, and I started him on barrels. I also have a 4-year-old mare, J Wow, who’s kind of green in the rodeo world, but I’m bringing her in slowly. I’m working on her as a heel horse, and she’s a buddy for Cinch. I also have two dogs that I take: a red heeler named Riggin and a blue heeler named Dally.”
Practice often happens at Ty’s place, and Carli ropes at friends’ arenas. “Sherri and Chuck Trenary own a farm I worked at and are like a second family, and Chrissy and Jonathon Jackson are like a second family too. They have supplied me with some calves, and I showed Chrissy’s horse in western pleasure. Sherri is the one who started me in western pleasure and hunter under saddle,” says Carli. “Having a goal at the end of the year to go to the finals pushes me, and it gets frustrating when I don’t, but I tell myself I want to make the finals and I want to go harder.”
During the week, Carli works for a mobile vet, Harborside Mobile Vet, making house calls and emergency visits around the area. Jocelyn Hawkins has also been her animals’ vet for the last 14 years. “It’s fun, and I like to see the different breeds of dogs and cats. I also work for a pool company—I’m in charge of hiring their lifeguards and scheduling them,” says Carli, who was a lifeguard in high school. “If I have free time I’m roping. I use the Cactus Destiny, and I’ve had a lot of luck with it.” This is her third or fourth year competing in the APRA, and the North Washington rodeo in particular stands out to her. “I like their setup, and last year was the first year I entered. My horse got hurt and I had to borrow one. I got by, but it was just fun knowing that somebody will lend you their horse. I’m just making sure our practices are good, and making sure if my horse is on it, I’m on it. I eventually want to make the IFR, but I’m taking it one step at a time.”
