Dust kicked up beneath Madi as she sprinted across the Denver Coliseum arena floor at the 2025 National Western Stock Show. Her eyes were fixed on sprinting calves ahead, and her every step was fueled by sheer determination. She locked her eyes on a calf, lunged forward to catch it, and missed, hitting the dirt, but she got right back up again. Scrambling to her feet, heart pounding, she ran with everything she had left. Then, in an instant, she leaped forward, grabbing a calf and holding it in her arms. She had done it.
“I always wanted a steer, but my mom said I couldn’t have one unless I caught one, so I did,” said Madi Steinman, the determined 18-year-old from Bennett, Colorado. “Catching a calf in the rodeo arena was a blur, but I couldn’t have been happier covered in dirt with a calf in my arms.”
While the memory itself is a bit of a blur, the feeling has stayed with her. That single moment of a calf in her arms marked the beginning of a yearlong journey few truly understand. Raising a calf is not a hobby for Madi. It’s day-in, day-out responsibility, care, training, and preparation for the day she will show her market-ready steer at the 2026 National Western Stock Show.
Madi’s journey is part of Catch-a-Calf, a program that has been teaching young people to raise a steer for more than 80 years. The program is built around accountability and dedication, asking participants to commit fully from the moment they catch a calf. Participants come from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming, many with little or no experience caring for cattle. The program focuses on mentorship, hands-on responsibility, and community support, guiding participants through feeding, bathing, record keeping, and training. Catch-a-Calf began in 1935 with ten boys and ten calves. Over time, the structure evolved, but the expectations stayed the same. The program grew quickly, reaching 52 calves by 1942, and after World War II, it settled on 40 calves per year, a figure that remains the standard today.
For Madi, this is her first experience with raising cattle. She has been in 4-H for four years, and that background helped her dive into the routines and challenges of raising a steer. Her family’s move from Littleton to Bennett four years ago gave her the space and opportunity to fully embrace the Western lifestyle. In Bennett, she found the barns, open land, and supportive local community that allowed her to grow into the role she had been dreaming of.
A few months after catching her calf, she picked up Boone, a 700-pound Hereford she named. “He was huge, and I was so happy,” she said, shaking her head with a smile. From the very start, Madi settled into a rigorous routine to prepare for Stock Show. Every morning starts with a bath and a brush, keeping Boone’s coat healthy and clean. She walks him up and down her family’s long driveway, helping him get used to following her cues and building his confidence. Some days, Boone walks like he owns the place. Other days, he stops mid-step and stares at her like she is the one slowing him down.
“He’s so lazy,” Madi laughs. “I worry he’ll just lie down in the show ring because he loves to lounge so much.” He’s even fine with clippers on his face and lets the cats walk on his back and drink his water; he’s easygoing, to say the least. But, he’s affectionate in his own way, nuzzling his head into her lap when she’s sitting down with him or leaning against her whenever she approaches. Those sweet moments are some of her favorites. “I really lucked out with Boone, he’s truly the best,” Madi said.
Boone and Madi have already made a name for themselves. Their consistency and preparation have shown in the ring. They won Grand Champion at Diamond on the Plains and United We Show Jackpot, then Reserve Champion at the Arapahoe County Fair. Each show added experience and confidence, reinforcing the work happening at home every day and better preparing them for the National Western Stock Show.
Boone isn’t just a project. He’s a companion. He teaches Madi to notice the little things, and every day with him builds her patience and confidence. Madi has learned to read him, respond, and how to get things done before Boone decides it is time for a nap. Each day, the bond between them grows. Every moment reminds her why she caught a calf in the first place: to form a bond with a steer that is entirely hers.
She loved raising Boone so much that she decided to get another steer, Memphis, and she continues to care for her family’s other animals, including pigs, goats, horses, dogs, cats, and a duck.
By the time Stock Show arrives, Madi and Boone will be ready. They have learned to read each other, move as a team, and trust one another completely. Boone has tested her, rewarded her, and taught her lessons no book ever could.
When they step into the show ring, it will not just be about showing a steer. It will be a representation of the best year of Madi’s life, a year of monumental moments and undeniable growth. For Madi, Boone is more than the 700-pound calf that stepped off the trailer. He is now the over 1,200-pound companion, teacher, and reminder of why she caught that calf in the first place and why she wants to continue raising cattle.
After high school, Madi plans to become a commercial airline pilot while continuing to raise cattle, carrying her love of animals and the lessons Boone taught her into her next adventure.
Stay tuned for the next chapter in Madi and Boone’s Stock Show story.
