When Shad Mayfield swung a leg over the mare now known as Tootsie Pop, he didn’t just find another horse—he found a game changer.

The 15-year-old mare was bred by the late Marty Miller, who raised many standout horses by Popular Resortfigure—better known as Pop Tart. Tootsie Pop and Mayfield’s 2024 AQHA Horse of the Year, Lollipop, were both raised by Miller and are by the same sire. Miller trained Tootsie Pop and sold her as a 4-year-old to Trey Hall, who kept her for the next 11 years, hauling her to circuit rodeos. After Miller’s passing, his wife Felicia reached out to Mayfield and said she had a good mare he needed to try. She sent videos, along with Trey’s number, and shortly after roping in San Angelo, Mayfield made a trip to Amarillo.

“Trey told me, ‘I want you to like her. She means a lot to me. If you want to take her and try her for a week or two, see if she fits,’” Mayfield said. “He said she hadn’t been hauled, was out of shape, and just turned out. I said perfect, I’ll come get her.”

Mayfield brought her home and started legging her up. After tying just one calf down, he knew he’d found something special.

“She was pretty dang good and felt dangerous,” Mayfield said. “She reminded me a lot of Lollipop. And they both act just alike, look just alike and everything. It ain’t bad hauling a trailer full of mares—honestly, a goofy gelding’s probably worse.”

In Her Blood

Originally named Giana, Mayfield changed her barn name to fit the sugar-coated theme set by Pop Tart and Lollipop.

“I texted Trey and Felicia and asked if I could change her name,” Mayfield laughed. “I said I feel like Tootsie Pop’s just got a kick to it. They were cool with it, so that’s what we call her now.”

Her registered name is Popular Snow Resort, and her bloodlines were a major selling point for Mayfield.

“I’ve tried so many horses for a lot of money, and she wasn’t near as expensive, but she was way better than most of the horses I tried,” Mayfield said. “And being a mare, I could breed her later. That was a big thing that stood out to me.”

Tootsie Pop’s first rodeo with Mayfield was Guymon, and while they didn’t place, she worked outstanding. After a few jackpots and growing confidence, Mayfield brought her to the high-stakes match roping with Riley Webb.

“I started on Lollipop, and she worked good, but I still had a few concerns with Tootsie Pop,” Mayfield said. “We hadn’t had that many runs together. I ran my first calf on her in the open jackpot just to make sure she’d be solid.”

She surprised him—and a lot of others.

“She worked better than Lollipop did for that setup,” Mayfield said. “Riley should’ve beat me by a long shot. He had the better calves in the second half, but Tootsie Pop made the bad calves good. I jerked every one of them down and caught them coming up. What I think she does better than Lollipop is hold the calves’ heads. She leaves them right there for me to flank and tie, and that helps my hips. She doesn’t pull on their heads or make them kick. She was a game changer.”

Horsepower Problems (The Good Kind)

Since then, Mayfield has been picking and choosing when to ride each of his top-tier mares.

“I really like Tootsie Pop in the summertime, outside where I can go get ’em,” Mayfield said. “She’s going to jerk the calves down and help me out a lot. But it’s hard—I don’t want to put Lollipop on the back burner. I feel like they’re both the same, no matter the setup.”

Mayfield plans to send Lollipop to Calgary, where he’s more comfortable turning calves around, while Tootsie Pop will handle other ProRodeos like St. Paul where the cattle are bigger.

“I wish I had left one at home,” Mayfield joked. “I don’t know which one to ride when I pull in. My driver asks, ‘What are we riding today?’ and I say, ‘Give me a minute, let me go look at my calf.’ Sometimes I saddle both of them and decide after the draw.”

It’s a welcome challenge for Mayfield, who grew up without horses of Tootsie Pop and Lollipop’s caliber.

“Coming up, I had horses that just got me by,” Mayfield said. “They weren’t bad, but the horsepower I have now is unmatched. Rampage was great, then I got Lollipop, and now Tootsie Pop. But I’ve never had two number ones at the same time.”

Tootsie Pop might be new to the big rodeo road, but she’s handling it with ease.

“She’s been great so far, nothing phases her,” Mayfield said. “I’ve ridden her in perfs, and nothing bothers her. No earplugs, no drugs—just hop on and go. That’s what I look for. Horses that don’t need much, that just go out there and do their job.”

Fuel in the Tank

Mayfield credits both mares with helping him pass the $100,000 mark in season earnings.

“Tootsie Pop won me $12,000 the first week of summer,” Mayfield said. “I’m not really worried about where I come into the Finals. I’m just going to ease around the Northwest and make smart decisions with the horses. If I catch Riley, I catch him. If not, the Finals can change everything.”

Mayfield is also helping rookie Tyler Calhoun learn the ropes this summer, just as he did for Riley Webb in his rookie year.

“I like helping the younger guys,” Mayfield said. “When Riley rodeoed with me, it didn’t even feel like he was a rookie—we were already good friends. I feel like I gave him that final push to make the Finals that year. With Tyler, it’s the same. He asked if I’d help him enter and I said, ‘Let’s just rodeo together.’ He’s really good, and it fuels me too. Sometimes I get homesick or don’t feel like entering, but being around someone who’s hungry like that fires me up again.”

Two great mares. A couple packed rigs. And a guy riding the sugar high of horsepower, confidence and momentum.