Cowtown Gold Buckle
Taylor Munsell Claims Her First World Championship
By Dee Yates
Photos by: Kristen Schurr Photography
History made as the Alva, Oklahoma roper sealed breakaway roping’s most lucrative season with a record-breaking $209,021.
Fort Worth, Texas – Sometimes the greatest victories come wrapped in the hardest battles. That was the story inside Cowtown Coliseum’s historic walls as Taylor Munsell fought her way through doubt, pressure, and three devastating missed catches to emerge as the 2025 WPRA World Champion Breakaway Roper. “I want to start off by saying thank God,” Munsell said moments after her championship was secured. “He’s blessed me in so many ways. Through all the trials, they’ve all led me here to this, so I’m so thankful for everything he’s given me and done for me.”
It wasn’t the storybook start anyone imagined for the woman who’d entered the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka with the coveted No. 1 back number. After dominating the regular season with a record-breaking $191,175 – shattering the previous earnings record held by Shelby Boisjoli-Meged from 2023 – Munsell stumbled hard out of the gate at the Finals. She missed three of her first five calves, leaving her completely out of average contention and watching her world championship slip through her fingers. But champions aren’t made in the easy moments. They’re forged in the fire of adversity. “I started it off a little rougher than I wanted to, but I knew in my mind that I deserved to be here,” Munsell explained. “I had so many great people in my corner and I got a lot of good advice. I got a little bit of bad advice, but we put it all to use and got it turned around.”
A Horse Named Colonel and the Long Road Home
Behind every great breakaway roper stands an even greater horse. For Munsell, that partner is Hotrod Song – better known as “Colonel,” a 13-year-old sorrel gelding who nearly left her program as quickly as he’d arrived. Colonel was sent to Munsell to sell, a common practice in the horse trading world. But after riding him for six months, she made a decision that would change both their lives: “I just knew I couldn’t let him go.”
That instinct proved golden. Munsell and Colonel dominated this season’s biggest stages, including a massive victory at RodeoHouston where they walked away with the championship title and over $70,000 – a performance that catapulted her season into orbit and set her up for the championship run.
The Comeback That Made History
The second day of the Finals was Munsell’s redemption story, written one perfect throw at a time. She placed in all five rounds on day two, including splitting the Round 6 win with Beau Peterson at 2.1 seconds – a performance that pushed her past the $200,000 mark during the Finals. But it all came down to Round 10, with three women still mathematically alive for the gold buckle. Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, the 2023 world champion, struck first with a 2.2-second run that kept her in contention. Then Josie Conner, who’d finished the regular season second in the standings with $179,076, delivered a clutch 2.0-second run.
The pressure was crushing. Munsell was completely out of the average after her rough start. One mistake and Conner could steal the championship. But backed into a corner, champions deliver.Munsell took a great start on her calf and matched Conner’s 2.0 seconds, splitting the round win three ways with Conner and Joey Williams. In that moment, the championship was sealed. “Those two girls that were behind me definitely put the pressure on me, which I thought made it pretty exciting, and it was so fun to be a part of,” Munsell said.
When the final numbers were tallied, three women had accomplished what seemed impossible at the season’s start – all three surpassed the $200,000 mark. Munsell finished with $209,021, Boisjoli-Meged with $204,730, and Conner with $203,735. It was the most lucrative season in breakaway roping history, and a testament to the sport’s explosive growth.
Rylee George: The Consistency Queen
While round wins and fast times captured headlines, it was Rylee George who proved that in breakaway roping, consistency is its own kind of power. The Oakdale, California cowgirl became the 2025 NFBR Average Champion with a performance that rewrote the record books. She stopped the clock at 29.0 seconds on 10 head, obliterating the old record of 31.9 seconds set by Cadee Williams in 2022. Even more impressive? George was the only competitor in the 15-woman field to catch all 10 calves clean. “It means the world to me,” George said, her voice thick with emotion. “I’m blessed to be here. Thank you to Jill Tanner for letting me ride that great black horse of hers. He’s really honest for these calves and this fast start.”
George’s journey to the average title was a masterclass in evolution. Just one year ago at the 2024 NFBR, she’d claimed the Betty Gayle Cooper Fast Time Award with a blistering 1.7-second run – twice. She was fearless at the barrier, aggressive with her rope, and willing to risk it all for speed. This year, she showed a different kind of mastery. She balanced speed with precision across 10 rounds, splitting her rides between Tanner’s gelding Bob and her own Deputy, a 21-year-old veteran who previously carried 26-time PRCA World Champion Trevor Brazile to the all-around title in 2018. The $16,913 average title proved that in this sport, you can win by being the fastest or by being the smartest. George chose smart, and it paid off beautifully.
Fast Times and First-Timers
The 2025 NFBR belonged to the veterans, but the rookies refused to be overlooked. Aspen Miller, competing in her first National Finals, claimed the Betty Gayle Cooper Fast Time Award presented by the Cowgirl Museum after posting a 1.9-second run in Round 8. The time tied her with Hali Williams and Joey Williams for fastest of the Finals, but Miller won the award via tiebreaker – her higher placement in the average. “I’ve always loved to rope fast,” Miller said. “After my seventh calf, not doing any good, I knew I wanted to go at one and see what it did and it worked out. This is a very prestigious award to receive and I’m very, very thankful for everyone involved.”
Miller also understood the weight of what she’d received. “It’s so special. It’s women like [Betty Gayle Cooper] who give us these opportunities. They set the pathway and they’re the reason we’re here today and I couldn’t be more thankful.” The young roper’s only bobble came in Round 7 with a no-time, but she bounced back immediately with that blazing 1.9 to win Round 8 – the kind of resilience that promises a long and successful career ahead.
A Finals Relocated, A Legend Cemented
This year’s National Finals Breakaway Roping carried extra significance beyond the individual performances. After an Equine Herpesvirus outbreak forced the relocation from Las Vegas’ South Point Hotel and Casino, the WPRA and PRCA moved the Finals to Fort Worth’s historic Cowtown Coliseum – the very heart of cowboy culture. The venue change only added to the drama. Ten rounds over two days, with $300,000 on the line and a world championship hanging in the balance. Every round paid $6,197 to the winner, with the average championship offering $16,913 to first place.
The Williams family dominated the early rounds, with Hali Williams capturing three round wins on opening night – Rounds 1, 3, and 4 – including two 1.9-second runs that set the tone for the week. Joey Williams added her own Round 7 victory at 1.9 seconds, proving that speed runs in the family. But at the end the final calf was caught, it was Taylor Munsell standing in the spotlight, a gold buckle finally around her waist and tears of gratitude streaming down her face.
Looking Forward
Munsell, now 27, has been climbing toward this moment her entire career. She grew up in Northwest Oklahoma in a family of ropers and ranchers, initially focusing on team roping before shoulder surgery from thoracic outlet syndrome forced her to pivot to breakaway. That setback became her blessing. In 2019, she finished as the top rookie in the co-approved breakaway standings with $50,301 and placed second at RFD-TV’s The American in its first year featuring breakaway roping. She qualified for the NFBR in 2024, finishing sixth. But this year, everything came together. “I’ve always just wanted to affect others through this,” Munsell reflected. “I’m super glad that I’m getting to live my dream outside of the arena by doing that and then also doing this for a living is just awesome.”
Munsell already has her motivation clearly in mind.
“I don’t want to ever have another Finals where I run five in one day and have a day like yesterday,” she said. “So that’s a huge driving motivation.”But above all else, the new world champion credits something bigger than talent, horsepower, or even determination. “I’m just so thankful to the Lord for everything he’s blessed me with,” she said. “He’s just had his hand in all of it, making so many moves that pointed me in the right direction to make all the things come together for this to be possible.”
2025 NFBR Final World Standings
- Taylor Munsell – $209,021.23, 2. Shelby Boisjoli-Meged – $204,730.45, 3. Josie Conner – $203,735.17, 4. Rylee George – $162,323.98, 5. Aspen Miller – $156,000.35, 6. Hali Williams – $151,123.60, 7. Beau Peterson – $145,658.46, 8. Maddy Deerman – $140,405.64, 9. Cheyanne McCartney – $138,499.28, 10. Joey Williams – $135,020.12, 11. Kinlie Brennise – $128,692.44, 12. Bradi Good – $124,695.25, 13. Suzanne Williams – $120,913.53, 14. Macy Young – $117,910.47, 15. Bailey Bates – $114,524.28
Average Champion: Rylee George – 29.0 seconds on 10 head (new NFBR record)
Fast Time Award: Aspen Miller – 1.9 seconds (Round 8)
