ROOKIE UPDATE George Grabs Lovington Title in Search of Rookie Title By Ted Harbin W hen Rylee George purchased her WPRA card in anticipation of this
inaugural season as a ProRodeo breakaway roper, she pointed her focus toward a couple of goals. “I had my sights set on the Resistol Rookie of the Year and to try to be in the top 30 at the end of the (regular) season to get into the winter rodeos for next year,” said George, 22, of Oakdale, California. “Winning the rookie would be a pretty big deal; it puts your name out there when you’re first starting.” She gave herself a great chance at it the second week of August when she stopped the clock at 2.0 seconds to win the Lea County Fair and Rodeo breakaway title in Lovington, New Mexico. With that, she pocketed $5,631 and moved from seventh to third in the rookie standings. As of Aug. 25, she was $7,500 behind the Resistol Rookie of the Year leader, Braylee Shepherd of Nephi, Utah, but she is giving herself a chance. “Winning Lovington means a lot to me,” said George, who
Rylee George has her eyes set on winning the Resistol Rookie of the Year title and she helped her cause winning the breakaway roping title at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo in Lovington, N.M. George, riding a 19-year-old sorrel gelding called Deputy that she bought from Trevor Brazile, added $5,631 after stopping the clock in 2.0 seconds. Photo by Peggy Gander
me his best shot,” George said. “He’s pretty much as easy as it gets. When you back in the box on him, all you have to do is go rope; he’s going to give you the same shot every time.” That’s what happens with great mounts. At his last National Finals Rodeo in 2018, Brazile clinched his 14th all-around world championship partly because of the work he and Deputy were doing inside the Thomas & Mack Center. Brazile, the winningest cowboy in ProRodeo history with 26 gold buckles, built a reputation for developing and showing great horses. Deputy continues to thrive, albeit in a different form with breakaway roping. “I would say he’s had to change a little bit from calf roping,” George said. “He’s certainly not as free as he probably once was, but breakaway roping does make his job easier.” Can Deputy return to the bright lights of Las Vegas, this time as part of the 15-woman field at the National Finals Breakaway Roping? Rylee George is hoping to do so in 2024, and she’s building her momentum this summer. For now her focus is on the rookie title.
competed during the morning slack on Thursday, Aug. 10, and had to hold on to the top spot through the final two and a half days of competition in the southeasternmost New Mexico county. “It was my first time being there, and we were in and out and didn’t even get to see a performance. It was a really big move for me.” It all matters, as she left the desert and found her way to the Northwest with hopes of continuing her streak and cashing in across the series of lucrative rodeos in Idaho, Washington and Oregon. “I was already going to the Northwest to finish out the season,” she said. “Moving up the rookie standings with that win in Lovington just gave me a little more hope.” Don’t get her wrong; George has had a lot of hope. She found her way from northern California to northern Texas to attend college just to increase her chances to be competitive in rodeo. While at Texas A&M-Commerce, she acquired Deputy, a 19-year-old sorrel gelding that was Trevor Brazile’s tie-down roping horse before the “King of the Cowboys” slowed down his career; George bought the red powerhouse from Texan Wyatt Imus two and a half years ago. “He still scores like a rock and tries his hardest every time to give
28 WPRA NEWS SEPTEMBER 2023
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