Cowboy dreams do come true
Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

By Julie Carter

About two blinks ago, he was a little redheaded cowboy with a big grin, dragging a rope behind his denim bottom and cowboy boots complete with jingling spurs.

Today, Taos Muncy is living his dream, having achieved the ultimate for a cowboy - competing at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nev.

Taos has become a hero for every little cowboy, and most of the big ones left back at home in Lincoln County, N.M.

"Wow, Mom," my son said after watching Taos win his first check ($4,230.77) in the second round of the finals. "It's pretty exciting that somebody we know from right here could do something so good and really be there."

Taos thought he had simply qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo and that was all there was to it. I'm sure he doesn't yet know his achievement has spawned hope and belief in the possibilities of life beyond junior high school.

Prior to his 2005 graduation from Corona High School, Taos had already set in motion a cowboy's dream to make it to the top. Racking up more than a dozen all-around high school rodeo titles his senior year, it became very clear he was accomplished, driven, and had learned how to handle the pressures of competing and the grace of winning.

Working both ends of the arena, the rough stock and roping events, Taos was the true definition of an all-around rodeo cowboy. His ranch-raised cowboy roots and a family of rodeo genetics were paying off.

He went to college in the fall of 2005 on a rodeo scholarship in four events - bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping and team roping.

For a cowboy, qualifying for NFR is first on the dream list, winning a world championship when you get there tops the dream with a gold crown, or, in this case, the gold buckle. Achieving the former has made the later a possibility for Taos in saddle bronc riding.

The gold buckle is within reach for this NFR first-timer and, undoubtedly, that fact will test his ability to handle the pressure.

As I write this, the seventh of the ten rounds is complete and Taos has picked up three more checks, two of which were for first place at $16,394 each. He has totaled $41,250 in seven days and made qualified rides on six of his seven horses.

That has moved him to second in the average, making his year-end total, to date, $150,628.17. Not bad wages for a kid who is also a full-time college student, a junior, and a member of the college rodeo team at Oklahoma Panhandle University.

With three more rounds to go, three more horses to ride to the whistle, a lot can still happen, but whatever happens, Taos got there.

There seems to be little doubt this will be the first of many NFRs for Taos. However, the grin he wears when he walks away from a winning ride, this first time, is priceless.

When he stands in front of the ESPN cameras and answers the interviewer's questions, his humble, well-mannered raising is evident, but the adrenalin rush seems almost to have him walking above the ground.

Yes, little cowboys, you can have a dream, and it can come true.

Not too late to order Julie’s book, Cowgirl Sass & Savvy for a perfect gift – Julie will wrap and ship direct. Contact her through her website at julie-carter.com