At Last

My brother let me ride his really good mare and it’s just been good. I train colts, so I only ride a bunch of colts, but my brother, he’s got three really nice head horses and he told me I could pick from any one any time I go to a big show. I always go for the same black mare, Etta; like the singer, Etta James.

A Horse for Our Kingdom

Originally, we got her for my sister, and then my brother’s horse died, so he rode her. My whole family has won on that mare. Small jackpots to big jackpots. 15 years. My brother qualified for the National Finals Junior High Rodeo breakawaying and heeling on her. So she’s a staple here at our house.

Crazy Good

The only safe place to be around that mare is on her back. You can’t bridle her; she sets back. I mean, she’s crazy. But she does her job.

The Daughters’ Dad

My #1 supporter and coach and partner is my dad. He definitely tells us we can do it. I have seven siblings—there’s five girls and two boys—and he’s never told the girls that we were less than or couldn’t do what my brothers could do.

Team Taylor Productions

Our whole life is team roping and producing ropings. We have our home place here in El Paso, Texas, and we have feedlots with our roping cattle and that’s what we do. Then, my sister married a guy and they raise our team roping steers now. So, it’s totally family, all the way.

High School Grad

I graduated this May. I’m going to take a gap year and go to cosmetology school and just help here cause we have this family business, we produce all these ropings. And then I’ll go back and get my physician’s assistant degree at New Mexico State. I won’t college rodeo, but I’ll definitely continue jackpotting and going to US ropings.

On Love and Letting Go

We’re close with Tee Woolman—he was my dad’s last legal guardian—and whenever he gets a mare he can’t sell that’s 3 or 4 years old that’s just really broke, he’ll send her to me. I get her started and I fall in love. I have too many right now. I have four of them that I’ve been hauling and seasoning but, it’s almost time to let them go, and it’s very sad.

Looking Forward

I am entering for the first time ever in Las Vegas in the #14 World Series Finale, so I’m hoping to do well there, and to maybe win my first US Finals. I did really well last year, but I want to win one this year with my father. So, my goal is to win the #14 with my dad in Oklahoma and in Las Vegas.