Tacy Kay Webb came to play at the 2022 WCRA Cowtown Christmas Championship Rodeo Wednesday, Dec. 14, winning the first breakaway roping performance of the event with a 2.6 in the famed Fort Worth arena.

The Madisonville, Texas, resident earned $1,600 for the run and punched her ticket to the Cowtown Christmas Finals on Saturday where a $15,000 check is guaranteed to this year’s champion. When Webb clinched the breakaway roping championship at the same event in 2021, she was awarded $12,500 for her efforts.

More recently, Webb finished just shy of the National Finals Breakaway Roping top 15 cutoff in 2022, coming in at No. 19 in the WPRA world standings.

“It was my turn to win,” Webb said graciously. “I’m going to try to pull my act together for Saturday. I’m just excited to run another one.”

Joining Webb on Saturday is Round 1’s No. 2 breakaway roper, Rylie Romero of Welsh, Louisiana, who won $1,200 for her 2.87-second run. On Saturday, along with the top-two breakaway ropers from Thursday’s and Friday’s rounds, Webb and Romero will then compete against leading WCRA competitor and newly crowned World Champion Breakaway Roper Martha Angelone in the Showdown Round—the last opportunity to earn one of three spots in the final Triple Crown of Rodeo Round (also on Dec. 17) for the Cowtown Christmas Championship title.

Gone Fishing

Webb’s Wednesday night run was a nail biter—and a fast one at that. She drew a Charolais calf and was prepared to jet down the arena to make the catch.

“Charolais are usually pretty strong,” Webb said. “I thought every girl before me was off the barrier, so my goal was to be on the barrier. My goal backing in there was, ‘Get out good and then your shot will be there.’”

According to Webb, when she broke out, the calf went right and her rope went left. Luckily, her mount Spooner was responsive enough that she could kick him up and the loop fell on.

“What happened? I’m still not sure,” Webb said. “Thankfully I brought my fishing license. The pickup man followed me out of the arena, and he was like, ‘Man, you must be living right or something.’”

Thanks, Universe

If someone has good karma, it’s going to be Webb. An ICU nurse working out of Bryan, Texas, Webb made it through the COVID-19 pandemic while providing diligent care to her patients. Prior to Cowtown Christmas, she worked nights at the St Joseph Regional Hospital.

“I only had a couple hours of sleep today, so I roped the heck out of the dummy,” Webb said. “The other irony of this whole deal is, we’ve been out in Vegas for the NFR and I did not take my horses out there this year, so my horses have been on vacation. I literally haven’t practiced in probably a month.”

A Little ’Stitious

Webb had some horse choices to make for Cowtown Christmas and was leaning toward “Hondo” but made the final call for 13-year-old “Spooner.”

“I’m superstitious a little bit, and I rode Spooner last year when I won this rodeo,” Webb said.
“So, I really wanted to ride my other sorrel but, since I rode [Spooner] last year, I’d just feel weird changing.”

Webb’s setup on Spooner looks different than most breakaway ropers. She rides Spooner tie-down-free and in a solid ported bit.

“He’s a really big stopper and he’s pretty light in his mouth,” Webb said. “I had a tie down on him and he was getting to the point where he was punching really hard. And I like a horse to punch, but he was pretty punchy.”

According to Webb, when she removed Spooner’s tie down, he lightened up and doesn’t get tight anymore. If he needs more go, she opts for a solid barred bit to get the speed down the arena.

WCRA Cowtown Christmas Rodeo Setup

The Cowtown Christmas Championship Rodeo is one of three WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo events, and pays out more than $360,000 over the four-day event in 2022. It also offers the potential to earn $1 million in the event of a Triple Crown hat trick.

From Dec. 14–16, each event will host 24 contestants total, broken into groups of eight per night. The top two competitors from each of the three nights’ qualifying rounds will then advance to Saturdays’ Showdown Round on Dec. 17.

There, the six qualifying go-round riders will compete alongside the No. 1 WCRA-seeded athlete in a battle for a top-three finish. Those top three competitors will then return to the arena Saturday night for the Cowtown Championship Rodeo Finals and a winning check worth $15,000.

Find daily WCRA Cowtown Christmas Championship Rodeo results at wcrarodeo.com