Rylee George delivered a masterclass on ten head at the 2025 National Finals Breakaway Roping in Fort Worth, finishing with an aggregate of 29.0 seconds, earning a total of $25,744 and setting the NFBR Average record.
The Oakdale, California cowgirl in only in her third ProRodeo season, and has been known for her gunslinging throws and fearless barrier strategy. At the 2024 NFBR, she won the Betty Gayle Cooper fast-time award for a 1.7-second run. But inside the tight confines of Cowtown Coliseum, she showed an unwavering determination to capture the title within reach; the average.
Rylee George’s NFBR Average
| Round 1 – 3.3, $997 | Round 6 – 2.9 |
| Round 2 – 3.4, $1,495 | Round 7 – 4.2 |
| Round 3 – 2.6, $2,991 | Round 8 – 2.6, $534 |
| Round 4 – 2.6, $356 | Round 9 – 2.5 |
| Round 5 – 2.7, $2,457 | Round 10 – 2.2 |
“I came in with a game plan,” George said. “I knew these calves were stronger, so I just tried to catch every calf and make the best run I could on each one.”
That plan included strategic horsepower. George split her runs between two horses: Jill Tanner’s fast and -free-running gelding “Bob,” and her own veteran mount, 21-year-old Deputy. Bob carried the bulk of the load, offering the same honest start every time, while Deputy—famous for his short, explosive style—was saved for select draws.
“Bob’s just honest,” George said. “He never wants to take a throw away and gives you the same go pretty much every time. Deputy does what he does, and he was great on both calves I rode him on.”
George’s ability to read the pen and adjust on the fly proved crucial across 10 go-rounds and an unforgiving average. She stayed in the money early, kept herself alive mid-week, and then sealed the deal in Round 10 with a composed catch.
“My most memorable run was probably my 10th-round calf,” George said. “I knew I just had to get it caught. When I saw it go around his neck, I just smiled the whole time.”
The performance also added another chapter to Deputy’s storied résumé. The sorrel gelding is best known for his tie-down roping career with Trevor Brazile, where he made more NFR appearances than any other calf horse Brazile owned and carried the Hall of Famer to his final gold buckle in 2018. Today, Deputy’s calm presence and timing continue to pay dividends—this time on the breakaway side.
“He’s been everywhere,” George told BRJ in a 2023 article. “I needed kind of a babysitter for myself because I hadn’t gone anywhere, and he’d been everywhere. Knowing he’s going to be the same no matter where we go makes it easy.”
If Deputy represents experience, Bob supplied the consistency George needed to manage the deeper pen. Borrowed just days before the Finals after one of George’s regular horses needed rest, Bob proved a difference-maker under pressure.
“He feels a lot like my bay horse, Royce,” George said. “They’re a little move-y in the box, but wherever they are, they’re going to go and give you an honest go. They’re winners—they just want to win.”
George’s average title came with $16,914—$25,744 total at the NFBR— and saw her finish No. 4 in the World Standings with $162,323. Just as meaningful was how she got there: backed by friends, family, and fellow competitors who helped keep the week light even as the stakes climbed.
“Beau Peterson was [in the box] with me every run,” George said. “She was actually the next girl out in the 10th round and still got off her horse and came in the box with me. We were just having a lot of fun.”
The move from Las Vegas to Fort Worth only added to the moment. While the change was an adjustment, George said the Cowtown crowd brought the energy the Finals deserve.
“The breakaway fans follow you wherever you go,” George said. “They make it a lot of fun.”
For George, the average buckle represents more than a line on her résumé. It’s proof she can win in more than one way—and that patience can be just as powerful as speed.
“I had a lot of fun last year winning go-rounds,” George said. “But this year I really wanted that average buckle. Knowing the World was a little out of reach, that was the second-best thing—and I really wanted it.”
With a fast hand still very much intact and a growing ability to manage an entire Finals from start to finish, George left Fort Worth having changed the conversation around her game. She didn’t just go fast. She went 10 for 10—and that made all the difference.
