Cracking into the top NFBR ropers is a feat—and these five breakaway ropers have done it.
The NFBR was established in 2020 and has now crowned four breakaway world champions. With venues ranging from Arlington, Texas, to the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa, the Top 15 breakaway ropers in the world have put their best loop forward to snag NFBR payouts.
These are the top NFBR ropers of all time.
No. 5 Lari Dee Guy, $51,115
Breakaway Roping icon Lari Dee Guy comes in at No. 5, having earned money at three of the four NFBRs (2020–2022). Her most lucrative year came in 2020, when the NFBR took place in Texas due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She finished the 2020 season at No. 4 in the world with $33,056 earned.
Oh, how far payouts have come.
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
N/A | $19,045 | $11,123 | $20,946 |
No. 4 Cheyanne McCartney, $66,258
Coming in at No. 4 is Cheyanne McCartney, who has competed in the last three NFBRs and won the Average Championship at the 2023 rendition. In 2022 and 2023 she won about $25,000 each year—which is the most consistent performance of anyone in the top five.
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
$24,581 | $25,537 | $16,140 | N/A |
No. 3 Taylor Munsell, $67,539
Taylor Munsell is a gamer, and nothing shows it better than her $67,539 won at her three NFBR appearances (2021–2023). The most recent NFBR was her best year yet, and she won $24,581 on gelding “Colonel.”
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
$25,655 | $21,453 | $20,421 | N/A |
No. 2 Martha Angelone, $75,173
The top two are separated by a mere $34—and they happen to be the 2022 and reigning World Champion. With $75,173 earned across all four NFBRs, Martha Angelone is the No. 2 leading NFBR earner.
In 2022, Angelone came into the NFBR leading the pack, but a rocky start put her World Championship in jeopardy. She turned on the jets for the second half of the competition and brought her NFBR total to $19,707, clinching her first World Championship.
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
$15,522 | $19,707 | $10,601 | $29,342 |
No. 1 Shelby Meged, $75,207
Reigning World Champion Shelby Meged edged out Angelone thanks to her dominant performance at the 2023 NFBR, where she earned $31,657. That’s the most earned at one NFBR out of anyone in the top five.
Like Angelone, Meged has also competed in every NFBR. In 2021 she lost the world title to Sawyer Gilbert—but in 2023 it was all Meged.
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
$75,207 | $17,955 | $15,985 | $9,601 |
The Breakaway Roping Journal is the source for breakaway coverage year-round—including everything from winter rodeos to futurities, the summer run and top NFBR ropers.