story by Ruth Nicolaus
The New Mexico High School Rodeo Association cowboy has had parts in two westerns: the Lone Ranger (2013) and Gunslingers (2015). In Gunslingers, a TV mini-series that aired on the American Heroes Channel, Zane played the part of the young Jim Miller, a killer who is played by Zane in the flashbacks to his youth.
The best part of being in the movies is that he rides for his part. “I get to have a gun, ride a horse, and shoot,” Zane said. “It’s kind of fun.”
When he’s not playing in the movies, Zane is a tie-down roper, team roper and saddle bronc rider. For the tie-down, he rides a twelve year old light sorrel named Razor who is “the bomb,” Zane said. “He’s got a real good punch to him. He breaks hard, is real smooth, is easy to get along with, and real loving. When he sees you, he walks up to you, wants to be petted, and puts his head on your shoulder. He’s a real big baby.”
He has a second tie-down horse, Minibike, who is the opposite of Razor. Minibike is stubborn, hard-headed, small, and looks like a tank. He used to be his brother Landon’s horse but Zane claims him now.
Zane’s head horse is Spirit, a nine year old who is a lot like Razor. “He’s a real baby, too. He walks up to you and always wants to be fed.” Spirit works both ends in the team roping. “I love him to death,” Zane said.
He is a junior at Middle College High School, where most of his classes are for college credit. His favorite class is welding. Zane rodeos for Gallup High School and plays baseball. He has been on his school’s honor roll.
Zane won rookie of the year in 2014, his freshman year of high school and the same year his brother Landon won it for the junior high association. Zane has qualified for Nationals in sixth through eighth grade and again as a sophomore. Of all his events, saddle bronc riding is his favorite.
After high school, he plans on attending a college with a good saddle bronc riding coach and getting his welding degree and a business degree. He’d like to rodeo professionally, as a saddle bronc rider and tie-down roper. Eventually, he’d like to make the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and follow in the footsteps of his granddad, Ralph Maynard, who was an NFR qualifier.
Zane loves to hunt, snowboard, and wakeboard.
He is the son of George and Sharmyn Munoz.
