story by Lily Weinacht
Little Wrangler World Goat Tail Untying Champion
“I like my friends and I love riding,” says Zayda Morgan, the 2018 NLBRA Little Wrangler World Goat Tail Untying Champion. The title is Zayda’s first in the NLBRA, which she joined in 2016. “Nobody could really beat a 6.6 (in goats). I was grateful that I won and did good, but I was expecting to run 5s because I like running 5s.” The 10-year-old from Brandon, Mississippi, also competed at the NLBFR in flag racing, pole bending, and barrel racing, and she loved having more time to spend with her friends during the finals.
Zayda’s twin sister, Zoe, also competed at the NLBFR, and she’s representing their Little Britches franchise as the 2018 Mid-South Little Britches Junior Princess. Zayda won first in their region in goat tail untying to go to the finals and Zoe won second. The sisters, who are fifth-generation cowgirls, also helped run the Mid-South NLBRA booth at the Dixie National PRCA Rodeo in February. Their love of rodeo comes from their parents, Brad and Ellen Morgan, who met while competing on the Southern Arkansas University rodeo team. Brad is a PRCA steer wrestler and Southeastern Circuit Champion, and he’s won some of the PRCA’s leading rodeos, while Ellen is an all-around competitor and member of the WPRA. She is also a Southeastern Circuit finalist, and carried five rodeo queen titles.
Since moving up to the junior girls division, Zayda is competing in barrel racing and pole bending. She and Zoe also compete in 4-H, the NBHA, and the Rankin County Riding Club. They frequently haul four horses to rodeos, including Zayda’s gray pony, Lucky, who carried her to her world title. “I trained her to do goats, and she also does flag racing, pole bending, barrels, and trail,” says Zayda. They also have dogs, cats, turkeys, and chickens, and Zayda takes Lucky to visit people in nursing homes and the children’s hospital. “All the patients are crazy about her, and they come to see her outside.” Zayda and her family also spend many hours practicing together and training young horses for her and Zoe to grow up on. “Rodeo is an excellent avenue to surround our children with, as these families play hard and praise God in everything they do,” says Ellen. “We love seeing our sport still honoring God, America, and family values.”
A fourth-grader at Hartfield Academy, Zayda also enjoys English, especially writing stories, and plays piano. “I want to be a hair stylist when I grow up, and I’m already practicing,” says Zayda, who also has a $1,000 college scholarship from the NLBRA. She plans to continue rodeoing, and she’s working hard to qualify again for the NLBFR. “I want to do breakaway roping. Right now I’m winning the pole bending and I hope I will at the end of the year. And I want to be in the Jr. American barrel racing someday, and be at the Dallas stadium and run for a million dollars.”
