Rodeo: Past, present cross paths on rowdy night of bareback riding

James Barron | The New Mexican

6/27/2008 - 6/28/08

Jared Green is the image of today's rodeo cowboy; Guy Murphy belongs to its past.

But the paths of the two New Mexicans crossed Friday night at the 59th annual Rodeo de Santa Fe at the Santa Fe Grounds.

They were contestants in the opening bareback riding event, but their history told the story of professional rodeo's path.

Green, a 22-year-old from Socorro with an accomplished high school career, already has become one of the many faces of the "Reality TV" genre, having spent two months on Fox Sports' series, The Toughest Cowboy.

The reality for Murphy is that he once was 22, armed with a chiseled body and flowing blond hair — an image that would have sold on TV. But the blond now peppers the gray of the 52-year-old, and time has whittled away at his now yellow-stained teeth.

His rodeo career was a mish-mash of missed opportunities and hard knocks. Eventually, the harsh financial reality forced him out of the sport before he was 40.

"I just got tired," Murphy said. "I had no teeth ... I still got no teeth! But they hurt and I didn't have no money and I wasn't winning."

Still, the rodeo does not discriminate against age or the past, and Murphy, who has participated on a limited basis for the past seven years, became the main attraction. It wasn't by his design, though.

Murphy was jostled and tossed around by Dusty Dan for most of his 8-second trip. That's when the excitement began.

Murphy fell off the horse, but his left hand was stuck in the strap of the bareback rig. Murphy did what any veteran could do in his predicament — he ran with the bucking horse for about 45 seconds before he finally broke free.

"Once you get thrown off, you got to stay on your feet, that's your safest bet," Murphy said. "If you drag, you get hurt. And that's what happened at the end. I was dragging because I was out of air. There was nothing I could do."

And that's when he got hurt. The horse kicked Murphy's left calf, and it began to swell almost immediately. He limped significantly as he walked out of the contestant's area, and he was greeted with several queries that began — and often ended with — "Are you all right?"

Murphy said the injury likely will put him on the shelf for about a month, but it won't affect his seven-event schedule.

The rest of his time is spent tending to his scrap metal recycling business in Black Hat City, which lies on the state border and is just six miles from Window Rock, Ariz.

Murphy's wild ride landed him a 73-point score, which won't get him close to placing in the top eight, which is where the money is. On the other end is Green, who stands a chance at finishing in the money after getting a 79 atop his ride, HV. After witnessing Murphy's ordeal, Green was simply happy that he finished his ride.

"Every time you get on one of these and you make the whistle and you did the best you could, you got to be happy," Green said. "What happened to Guy isn't ever good, but that's part of it."

Green has known his fair share of injuries from the sport. He has suffered separated shoulders and twice had surgery to repair damage. That couldn't stop Green from being the 2004 National High School Rodeo Association's bull riding champion as well as a three-time all-around state champion.

Green just completed his collegiate career at Eastern New Mexico University, where he twice was named to the academic honor roll, and then opportunity knocked late in 2007.

He received a call from one of the organizers to The Toughest Cowboy, a made-for TV series that pits 12 cowboys against each other in three events — bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding.

The events were picked because they are the most physically challenging for competitors, who had to do them within an hour, and the physical demands can be deceiving to the casual fan.

"You might on the animals for only 8 seconds but you use everything you got," Green said. "It's like a sprint. You give it your all — for as fast as you can go, for as far as you can go — in that time."

The series began in late December and Green made to the final eight before being ousted by Shane Proctor in early March. Green conceded image had as much to do with him being on the show as his rodeo talents, but he is considering doing the show again.

"They're looking for somebody who is going to try their guts out every time, nod their head and try to have a good time," Green said. "And be sociable. That's what they're looking for, also, but it was mostly the riding."

For Murphy, his time for such opportunities is long past, but he finds inspiration in the younger participants that he mills around with. It's become a way for him to stay linked with a sport that he loves.

"Life's good in the working end, and I just want to go to my seven rodeos," Murphy said. "After that, I may start singing."