Despite the fact that Webb is already a relatively wealthy young man and the best in the world at tie-down roping, he exudes humble cowboy charm. He removes his hat when he greets a woman and answers questions softly, \u201cYes ma\u2019am,\u201d without a hint of arrogance, even though he has a good chance of taking home another belt buckle and prize purse when the rodeo wraps up later this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Riley-Webb.jpeg\")
Three-time world champion Riley Webb has been calf roping since he was 5 years old. Credit: April Towery<\/p>\n
Murphy, who also removes his hat when greeting a woman, explained that his \u201cmama and daddy\u201d taught him to do so. \u201cYou get whooped as a kid if you don\u2019t,\u201d he says. Both men also draw on their Christian faith, offering glory to God when they take home a big prize.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat drives you?\u201d Webb wrote on his Instagram page earlier this month. \u201cNot the crowd. Not the buckle. The calling to give your very best for the One who gave you the ability.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Webb was raised in Denton, and roped his first calf when he was 5 years old. His parents held junior roping events, where he met breakaway roper Josie Conner when he was 10. Webb proposed in January and the couple is planning to marry in early 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get to practice together,\u201d Webb says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got the same goals in our different events. We keep each other accountable and keep pushing each other to be better every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Macon-Murphy.jpeg\")
Macon Murphy and his horse Julian advanced to RodeoHouston\u2019s semifinals in tie-down roping. Credit: April Towery<\/p>\n
The life of a cowboy can be hard on a relationship, Murphy married his wife Katie, owner of an equine rehab company, in November. He brought her to Houston for the Super Series, offering to treat her to Rascal Flatts and Dwight Yoakam concerts in exchange for being on the road 200 nights of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nonstop,\u201d says Murphy, 26. \u201cI live it every day. I\u2019ll go from Houston to home and rest and practice for a couple of days, then I\u2019ve got three rodeos in Florida and on the way back home I\u2019ll go to Montgomery, Alabama, then come back here for the semifinals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Murphy, who hails from Keachi, Louisiana (population 300), also has a strong bond with his horse, Julian. \u201cTie-down roping is what my dad, my grandpa and my uncle did,\u201d he says. \u201cIn team roping you gotta rely on another guy, and I\u2019m kind of self-reliant, I guess. The partnership with the horse is huge to me. The horse is, at minimum, 75 percent of the run. If you don\u2019t have a good horse, you\u2019re up crap creek without a paddle. He\u2019s taken me far. I\u2019ve won everything on this horse.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both ropers agree that RodeoHouston is the best of the season with the biggest payout and the best contestants. \u201cThe competition is always stacked and that pushes me to be better,\u201d Webb says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Murphy says his favorite place to be, aside from the National Finals Rodeo in Vegas, is Houston. \u201cThe hospitality, the atmosphere,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is my fifth or sixth time being here. Every time, you just get chills on your neck riding in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The likelihood of getting hurt in calf roping is low other than an occasional rolled ankle, Webb and Murphy agreed, and they\u2019re more concerned about ensuring that their horses are healthy. A few years ago, Julian missed dozens of rodeos with a broken bone in his left hind leg and wasn\u2019t expected to \u201cget back on the end of a rope again.\u201d Murphy\u2019s wife rehabbed Julian and he returned to the arena for the 2024 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n