Tribal member wins big at Junior World Finals

Choctaw tribal member, Savannah Toon, won the Junior World Finals for Barrel Racing in Las Vegas in December 2022.

Over 800 contestants from across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australia competed for $1 million in prizes, cash and scholarships Dec. 1-10 at the Wrangler Rodeo Arena inside the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Savannah, a Smithville, Oklahoma, native, competed in one of the qualifying tournaments held all over the country for the 12 and under girls. Only the top two girls from each tournament are selected to compete in the finals.

Savannah’s parents taught her a strong work ethic, which paid off in winning a competition as big as the Junior World Finals. According to Savannah, she was inspired to enter the rodeo world by her dad, Lynn Dale Toon, who competed in high school, amateur and IPRA rodeo.

Savannah has three siblings who also train and compete in different rodeo events. Rebecca Toon, Savannah’s mother, credits her husband’s family’s deep rodeo roots for inspiring her kids. “His dad loved rodeo; his granddad loved rodeo, so it’s in their blood,” she said.

According to Savannah, having her siblings interested in rodeo helps her stay motivated, and they can work and train together for their respective events. Savannah mainly trains with her sister, who competes in breakaways and goat tying.

The horse Savannah competed with in Las Vegas is named Mo, with whom Toon has been competing for about three years. Building trust between the rider and the horse takes years. According to Rebecca, the bond runs deeper than trust. “There has to be total trust to run into the arena full blast. I think the horse has to really love his rider to do that because it’s actually really hard on their body,” she said.

Savannah said she hopes to continue to compete for years to come and enjoys training young horses for competition. Savannah understands the significance of winning this title at such a young age. “It means everything to me,” Savannah said.

Savannah encourages anyone who has a dream to work toward it. “If you have a dream, it’s not just going to walk up to your door. You have to work for it,” said Savannah.

Visit the Junior Finals Rodeo website for more information about the event.