TACHO CAVAZOS | 40 PLUS TEAM ROPING | sOUTH TEXAS

Tacho and Team Roping Partner, Tommy Zuniga | Cody Johnson Championship Event 2023

Member Spotlight: Tacho Cavazos of Mission, Texas
Waiting in Obedience- Returning to Pay It Forward

40+ Team Roping is honored to introduce Tacho Cavazos—a dedicated cowboy whose passion and commitment have brought 40+ Team Roping events to South Texas. Through his efforts in engaging the community and spreading the word, Tacho has played a pivotal role in expanding our reach and fostering a strong, connected roping family in the region.

Cavazos Family

Tucked away in the southeast corner of Willis County is a quiet farming community called Santa Monica, Texas. It’s the kind of place where neighbors wave from their pickups and roots run deep. That’s where this cowboy’s story begins—a life shaped by the land, livestock, and loyalty. Today, he lives in Mission, Texas, where he’s spent the last 18 years raising a family and keeping a steady hand at the helm of agricultural support. As a county executive director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, he’s been helping ranchers and farmers for nearly three decades. But beneath the title and the long days at the office, he’s always been a roper at heart.

Roping was always the dream. As a kid, he wanted to rope steers like the older guys he looked up to. But his dad had other plans—cattle shows came first. From third grade through high school graduation, he was showing market steers instead of roping them. That passion for roping didn’t go away, though. It just waited. In college, he met some guys in Kingsville who opened the door, letting him ride their horses and rope their cattle. That’s when it all clicked. He even turned one of his family’s old racehorses into his first head horse. It was late compared to most, but it was right on time for Tacho.

He later married his wife Melissa, and together they built a life centered on faith, family, and putting the interests of each other above their own. When their kids were young, Melissa stepped away from her work as a speech therapist to stay home full-time. As the kids grew, Tacho made the decision to step back from roping—18 years away from the arena so he could be there for every baseball game, cheerleading competition, and really be present for his family. “You only get one shot at raising your kids—but you can rope the rest of your life,” he says. Now, with their daughter studying at Texas A&M and their son a junior at Baylor, he’s back in the game—and just as passionate as ever.

3rd in the 12.5 at Cody Johnson Championship Event 2023

Since returning in 2023, it’s been full throttle. He placed 3rd at the Cody Johnson 12.5 with partner Tommy Zuniga- a fellow 40+ member, picked up checks in Vegas, and became a driving force behind the 40+ team roping scene in South Texas. Recognizing the lack of local events for 40+ ropers, he worked with the 40+ team to bring a new roping to Kingsville. That might not seem like much to outsiders, but in South Texas—where the nearest big roping can be hours away—it means everything. He’s been making calls, shaking hands, and spreading the word to ropers who don’t use social media, making sure they feel seen and included.

These days, he ropes about three times a week, mounted on two trusty horses: Peanut, a 14-year-old buckskin head horse with a racehorse background, and Rooster, a 12-year-old sorrel who came back strong after kissing spine surgery. He’s proud of the horsepower under him, but he’s even more proud of the calm, quiet consistency they bring to the box. After years of putting others first, he’s earned that ease.

But even with all the success, it’s not about the glory. He’s not chasing buckles—he’s building community. The 40+ association gave him a place to reconnect, and now he’s helping others find that same sense of belonging. He talks about how smoothly the events are run, how good the cattle are, how respectful and welcoming the environment is. He knows the value of a roping that starts on time, where people are treated like family, and where the arena feels like home.

His story is one of return, of rediscovery, and of resilience. It’s a reminder that timing is everything—that sometimes, stepping away is the most courageous thing you can do. And when it’s time to come back, the rope will still be there, waiting. For him, and for so many others like him, the 40+ isn’t just about roping—it’s about the people, the purpose, and the ride that brought them back.