(Above) Kaleigh Murray rides "Bobby Sox Reward" all the way to the top, in world competition, and ranked 11th in the world. (Below) Murray displays her championship belt buckle and Bronce Willoughby shows off her new championship saddle blanket. A local teen took shone a light on Bullard last month as proved her passion and commitment to being a World Champion contender

Kaleigh Murray, an eighth-grade student at Bullard Middle School, represented her community and her country as she competed at the National Cutting Horse Association World Finals in Amarillo.

The long road to the NCHA World Championship Finals is paved with hard work and requires a lot of dedication.

Numerous road trips, the pressures of fierce competition, staying focused, and keeping up with school work proves this 13 year old can step up to the plate to achieve her dreams and goals. Murray entered competition in the summer of 2007 and soon fell in love with the sport of cutting. In early 2008, she set two goals: one was to make the top 15 in the Jr. Youth class in the NCHA. Second to earn the title "Jr. Youth Rookie of the Year". On February 15th her goals became reality; she placed 11th in the world and was Reserve Youth Rookie of the Year.

Reaching the World Finals is not an easy task. Murray said riding a horse for hours on end every week and working with a trainer can be draining, but the adrenaline she gets from the work motivates her to do her best.

Throughout the 2008 season, Murray competed in a series of cutting competitions around Texas and surrounding states where she placed high scores and won prizes such as trophy buckles, tack, scholarships and money.

"I am honored to know I was part of an elite group," Murray said, after realizing she was one of the few cutters to compete in the world finals "There are a lot of good horses out there and I'm lucky enough to have Bobby Sox Reward, the horse that carried me to the finals."

Murray's parents, David and Kim Murray, said they are extremely proud of their daughter.

"She has had a lot of pressure on her this past year, but the hard work paid off," Kim Murray said. "There are people who have been doing this for 20 years and have never made it to the World Finals, let alone making the finals in less than two years of competing."

The NCHA is divided up into 25 areas all over the world and includes 17,000 active riders, 2,000 of whom compete in the youth classes.