Published: July 03, 2008 11:42 am            

Ride ’em cowboy

MABANK — Lucas Butler is about 20 minutes from getting his 20-year-old body flung off a nasty-tempered horse at last weekend’s Mabank Rodeo and Western Week.

But why? All you have to do to avoid such landings is not get on the horse in the first place.

The horse has anger problems. Why push his buttons?

“It’s fun,” Butler is saying as he and his brother adjust their cowboy equipment just behind the arena.

“It’s part of being a cowboy. I breed horses, too, and rodeo isn’t nearly as hard as dealing with some of those horses.”

This is prior to the buck-off, remember. (See picture on the front page.)

His “brother” is Cody Smith, 24, from Waxahachie. The two aren’t biological brothers, but they were raised as brothers since they were kids.

Cody went off to college at McNeese State in Lake Charles La., having recently graduated with an ag degree.

Lucas still has two years to go, and he’ll be enrolled at Tarleton State University in Stephenville this fall as a junior.

Educated young men, risking life and limb. Go figure.

Cody, who got “little brother” Lucas interested in the sport, says he’s never had a bone in his body broken.

So far?

“People always say it’s not a matter of if you break a bone, but when. I just don’t believe that.

“If you do the right things, the rest of it will take care of itself.”

Cody may need to have a heart-to-heart with his dad, Kirk Smith.

The former pro-rodeo bull rider from Lancaster, who is standing nearby, had more than his share of broken bones back in the day, or the 70s.

“I broke three vertebrae in my back,” he said.

How long did that sideline him, he was asked.

“A week,” he said.

“It’s not like it was back in the olden days,” Cody explains. “Back then the cowboys had no padding. Nowadays, we wear vests. I’ve had a bruised chest, but never any broken bones.

The old man, who is 50 now, had been out of the rodeo business for 10 years.

“I rode bulls for 10 years. But then we got completely out of the business,” he said.

“Then, both my kids decided they wanted to ride rodeo, and my daughter has roped.

“If they’re going to do it, we’re gonna’ do it right,” he said.

Effort certainly hasn’t been a problem.

“They both give all they’ve got,” their dad said.

Cody is looking over a gray and white horse about 30 yards away.

He and the horse have met.

“I’ve been riding that horse ever since I started riding in rodeos,” he said. “He’s tough, but I’ve ridden him before.”

A few minutes later, he’ll do it again.

Another horse drawing attention as the rodeo goes by the name, R-25.

“That horse is about as tall as a Shetland and as wide as a whiskey barrel,” Cody said.

The little horse will buck with vengeance a few minutes later. But he’ll also get “rode.”

This rodeo family, to keep things in perspective, falls back on philosophy from time to time.

“If you play baseball, you have to stand there and let somebody throw a baseball 100 miles-per-hour at your head,” says Lucas. “All sports have their risks.”

When Cody goes out now, he knows there’s a little boy waiting back home waiting for his dad to return to Waxachachie.

Little Cork is all of seven weeks old.

Charles Stiff contributed to this story.

        

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