The Life and Times of a Rodeo Family

By theadmin

A lifelong roper and regular on the professional rodeo circuit, Lee “Boogie” Ray of Mabank, is driving south toward Lake Charles, Louisiana, hauling a horse trailer. He’s spent much of his life on the road anticipating and preparing for the next rodeo event, his eye squarely on the prize. He’s fast out of the gate and even faster spinning his rope overhead.

But today he’s on his way to watch his oldest daughter, McKenzie, 19, compete with the Hill College rodeo team at a McNeese State University event. “I’m doing four hours on the road to watch her run one steer down here,” Boogie says. “This is what we do, how we live.”

Living the Rodeo Lifestyle

The rodeo lifestyle is as much a part of Texas as steak and saloons, bluebonnets and oil derricks. Boogie’s parents introduced him to the sport, but he became an expert and lifelong competitor all on his own — driven by whatever drives cowboys to ride fast and wrangle steer. Boogie and his wife, Robbin, have passed the tradition on to McKenzie, who’s on a full-tuition rodeo scholarship, and her sister, Maci, 17, a high school senior who competes in junior rodeo events. “Instead of going on picnics or to the lake, we go to rodeos,” Boogie says.

He actually met Robbin at a roping contest in Terrell, Texas, 26 years ago, and they’ve been married for 24. They even had their wedding at a roping event in Reno, Nevada. “She sort of knew what she was gettin’ into,” Boogie says, laughing.

Robbin didn’t grow up around horses, but she had friends in rural Mabank who taught her a little about riding and roping. “That’s just what we did,” she says, adding that she no longer rides but still enjoys watching rodeo. And she’s watched a lot of events as her family has grown. Boogie competes at United Professional Rodeo Association (UPRA) and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) events, along with senior rodeos for competitors over 40. “I don’t think that my husband will ever quit,” Robbin says. “He thrives on the competition.”

Boogie has a day job now with a stock contractor during the week at a ranch owned by the same man who owns the Mesquite Rodeo Arena. He ropes in contests there, but on weekends, he’s employed behind the scenes to ensure rodeo events run smoothly. After so many years on the circuit, he knows how to help event after event go off without a hitch.

Robbin has facilitated the logistics of the family’s adventures as they supported Boogie’s passion over the years. “Until the girls got to be 11 and 12, we would leave in June and not get back until October. We would leave our house and live in a trailer, and just be on the road,” says Robbin, who homeschooled the girls. “We loved it. … My kids have seen almost every national park between here and Seattle.”

Working other gigs helped finance rodeo travels and supplement income from rodeo wins. Boogie took home prizes from many prestigious rodeos across the West, from the Mesquite Championship Rodeo in Texas to the Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo back in 2003. “[That] was a big accomplishment for me, and I know it’s so cliché-sounding, but now I truthfully get more out of seeing [my two daughters] in the team roping, or in the breakaway, or anything they do. It means more for me when they win than it ever did that I won.”

The Family That Rodeos Together …

Growing up, the girls watched their dad compete and naturally tried their hands at riding and roping, eventually competing in junior rodeos — even against each other. Boogie and Robbin believe the rodeo lifestyle has exposed their girls to quality friends and helped instill in them traditional values. “People [at the rodeo] come from a rural, ranching background. It’s a wholesome environment,” Boogie says.

And the lifestyle has taught tough lessons, too. “There’s no ribbon for losers,” Robbin says. “You gather your stuff up, and you try to do better next time. It’s taught [our girls] that they have to practice and to have a work ethic.”

At college, McKenzie practices most every evening after busy days in class and studying, all because she knows what standout rodeo performance requires – and the rewards of rodeo wins. “It really has been such a huge part of my life,” McKenzie says. “From the beginning, we were always at a roping contest or rodeo. That’s where I did schoolwork, and I made friends there.”

The close-knit family that’s embraced rodeo living has lots of love for one another — and respect. “We do our bickering in the practice pen,” Boogie says. “And we leave it there.” McKenzie calls both her parents role models and appreciates the expertise her dad can offer. “He’s been to every rodeo. I can throw out a random arena, and he will have been there,” she says, adding that she talks strategy with him after she draws for stock or her position before competing. “I would not be any small portion of the roper or person I am today without him there.”

Do you and your family participate in an interesting hobby? Tell us about it! Email Editor@blog.txfb-ins.com for a chance to be featured in the next edition of Texas Heritage for Living magazine!