story by Siri Stevens
Coy Herbert competes in ribbon roping, tie down roping, team roping, and saddle bronc. “My favorite is saddle bronc, and my second would be tie down and ribbon roping,” said the 13-year-old from Welsh, Louisiana, who has been riding horses his whole life. “We live on a horse farm,” he said. “We have race horses.” Coy works on the farm. “I do anything they need help with – weld fence, put up fence, haying, and I help with the equipment from changing the oil to mechanics.” Coy worked with his grandfather while growing up. “We used to work on hay cutters and four wheelers and I still love doing it.” He plans to make a career out of diesel mechanics someday.
He started competing when he was young, stopped for a while, and started again with the junior high. “I wanted to play football and baseball, but I don’t do that anymore.” He has one horse for the tie down and ribbon roping, but has a different one for the team roping. “I’ve had my tie down horse for a while. He used to be a bronc horse. My grandpa trained him. I just bought my team roping horse two years ago.” He qualified for the Junior High Finals in Lebanon, and came home with a fifth place in the saddle bronc steer riding. “I’m fixing to start getting on some horses,” he said. “Everybody tells me the horses will be easier to ride – and I’ll be able to get my spurring time down.”
