story by Lindsay Whelchel
There’s very little that’s closer than the bonds within the rodeo family, except of course, the bond between brothers. Bareback riding brothers Luke and Houston Herbert have both.
For Tennesseans, Luke and Houston, the adventure into rodeo came naturally as sons of a former bucking horse rider and bullfighter, though Luke waited until after high school to get started. At the age of 20 he was a college student, missing the life of an athlete, as he’d grown up playing sports but not rodeo, when he decided he wanted to ride bulls. Houston was still a sophomore in high school, but if his older brother was going to get involved in rodeo, well then, he wanted to as well. Houston picked up bareback riding, and it didn’t take long for Luke to realize he was better suited on the back of a horse than a bull, so with their father’s help and the support of the family, the brothers had their start.
Now Luke is 25 and Houston is 22, and they have made their mark on the rodeo world. Houston was the 2015 rookie of the year in the International Professional Rodeo Association, and both boys have qualified consecutively for the past two International Finals Rodeos held in Oklahoma City.
Rodeo has strengthened the brotherly bond.
“I think that’s probably the neatest thing, it’s brought our family as a whole together so much closer, and it’s brought me and [Luke] closer,” Houston says of rodeo and adds, “I always looked up to Luke. Anything he was doing I wanted to do, and to get to start something like this together was neat for me. It’s been surreal for me to get to be able to do that and travel with him all the time.”
Luke echoes this sentiment.
“There’s something about rodeo that’s brought us very close. He’s my best friend, and it’s just nice to have somebody that’s positive and aspires to succeed as much as I do, and it just helps you to encourage you when things aren’t going your way,” Luke says.
That bond has extended beyond blood for the Herbert brothers into the new friendships they’ve made in rodeo.
“I think that’s the best part of the IPRA, it’s kind of like a big family, and we’re all a lot closer than other rodeo associations that I’ve noticed. It’s definitely provided me with a lot of opportunities that I never thought I’d have, like I never thought I’d leave the country. We were up in Quebec a bunch last year and Ontario, and we have friends scattered from up there to Florida and everywhere in between, and rodeo has kind of brought all that to us,” Luke describes.
For Houston, there’s not much about rodeo he says he doesn’t like. He’s even learned to love the driving. “The people you meet all across the country, the contacts that you have, the stuff you get to experience because of rodeo and the places that you get to travel, it’s opened up so many doors as far as meeting new people, getting new experiences, and you get to do it all with your family, with your brother and your friends. It’s just brought me more than I ever thought it would bring me,” he assures.
Rodeo has also taught the boys a lot about themselves. Luke loves the importance it’s placed on accountability to oneself and preparation.
“It’s usually up to you whether you succeed or fail. In other sports you have to rely on teammates, and if they’re making the right choices on and off the field, and that affects you. But for the most part only you can affect yourself [in bareback riding]. If you’re preparing adequately and doing the right things, you’ll see the results.” It’s also taught him about perseverance. “Things don’t always go your way, and it’s easy to lash out and blame others and sometimes you’ve just got to suck it up and move on with life. You’ve just got to take the good with the bad, keep an even, positive outlook on things and realize it will all come around.”
For Houston, who rodeos on the college team at the University of Tennessee Martin and will graduate this spring, rodeo has helped him realize the self-motivation and effort needed to succeed. He also credits his rodeo coach, John Luthi, with helping him with his mental game.
“He’s been instrumental in my riding. Coming up here has been a great experience for me, and he’s the one that provided me with that opportunity to get to come to college and rodeo, which is pretty special for me.”
The boys credit their parents and family for their support and plan to rodeo hard chasing a world title in the IPRA this summer, but no matter who takes the win, they’ll be glad they’re together.
