story by Lily Weinacht
Nine-year-old Quincy Lucky’s rodeo season was interrupted but briefly when he broke his roping arm last July. He was riding again 10 weeks later, and he qualified for the 2017 NLBFR his rookie year in the goat tying and flag racing without missing one rodeo.
The cowboy from Bossier City, Louisiana, was saddling his horse, Chico, for practice and climbed on a fence to put a halter on when Chico decided to rejoin the other horses. The ride ended with Quincy hitting a tree, giving him a couple of lacerations on his face and a broken arm. “The next day, Quincy sat up in the recliner at the house and told me, ‘More than anything in the world right now, I want to get back on Chico bareback – but with a bit in his mouth.’” says Buddy, Quincy’s dad. “Little Britches is what he wants to do the most, and whatever other rodeos fall in between can work.”
Quincy was back on his horse within 10 weeks, and started breakaway roping again in March. It took a week for his roping to feel good again after he got his cast off, and he practices on the dummy daily, even roping a dummy in the house. He also has a pen designated for practicing his goat roping, and a working cattle pen with lights and a cover. Quincy is the fifth generation on his dad’s side of the family to ranch in Louisiana, and he works alongside his dad and grandpa painting fence and checking and feeding cows. His mom, Jada, didn’t grow up on a farm, but after she and Buddy met on a blind date and they were married, she became one of the farmhands. “Buddy and Quincy are good teachers, and Quincy has taught me how to rope a little bit,” says Jada. “I take care of the baby calves and bottle feeding.” She also works cattle and does paperwork, and her cooking is well loved, especially the duck gumbo she makes with the ducks Quincy brings home from hunting. “It’s extremely hard (ranching and rodeoing) but it’s a sacrifice we make for Quincy. Rodeo is everything to him and he loves it,” says Buddy. “And we have really good employees. Everybody loves Quincy and they step up any time something needs taken care of when we’re gone.”
Since Quincy was already breakaway roping when he joined Deep South Little Britches in December, he’s competing in the junior boys division, and loves competing against the older kids. “Those older kids just make him better, and he was all for it,” says Buddy. Quincy’s favorite event, however, is team roping, because he has the opportunity to rope with his friends, including Noah Weeks, Tyler McGuffee, RJ Otwell, and Austin McAlister.
Quincy also competes in playdays in Ringold and Marshall, Texas, and he’s sitting high in the all-around standings for the Ringold series, which holds its finals in August. His latest buckle, won in the breakaway roping, came from the Martha Josey clinic that George Chambers of the NLBRA told the Lucky family about. Quincy also tied several calves at the clinic. “We were there for a week, and he nor any of his friends wanted to leave!” says Buddy. “He can’t wait to be back.”
Quincy’s love for roping is infectious, and he’s inspired his dad to return to the roping world. Buddy grew up roping but quit in his twenties due to work and started loaning his rope horses out, Tragically, all the horses tested positive for Coggins and had to be put down. “I swore I would never team rope or own another nice finished rope horse again because I loved them all,” says Buddy. “Then Quincy came along and I realized how much he loves it. We’re roping together now, and I’m finding I like it more and more.”
Quincy’s goal is winning the all-around at the Ringold series this summer, along with doing his best at the NLBFR. “We want to give all the glory to Jesus,” Jada finishes. “None of this would be going on without Him – we’ve been very blessed.”
