story by Lily Weinacht
Rodeo and horses have both knit the Wood family tightly together and, at times, drawn them apart. Originally from Alabama but now making their home in Niceville, Florida, the Woods – Jason and Lindy and their children, Paxton (14), Kenlee (11), Weston (six), and Piper (three) – learned in spring of 2013 that Weston had autism. “We were living in a rural part of Alabama on our farm, with no services available for Weston, so for about two years we had two houses. Lindy stayed in Birmingham during the week with Weston and Piper so he could go to school,” Jason explains. “It wasn’t ideal having our lives split like that, so last August, we found a school for Weston – Emerald Coast Autism Center – near Niceville, Florida, and moved south.”
Paxton and Kenlee were able to continue rodeoing in Little Britches, travelling a minimum of six hours to compete in Alabama. But unlike before, it wasn’t the entire family rodeoing together. Weston’s form of autism makes it difficult for him to process sensory information, and an unchanging routine is very important. “Something as simple as turning down a different street on the way to his school can upset him, so that makes it hard to rodeo for a whole weekend,” says Jason. Instead, Lindy stays home with Weston, while Jason hauls Kenlee and Paxton. “I was able to attend one rodeo out of the year, which is disappointing, but I want my kids to continue participating, and I think Little Britches is a great organization,” says Lindy. “They’ve met so many friends, and they work hard and learn responsibility. Jason is constantly texting me video clips of their runs and keeping me updated, and I save those videos and pictures. Paxton and Kenlee are really laid back about it, and they understand I have to stay home.”
The brother and sister jumped wholeheartedly into helping their parents start an autism awareness rodeo through the Mid-South Little Britches franchise. Three years later, it’s still an annual event, and the money raised goes to Weston’s school. “We wanted to teach the kids involved in Little Britches about kids with autism and how they’re different in a special way,” says Lindy. “We have a t-shirt fundraiser and Kenlee and I designed an MLSBRA Autism Awareness shirt. She’s really artistic, and I have a passion for art as well. We’ve had a good response, and even people outside of Little Britches have bought them.” The Woods also decorate their golf cart at the NLBFR in an autism awareness theme.
Kenlee competes in breakaway roping, pole bending, and barrel racing, and qualified for the NLBFR in goat tying. Paxton won the goat tying saddle in the MSLBRA and finished seventh in NLBFR short-go, earning him a set of spurs. “They’ve been totally unselfish with Weston and having to move away from their friends,” says Jason, who steer wrestles and helps his kids practice and compete. “I build hotels and apartments, so I travel a few days out of the week, and Kenlee and Paxton have to feed horses, take care of chores, and keep their grades up.”
Both are honor students and the only kids out of nearly 300 students in their schools that rodeo. “We live in an urban area, just a few miles from the beaches at Destin,” Jason describes. “There is a lot of cowboy history in south Florida, especially near Kissimmee and Okeechobee. This area is home to some large ranches, like Deseret Ranch.” Kenlee also enjoys playing volleyball, and Paxton wrestles and plays football. All of the siblings, including Weston, enjoy swimming and the beach, and share a love of horses. “Weston loves to be led around, and a lot of times he’ll ride bareback in shorts so he can feel the horse’s hair. If he’s upset, we can put him on horseback and he’ll settle down. He’ll be calm and peaceful for several hours afterward.”
Discovering the positive effects of therapeutic riding for Weston has inspired the Woods to build a non-profit organization and riding center on their ranch for the students from Weston’s school – and others – to enjoy. “During our Autism Awareness rodeo, I’ll speak a little at Cowboy Church,” says Jason. “The life I had envisioned for Weston came to an end, but after going through the initial shock, it’s three years later and we’re all still going to have a good life. One reason we’ve continued to rodeo in MSLBRA is that it’s a familiar place to go back to. Rodeo makes our kids mentally strong, and they’ve had to be through this process, so I feel strongly about rodeo being a great experience for them. It’s taught them life lessons they might not have learned elsewhere, and we’ve enjoyed every bit of it.”
