story by Claire Vincent
Grant Engle is the 13-year-old son of Kelli and Jett Engle from Sulphur, Louisiana. Grant’s dad rodeoed a little bit growing up, and his mom always had horses. His grandpa, Jack Hebert, has raised paint horses and thorough breeds at All Star Farms since long before Grant was born. His two older cousins, Matthew and Garrett Ellender, were Louisiana High School Rodeo Association members and all- around cowboys. Keeping the family tradition alive, Grant is preparing to start the LHSRA season strong for the third time where he will be competing in tie- down roping, ribbon roping, and chute dogging.
Grant’s first year in junior high rodeo, he qualified for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Huron, South Dakota on his breakaway horse “Mighty Mouse.” Mighty Mouse is the 16-year-old red roan that never lets Grant down. Grant says, “Mighty Mouse does exactly what I need him to do at every rodeo, and he always gets the job done. The only thing I have to do is make sure my rope and tack is how I want it and give the rest to God.” Grant’s favorite thing about being a member of the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association if having the opportunity to rodeo with friends that are like family.
Grant says he looks up to his dad because “He helps me practice, and he hauls me to every rodeo.” Rodeo athletes across the world have proven that hard work and dedication pays off. Grant says he puts so much hard work and time into his roping and his horse and it is only a matter of time before he accomplishes his goals of winning a LHSRA state championship, and a national junior high and high school rodeo championship in the tie-down roping.
After high school, Grant plans to go to college, and then ride in the pro rodeo circuit. He has big hopes to one day qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in the calf roping and the team roping. In the meantime, Grant is busy with his roping and hunting dogs. He has four hog hunting dogs that he has helped his dad raise. They have one pit bull, one black mouth cur, and two parker curs. Grant also enjoys to fish and duck hunt with his yellow lab, Sadie.
Duck hunting season approached quickly this year, almost exactly one month after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Southwest Louisiana. Grant and his parents decided not to evacuate, and they stayed at their house with some good friends. When the eye of the storm passed over, they all went outside to check on animals. The fences to the horse pasture were down, so they quickly stalled up the horses before the second part of the storm hit. They also discovered that the roof of their next-door neighbor’s house had completely blown off. The next morning when the hurricane was finally over they found their 28-foot stock trailer laying broad sided in the pasture. The cover was ripped off of their hog hunting dog’s kennels, and the duck dog’s fence was blown away. Trees were uprooted all around their house and pastures, it took three weeks for the Engle family to restore power. Grant says that “This experience has made me closer to my friends and family. I’m thankful that we had a generator big enough to run our entire house while the power was out because some people didn’t. I’m just happy that nobody was hurt and all my animals are safe.”
