story by Ruth Nicolaus
Lexie Miller is entering her final year of Louisiana Junior High School Rodeo competition.
The thirteen year old cowgirl, who lives in Bell City, La., is a barrel racer, pole bender, breakaway roper, goat tyer, and runner in the ribbon roping (for roper Alex Darbonne.)
She rides two horses for her five events. Bitty, a thirteen year old sorrel gelding, is her barrel and pole horse, and she spoils him with apple treats. Fancy, her twelve year old palomino mare, is her roping horse.
Fancy also is her trail horse, as Lexie is a Little Britches Rodeo member who does the trail course along with her other events at Little Britches events.
She will be an eighth grade student at Bell City High School this fall, and she looks forward to seeing all her friends again. She loves math class, but reading is not her favorite. It’s not that she doesn’t like to read; she loves to read, but not the material the teacher chooses in class.
Lexie has read all 25 of the “Heartland” series books about a young girl and her horses. She’s seen several of the Heartland TV shows as well.
In school, she is involved with Beta Club and is on her school’s honor roll.
She has qualified for the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo the last two years, in sixth grade in the barrel racing and this past June in the pole bending.
The family has three pet dogs: Paisley, an Australian shepherd and red heeler mix, Em, a blue heeler and Australian shepherd mix, and Danny, a boxer. Paisley and Em are good cow dogs and good help.
When she grows up, Lexie would like to be a veterinarian. Her favorite animals are horses and dogs.
She has two older brothers who love to tease her: Leighton, who is sixteen, and Lane, who is eighteen. Leighton participates in Louisiana High School Rodeo, and Lane is in his first year of college at McNeese State.
She is the daughter of Eric and Kelly Miller.
