story by Siri Stevens
Lydia started riding when she was four on a sale barn horse named Peanut. “PawPaw bought him for both my older brothers to ride,” explained the 15-year-old from Lacassine, LA. “By the time he got passed to me, we knew he was a great horse.” Now she is working with a remuda of five horses – her cutting horse, Jewel, is 17; she has an 11-year-old barrel and pole horse named Snickers; a 20-year-old reined cow horse, Paycheck; and rounding out the pen is her roping horse, Ricky Bobby, who is 16. She competes in barrels poles, cutting, reined cow horse, and the queen contest. “I like reined cowhorse – it gives me all the action of all the events, fast, with cow work and horsemanship.
She got her start with her parents’ encouragement. “My dad is a LHSRA alumni – he rode bareback, saddle bronc, and bulls. My mom was around hunter jumpers growing up and between both of them, I wanted to compete myself.” Her mom, Andrea, is a photographer, taking head shots for beauty pageants – there is a beauty pageant for every festival around the region. Her dad, Stacy, is an electrician, owner of Premier Electrical Systems.
Her two older brothers, Clayton, 21, and Lane, 17, led the way. Clayton was the 2020 LHSRA Cutting Champion and he rode bulls; Lane was the LHSRA Boys Cutting Champion in 2021. “He’s graduating this year and it won’t be the same without him.” Lydia’s little sister, Clara Renee, is four, and she is riding one of Lydia’s horses.
Lydia grew up watching rodeo queens and admits being apprehensive about trying out. “I always wanted to do it, and the past LHSRA queen talked about this clinic put on by the Texas High School Rodeo Queens and it went from there.” She found a local seamstress to help her with her wardrobe, and she tried out for the first time this past year with plans to try again this year. Lydia attends school through a Home School coop that meets three days a week for three hours. There are 15 students total and she likes the school. “I still get a little bit of social time and I have a teacher that can help me with anything I need.” Lydia loves learning about all the things that go into science. She hasn’t decided between cosmetology and elementary teaching as a career choice, but until then, she’s going to continue high school rodeo and pursue becoming the next Louisiana High School rodeo queen.
“I love to travel – I’ve been to 25 of the 50 states. I like Utah the best so far – that’s where my mom’s sisters lives, and I love to go see them.”
