story by Lily Weinacht
Karlie, Talon, and Laine Tucker are entering their third season together in the NLBRA, and though the youngest competitor of the three, it was nine-year-old Laine who made the family from Nardin, Okla., a Little Britches family. “We had done other junior rodeos, but Talon was into hunting and Karlie was playing basketball,” explains their step-mom and dad, Miranda and Justin Tucker. “Laine wanted to keep competing and she was looking through our Rodeo News magazine when she saw an ad for a Little Britches rodeo in Dodge City, Kansas,” Miranda adds. “She asked if she could do the COLBRA, which started in March or April. We went to Dodge City five days after I had my son Rickey, and Laine qualified that weekend. Once we were in Pueblo, Talon and Karlie wished they were competing, so all three joined the next year!”
Karlie, 13, began junior rodeoing when she was five. She competes in both the OKJHSRA and NLBRA in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping, and ribbon roping as the runner for Talon. “Breakaway is my favorite event – I like that it’s fast, and my step-mom helps me out with all my events. She used to compete in rodeo and she still does some barrel racing.” In addition to roping with Karlie in the ribbon roping, 11-year-old Talon competes in goat tying, flag racing, and breakaway roping. He went from 16 second runs to 12 second runs after working with Caila Jantzen from Ames, Okla., last spring. Her husband, Derrick, has helped Talon with heeling, and the siblings are also coached in roping by their dad’s friend Luke Blanton. Laine’s events are barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, and flag racing, but the speed of barrel racing gives her the greatest thrill. They all three compete in the AQHYA as well.
The siblings practice daily, and anticipate having more time to ride since they added lights to their arena. Their step-mom helps them practice, and they pinpoint the events they need to work on so the horses they share don’t have to double up. These include Jack, Sophie, Checkers, BJ, Frosty, and Taco. “We usually take six horses to Little Britches, and we help each other with saddling,” says Talon, who qualified for the AQHYA World in 2014 and 2015, finishing fifth in the breakaway last year. “I want to be like Trevor Brazile – he’s an all-around cowboy, and that’s what I want to be. It makes me really happy when I win a rodeo, and when my friends win!”
In addition to their horses, the Tucker family has dogs, goats, chickens, and a cat, and they raise Miniature/Toy Australian Shepherds. The sisters and brother help with many of the chores, while their two-year-old brother, Rickey, is sure he’s ready to help. “We definitely have to keep an eye on him – we’ve caught him in a pen brushing horses,” says Miranda. “He likes tractors a lot, too, and we joke that if he doesn’t end up liking horses, at least our arena will always be worked!” The most recent addition to the Tucker family is their daughter Quincy, who was born on April 24.
Karlie, Talon, and Laine are all homeschooled, and they are looking forward to a summer full of rodeoing. Karlie will be an eighth grader this fall, and she’s especially interested in science, recently studying the different body systems. Talon, a sixth grader this fall, enjoys reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, while Laine, soon to be a fourth grader, enjoys multiplication and division in math. They use any free time to play basketball in their barn, ride their bicycles, or have dummy roping contests, along with hunting and trapping. Their granddad lives nearby and provides them with traps and homemade game calls, and he and their granny and aunt often come watch them compete.
“This year, I’m hoping to win some world titles since I have a faster horse,” says Laine, who is qualified for the NLBFR in all of her events. Talon is qualified in all his events except for team roping. “I want to do really good at the finals, catch my breakaway calves, tie my goats well, and make good ribbon roping runs.” he says. Karlie, who finished seventh in the world in barrel racing last year, is shooting for a world title and faster times. Though they’ll miss their vacation to Pueblo, Colo., this summer, they are thrilled with the short drive to Guthrie, Okla. All three siblings enjoyed the water fights, roping contests, and dances at the last NLBFR. “It’s a good atmosphere,” says Talon, “and a good community!”
