story by Ruth Nicolaus
Austin Hebert knows it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. The fifteen year old cowboy is small for his age, just pushing the scale at 100 lbs., but he’s happy to be tie-down roping, continuing the tradition of his dad and his two uncles.
Austin, who lives in Scott, La., also is a goat tyer and ribbon roper in the Louisiana Junior High School Rodeo Association. Of his events, tie-down roping is his favorite. He didn’t begin to tie-down rope till this year, his eighth grade year, in hopes of putting more meat on his bones, as he says.
He rides two horses for his events, both bay mares. Diamond, a seven-year-old, is his tie-down and ribbon roping horse, and Sassy, a five-year-old, is for the goat tying. Diamond is his favorite, mostly because she works better than Sassy.
He is in the eighth grade and is in his first year of home schooling. Math is his favorite subject, but he’s not big on reading. Home schooling is good because he has more time to rope, but he misses recess and doesn’t like being alone with no friends to talk to. His grandma Judy Hebert is his homeschool teacher.
Austin’s role model is world champion Tuf Cooper. He admires how Tuf handles a rope and his fame, with grace and no arrogance.
In his spare time, he loves to play football with his friends, rope and mud ride. He also loves to play with his puppy, a blue heeler named Hooey, who is three months old.
Austin competed at the state junior high finals his sixth and seventh grade years. He’s also won other titles and numerous buck
Austin Hebert competing at the 2014 LJHSRA Finals – RodeoBum
les in the Acadiana Youth Rodeo Association and the Junior Cajun Rodeo Association, among other associations. He was the 2010 All-Around champ for the AYRA and the 2013 4-H State Champion Breakaway Roper. That same year, he qualified for regionals and finished third there.
When he grows up, he wants to be a fireman like his dad, Lloyd and his granddad, James. He admires the cool, calm, level-headed approach they have to emergencies and wants to follow in his their footsteps.
Austin has an older sister, Kandi, who used to compete in high school rodeo. Along with his dad, he lives with his mom, Roxanne.
