story by Lily Weinacht
Cayce Lockhart
– R.D. Prideaux Photography
Cayce Lockhart, a 17 year old from Lewis, Colo., has been pursuing her passion of rodeo since she was four. Her mom, Destri Lockhart, rodeoed through high school, college, and several years in the WPRA, paving the way for Cayce and her older brother to take up the family tradition. “Every year when I go to sign up for rodeo, I look at my rodeo family and how much fun we have,” says Cayce. “And, I’m always trying to better myself and my horses. Rodeo itself is a goal that I’m passionate for.” While inspired by her mom, Cayce’s rodeo dreams have also been fueled by her grandparents, Dick and Phyllis Lockhart. Her grandpa spent his rodeo days as a pickup man. “He has always ridden horses and worked on ranches his entire life,” Cayce explains. “He’s someone who I feel will always do the right thing, and I look up to him. He is a true cowboy, and I admire that.”
Cayce lives just ten miles from her grandparents, who rarely miss coming to one of her rodeos. Cayce, who was previously competing in the barrel racing alone in high school rodeo, has recently started pole bending. The event has become her favorite, and her horse, Playboy, is enjoying the variety. “Playboy is nine years old, and he’s a sweetheart,” Cayce describes. “I got him three years ago, and we had a hard time getting our act together, but we’ve finally become a team, and I feel like that is a big accomplishment.”
Another one of Cayce’s accomplishments is serving on the CSHSRA Student Board. “We meet whenever things need to be addressed, and we vote on award prizes, while also communicating as a board and supporting the association.” Cayce’s involvement with FFA and 4-H has helped prepare her for her first time serving on a rodeo board. “I’m developing leadership skills that I know will go a long way in life,” she says. Cayce has been showing Boer market goats in 4-H and FFA for many years, and has won grand champion and reserve grand champion at her county fair several times.
A junior at Dolores High School, Cayce is decidedly engrossed in her Ag. class, but she works diligently in all of her classes to maintain a 3.75 GPA. “In Ag., we’ve learned a lot about animal systems, and we’ve been welding. We just got a new Ag. building, and we just finished building all of our new booths for it.” In the time between homework and her next rodeo, Cayce is either loading up her horse to practice at an arena in Cortez, or she’s spending time with friends, four-wheeling in the mountains or building the perfect bonfire.
Cayce, her mom, their horses, goats, and six dogs, live outside of Lewis. Her brother, Tanner is a freshman at Western Texas College in Snyder, where he is riding saddle broncs on the rodeo team. Tanner qualified for the NHSFR all four years, and won the saddle bronc riding at the IFYR in 2014. Several of Cayce’s goals include qualifying for the first time this year for both the NHSFR and IFYR, two rodeos she dreams of competing in before she finishes high school. “I want to travel a little further outside of my comfort zone with those rodeos, and after high school, I’d like to go pro,” says Cayce, who is also hoping to college rodeo while studying to be a vet tech.
Cayce concludes, “I want to thank my mom and brother, grandparents, Uncle Spark, the Lee family, and Silvarado Ranches, for all of their support and the countless hours they’ve helped me!”
