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LEHI — Tomorrow's cowboys have to start saddling up somewhere.
For Luke Lewis, his two older brothers Owen and Will and his cousin Cael, that somewhere is at home at Lewis Livestock in Lehi.
Luke, 3, has been on horses and mules almost before he could walk. His father, John Lewis, says Luke loves every little detail from getting horses ready to ride to riding and to even corralling cows.
"It's a lot of fun, a lot of fun, it's a great way to raise your kids,” John Lewis said.
Lewis was also raised on the family ranch, learning all about horses and hay.
“You grow up as a kid and you want to go on and do other things, but as soon as you get away from the farm you want to come right back,” he said. “The lifestyle is contagious."
That farming lifestyle is getting smaller every year across Utah. Lewis said he is doing his best to keep his family tradition alive.
"The challenge is you can't afford to have raw ground to raise a crop on or feed your cattle, because ground is so expensive in town, so you have to go further and further away from society to keep it alive,” Lewis said, “but you need to be able to raise your kids within a good system."
He feels kids raised within a good system like ranching and farming are better able to handle life as an adult.
It's hard work, takes a team to get things done and courage to ride on big animals by yourself.
"This is like everything else in life,” he said. “Confidence reigns out, and if they have confidence, they can be successful."
That's why this lifestyle is so important to him, he added. There are some life lessons along the way, but for these little cowboys, it's just plain fun.
Owen Lewis, 7, says he loves "riding the horses in the canyon."
“The best thing is riding them,” said Will Lewis, 6. “The worse thing is falling off."
With the Days of ’47 Rodeo and Pioneer Day, Lewis says it's a tradition that makes even the toughest days on the ranch worth it.
"The Days of ’47 is the biggest rodeo in the state of Utah, and to be able to be associated with it and to able to work it as a pickup man, but to also bring my children there and let them see it, and remind them of their pioneer heritage, it's just a great opportunity,” he said. “It's priceless."
