Picayune horse trainer talks about being on a new reality TV show
Although he didn’t win the final prize, Picayune horse trainer Jared Lee enjoyed his time on reality TV.
He competed for a herd of cattle worth more than $50,000 on “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown,” hosted by country music star Trace Adkins on Western-themed TV network INSP.
The six-episode competition tested the skills of “modern-day working cowboys” with team and individual challenges.
“I really enjoyed it and planned on winning it all, but my horse got hurt right before the show and I had to use a horse that was hardly broken in to ride,” Lee said.
Lee is a fifth-generation Florida cowboy. He branched out on his own when he was 18 to show his father how skilled he was. He says everything is coming full-circle now.
“I was born and raised as a cowboy. Now I travel all over the country... working with cattle along with my two youngest children.”
The husband and father of five owns a cattle dog and horse-training business, and manages a ranch with 15,000 head of cattle. He says he loves what he does.
“My favorite thing about being a cowboy is the freedom. It gives me a chance to get closer to God and to spend time with my children.”
Lee never thought reality TV was in his future, until he checked his Facebook notifications one morning.
“My cousin tagged me in a post that said they were looking for everyday, real cowboys... and I said ‘well there’s no one more of a real cowboy than me,’ my mom was actually riding while she was pregnant with me.”
He says his most valuable lesson came after injuring himself on the show. Lee broke his leg when a bull crashed into him during an attempt to grab a tag from the bull’s head.
“It made me realize that you need to take one day at a time and not take things for granted,” Lee said.
To watch recaps of the episodes go to INSP.com or watch full episodes on Amazon Prime.
This story was originally published September 17, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
