From the time he was old enough to hold a rope, Kyle Lucas knew calf roping was going to shape his life.

The son of Canadian Hall of Famer Joe “Smokin’ Joe” Lucas—six-time NFR qualifier and four-time Canadian Professional Rodeo Association world champion—Kyle didn’t just grow up around rodeo, he was born into it.

“My dad rodeoed for several years, making the Canadian Finals 22 times and the NFR six times,” Lucas said. “So being in my early thirties now, I was really immersed in it from the start. I’ve got pictures as a kid with a rope and piggin string in my hand. I was roping chairs, dogs, cats—anything that moved.”

While his mom’s side of the family wasn’t exactly rodeo-focused, they knew pretty quickly there was no talking Lucas out of it.

“My grandpa told my mom he thought something was wrong with me because I never put the rope down,” Lucas laughed. “But I was just hooked.”

His early years were split between Alberta and Arizona, thanks to a winter property his dad bought in the late ’80s to keep sharp when the Canadian weather turned cold. By 2006, Lucas was tagging along to Canadian rodeos with his dad during the final season of Joe’s decorated career.

“I was able to go to a bunch of rodeos with him and see him be really successful that last year,” Lucas said. “And then to watch him step away that same season—that stuck with me. I think he still could’ve made the Canadian Finals today, but he just knew it was time. I’ve always respected that.”

Thrown into the Fire

Once Lucas hit the U.S. ProRodeo trail, he had to find his own footing.

“I never did get to rodeo in the States with my dad,” Lucas said. “He was kind of at the end of it by then. So I had to figure things out myself down here, and I don’t know if you ever really do figure it out. It’s always changing. The rodeos shift, the schedule changes. You’ve got to plan one weekend around the next and then next or else you’re fighting the current.”

Lucas bought his PRCA card in 2013 and was immediately thrown into the fire.

“If you look at the stats, 2013 was the year Caleb Smidt won the Rookie of the Year title,” Lucas said. “I mean, that guy’s been dominant ever since. So right out the gate, I was roping against the best. If I was even going to try to make the Finals, I had to level up.”

Over the past decade, Lucas has hovered just outside of the top 15—but this winter, something shifted.

“For the first time, I had a winter that actually set me up,” Lucas said. “I’ve had okay winters before, but this one gave me a real shot at the year. And I want to keep having them like that.”

The Iconic Peso

He credits much of that success to Logan Bird’s standout horse, Peso.

“I don’t have much horsepower right now,” Lucas said. “My little mare that I cracked out last year cut her leg and needed time off, and my old faithful gray—Ghost—I ended up selling to a little kid who’s winning everything on him. So I’ve been bumming rides, so to speak.”

“I’ve been lucky, though. Logan’s got a full string, and he’s let me ride Peso at all the good ones. He even brought me a younger one to Stavely last week and I ended up winning the rodeo on him.”

Their partnership goes beyond horsepower.

“I’ve had to go by myself a lot over the years because not many guys go back and forth across the border,” Lucas said. “So to have Logan with me now—it’s huge. We get to share horses, but more than that, we share the same goals.”

Kyle’s been pushing Bird to chase an NFR run harder, too.

“I had to drag him to Nampa,” Lucas laughed. “He didn’t even want to enter. But he made a great run in round one and if he knocks another one down, he’s right there for the short round. I think if they counted his Canadian money, he’d only be about $2,500 out of 15th. So I’m trying to keep him on the road.”

Outside the arena, Lucas stays grounded with faith and focus.

“I’m not a head case or anything,” Lucas said. “But I try to stay one step ahead of my mind. Talking to God, praying a lot, reading the Bible—that keeps me right. You can listen to all the self-help books you want, but most of them are pulling pages from Scripture anyway.”

“When I’ve got that in line, I feel like I can’t be stopped.”

Chasing His Own Name

As much as Lucas wants to qualify for the NFR for himself, there’s a little extra fuel in the tank thanks to his older sister, Cowboy Channel commentator Katy Lucas.

“Everyone calls me Katy’s brother,” Lucas joked. “Or now I’m Hadley’s uncle—her little boy. But I want to make the Finals so I can be Kyle Lucas, not just Joe’s boy or Katy’s brother.”

“Katy’s already living her dream, getting to interview the world champs. So for me, the dream is for her to get to interview me. Especially that very last day—the day they crown the world champs.”

With a spot inside the Top 10, horses back in working shape and a wide-open rodeo count, Lucas’ game plan is simple.

“I took a little time off after the winter rodeos—sold one horse, getting the other one ready—but now I’ve got plenty of runs left to work with,” Lucas said. “If I save a few for the good ones at the end—Tour Finals, Sioux Falls—I’ll be right where I need to be.”