ProRodeo Sports News - April 1, 2022

Vold up there in Canada. I worked with him for 20 years and then when Northcott’s became available it was the next step to go on your own. Good or bad, you’ll either make it or break it. “Five years ago, I’d come down to three rodeos here in Texas during the winter, now I’m going to nine rodeos this year. Every year we are growing a little bit and now it’s just about continuing to move forward.” But it’s not just the stock that is being recognized within the family. Ward’s son Lucas is a rookie this year in ProRodeo, competing in you guessed it, saddle bronc riding. Through the first five months of the season, he’s sitting 20th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings and first in the Resistol Rookie of the Year race. He was quick to credit his early success to being around the sport and having the opportunity to get on some of the top stock in the world growing up. Even though he didn’t start riding until his late teens. “It’s crazy to say but a blessing is an understatement,” Lucas said. “Just to be around all those great horses and big rodeos helped me fully understand the sport. Watching these big rodeos were good enough for me for a while, but now getting on at them is amazing.” His father isn’t surprised at the early success his son has had in the sport. He said Lucas has always had a knack for understanding stock, but that has only grown with each eight-second battle once the gate swings open. “You know he’s been around the sport, but he didn’t start riding until later in life. He was 17 or 18 years old before he got on his first horse and probably his first 20 horses he fell right on his head,” Ward said. “I told him if you’re ever going to make it in this deal you have to stay on. One day the light came on and he’s moved forward ever since. I’m very proud of him.” The younger Macza said he doesn’t get to matchup with his father’s horses as much as one might think. He only really rides them if it’s the luck of the draw at a PRCA rodeo. In Mercedes, Texas, at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show & Rodeo, Lucas drewMacza Pro Rodeo’s Big Surprise, but missed his mark out. He said while it didn’t work out in his favor that time, he does see it as an advantage when the moment arises. “A couple weekends ago in Mercedes, I drew one of dad’s horses, but it didn’t go the way I wanted,” he said. “It is good knowing the horses, you’ve watched them a whole bunch. You maybe get a little upper hand knowing rein measurements and all of that, but you still have to go out there and do your job.” As far as Macza Pro Rodeo goes, Ward said their work and reputation in ProRodeo continues to grow every day. He said if you aren’t continuing to push forward, you’ll get left behind in this sport. “Everybody wants to grow, and my older boy Willy handles all the bulls and he’s been doing a really good job,” Ward said. “So, we’ve been getting more jobs with the bulls, where for quite a few years we just got job with the horses. If you want to stay in this business, you’re either moving forward or backward, you can’t just stay the same.” At just 24 years old, Lucas hopes he still has plenty of saddle bronc riding in front of him. But when the time comes to call it a career, he’ll be more than ready to jump into the family business. “I’d like to eventually start taking over the family business, but hopefully that’s still a little ways down the road,” Lucas said. “Once I’m done riding broncs that’s for sure what I want to do.” And his father hopes that’ll be the case, saying it’s a true family business from top to bottom. “Fifteen years from now I would think that both my boys will be running the outfit and they’ll be the ones bossing me around,” he said.

Dale Hirschman photo Lucas Macza had an 82-point ride on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Pow Wow Nights at the Osage Xtreme Broncs Days in Pawhuska, Okla., March 26.

Photo courtesy Macza family The Macza family sharing a moment together, from (L-R), Lucas, Grace, Ward, Susan, Lexi, and William.

ProRodeo Sports News 4/1/2022

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