September 24, 2024, Guthrie, Oklahoma – Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Oklahoma, is proud to announce bookings for 2025 foals by the winningest stallion in professional heeling—Patrick Smith’s former rodeo horse, WSR Hesa Dunofa Lena.
WSR Hesa Dunofa Lena is a Riata stallion and also enrolled in Royal Crown, Gold Buckle and The Diamond Classic futurity incentives.
“When it comes to rope-horse stallions, he’s at the top of the list,” said David Zito, who purchased “Rooster” this March. “When it comes to sheer legacy, this horse has been there and done that. No other stallion holds a candle to him, where he’s been to the NFR with several different heelers. And he’s 20 and qualified for the World Show this year. That’s just a different kind of horse, with this kind of longevity.”
Bred by Western States Ranches and started in the cutting, Rooster was so good-minded that World Champion Heeler Randon Adams was heeling on him as a 3-year-old. Over the following years, the stud carried elite heelers Adams, Dakota Kirchenschlager, Cesar de la Cruz, Russell Cardoza and Smith to huge rodeo and jackpot wins and multiple NFR qualifications. Smith, a two-time world champion heeler, describes the stud as “one of the most amazing heel horses of all time.”
The 2004 dun by Hesa Sonofa Dun out of Paulena by Doc Olena has lifetime pro heeling earnings well over half a million dollars. de la Cruz, who rode Rooster in several go-rounds at two NFRs, said the stud’s honesty and ability to slide on his hind end sets him apart. Smith was still winning paychecks on Rooster last season before selling him to Zito’s Colorado-based 1957 Quarter Horses. Zito, who started roping two years ago and is entered in this weekend’s Riata Championships, said his family couldn’t wait to send Rooster to the Lazy E.
“We went to the Riata last year and just couldn’t believe the atmosphere at the Lazy E Arena,” Zito said. “To be part of something as special as the legacy of the Lazy E and have Rooster in that barn alongside those other caliber stallions they have, it’s special.”
With a fee of $1,750, Rooster will join other Riata incentive stallions in Guthrie including A Streak Of Fling, Big Lew, Bucks Hancock Dude, Coronado Cartel, Dirty Fling, Fiestas Gotta Gun, Hez Our Secret, One Fabulous Time, Oz Ona Hot Streak and Show Me The Buckles. Offspring of Riata stallions are invited to compete annually at the $3.5 million Riata Championship team roping–one of the top-three richest ropings in the world.
“WSR Hesa Dunofa Lena is a legend in the roping industry, bringing an unmatched grit and bone and performance record to the Lazy E,” said Monty McNair, a manager at the Lazy E. “No stallion has ever won more in team roping, and his longevity as a performer is unbeatable. It’s an honor to add him to the E’s stallion lineup, bringing his career full circle and allowing us to introduce him to the thousands of visitors who tour our stallion barn annually.”
For more information, visit lazyeranch.com.
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ABOUT LAZY E RANCH:
The Lazy E Ranch is the leading consignor of race-bred Quarter Horses in the world and represents top sellers at the most prestigious auctions across the nation. It includes the Lazy E Arena, established just northeast of Oklahoma City in 1984 to host the National Finals Steer Roping. In 2005, founder Ed Gaylord sold the Lazy E Ranch and Arena to a partnership from Nevada, and in 2013 the property was sold to the McKinney Family’s Reliance Ranches. They’re committed to maintaining the ranch as one of the premier breeding facilities in the nation.
