A nightmare unfolded for Loni Kay (Lester) Yates during a circuit rodeo run in Texas this June that resulted in the death of her great breakaway horse, Boss Tin Lights.
“Boss,” was one of the most well-known breakaway horses in the rodeo community, beginning his career with Yates when she was high school rodeoing and leading her to a College National Finals Rodeo Championship in 2017, among countless other accolades at events like The American Rodeo, the Spicer Gripp and just about every jackpot or rodeo across the country in their 11 years together. Through the past decade, Boss has been a fixture in Yates’ life, through her marriage to world champion tie-down roper, Marty Yates.
In the spirit of allowing the Yates and Lester families space to grieve through their tragic loss while honoring an icon , BRJ decided to reach out to some of Yates’ close friends to let them tell readers just what it was like to know and love Boss.