*Clay admits that he “got caught up in the moment” and had to have a souvenir pair of horses from the show, “1883,” so Louis and Dewey came home with him.*
*(Photo by Dr. Robin Rogers)*

O give me a home where the buffaloes roam

Where the deer and the antelope play

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

And the skies are not cloudy all day

Some folks are fortunate enough to know from an early age what their futures hold for them. For Clay Smith, this would be taking over the family’s ranch, Lazy Colt Ranch. Born and raised in Texarkana, Clay graduated from Arkansas High School in 1979. He attended Texarkana College and Texas A&M University-Texarkana.

A normal day for Clay begins at four o’clock in the morning. He feeds the horses, weaning calves, and main cowherd. Then he climbs on horseback and doctors sick animals, sorts cattle to be sold, fixes fences, checks water supplies, and a number of other ranching tasks that make up a full day’s work.

*Clay (second from left) with part of the “1883” crew.*

Where the air is so pure and the zephyrs so free

And the breezes so balmy and light

That I would not exchange my home on the range

For all of the cities so bright

But there was a time when Clay’s talents took him to far off places. Literally. In 1994, Clay attended the team roping national finals in Guthrie, Oklahoma. A recruiter for Disney was present and looking for folks who could work one of their attractions in France.

Right after this photo was taken on the set of “1883,” Clay met one of his cowboy heroes, Sam Elliott. He wanted to be “cowboy cool,” but found himself dressed in an immigrant outfit and riding a draft horse. He said he would have preferred to be “sitting on a good quarter horse with a cowboy hat and looking respectable.”

“If you hear me speak French, I can impress you,” Clay says. “But French people just kind of shake their heads. They understand my point, but I butcher their language.”

For nearly six years, Clay worked for Walt Disney Paris where he was a cowboy and stagecoach driver in “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show,” a dinner theater that catered to audiences of 1,200 tourists at a time. But in October of 2000, Clay made the decision to return home and take over the family’s ranch.

“My father was getting older, and he had open heart surgery, so I came home to run the ranch so he could retire,” Clay says.

How often at night when the heavens are bright

With the light of the glittering stars

I stand there amazed and I ask as I gaze

*In 2020, Clay and his daughter, Morgan, rode horses in the mountains at Sandia Crest, New Mexico.*

Does their glory exceed that of ours?

Does any star shine brighter than that of a celebrity on the set of a television show? Texarkana’s homegrown cowboy had the opportunity to work on “1883” for a few months. The show stars Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill and follows the Dutton family’s journey west across the Great Plains. “1883” is a prequel to “Yellowstone,” a show made popular by Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, and Wes Bentley who is also an Arkansas native.

*During a solo pack trip to the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico, Clay navigated many canyons and rugged ridges.*

Clay had a friend who was working for the show’s production team driving teams of horses. Production went longer than anticipated, and some of the drivers needed to return home. There was a Clay-sized opening on the show. Although Clay did not have a speaking role on the show, he was a stagecoach driver in the background.

“One of the things that struck me was how nice and cordial and normal Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are. Every time they would walk past you on set, they made eye contact and said, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ And it was genuine. Everyone on set really liked them.” Clay continues, “Sam Elliott was there every day. Very pleasant, but I worked with a different group and not with his group that much.”

Home, home on the range

Where the deer and the antelope play

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

And the skies are not cloudy all day

At home on Clay’s range, there aren’t a lot of deer and antelope, but there are plenty of cows and horses. Lazy Colt Ranch used to raise cattle and manage crop rotation in equal parts. Eight years ago, Clay made the decision to go all-in on cattle. The herd, which is raised for beef, has grown to 400 head including calves, yearlings, and bulls.

Clay also keeps 15 horses used for working cattle and occasionally team roping competitions. “I also ride mountain trails out west in northern New Mexico,” Clay says.

Sunrise is Clay’s favorite time of day, because it’s the most productive. He goes to bed when the sun goes down and rises at three. “But it does wreak havoc on my social life,” Clay adds. But it is all worth it when Clay is riding a good horse and gathering a good set of cattle into the corral to be sorted. “I have always enjoyed the western lifestyle, all my life. I grew up working on the ranch and loved it,” Clay says.

Sadly, Clay’s daughter, Morgan, doesn’t plan to take over the ranch. At 15, she has grown up on the ranch and certainly appreciates the lifestyle. An excellent horsewoman and an instinct for cattle, Morgan plans to go into Engineering. “She is a wonderful, well-rounded young lady,” Clays says. “Way smarter than her daddy.”

Home, home on the range

Where the deer and the antelope play

The deer and antelope might not be playing, but Clay is. He works hard and plays hard. When he can break away, Clay enjoys snow skiing and riding side-by-sides on mountain trails. He rides dirt bikes on back roads and has explored Arkansas, Colorado, and New Mexico.

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

And the skies are not cloudy all day

“I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t a rancher. I am not pretty enough to be a hired escort. I’m too nervous to steal anything.” Clay decides, “A travel guide. That’s it. I think I would make a good travel guide because I love to travel.”

Clay might have one tiny regret. “Hell yes! In the third grade, I had a crush on a little girl. I was too scared to even talk to her. I would go back and tell her how I felt,” he says. “I would speak a little softer and be a little nicer to people that I have been around. This work and environment will make you course over time.”

So many live a life of regret, missed opportunities, bad decisions, lost loved ones. That doesn’t seem to be the case for Clay Smith. Although ranching was his destiny, he has made room for everything else. He lived in Paris for a few years, runs a successful cattle operation, and marriage resulted in his favorite human, Morgan. Opportunities, decisions, love, and ranching, Clay has it all, at home on his range.

Autry, Gene. ‘Home on the Range.” Back in the Saddle Again. BMG Rights Management, 1966.

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