Beau LeDoux: Carrying On the Proud Rodeo Legacy of His Father, Chris LeDoux
When your father is a rodeo champion, a country music legend, and a man idolized for living life with grit and grace—how do you live up to that legacy? For Beau LeDoux, the youngest son of Chris LeDoux, the answer was simple: you don’t copy it—you live it your own way.
Chris LeDoux was a bareback riding world champion in 1976 and a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter known for his cowboy anthems. But more than the trophies or fame, what he passed down was a way of life—a code of honor, hard work, and a deep love for the Western spirit.
Beau never got to see his father compete in the rodeo ring. Chris had already hung up his spurs when Beau was still a child. But he grew up surrounded by tales of grit, freedom, and dusty arenas. While his older brother Ned followed the musical path, Beau chose the dirt-covered trail of rodeo, bareback bronc riding, and ranching.
He’s not the loudest, nor the most public-facing member of the LeDoux family—but perhaps the one most like his father in spirit. Quiet. Determined. And real.
In interviews, Beau has said he never felt pressure to live up to his father’s name. Chris had one rule for his kids: “I’ll support you, no matter what you choose.” And so Beau chose to be a cowboy—not for show, but because it was in his blood.
One of the most powerful tributes he made was during a rodeo event, where he secretly carried a portion of his father’s ashes into the arena. “It felt right,” he later said. “Dad always loved this world.”
There’s something symbolic about Beau’s journey—he rides not to become famous, but to keep alive something sacred: a bond between man and horse, between father and son, between past and future.
Today, Beau continues to work as a rancher and bareback rider. He appears occasionally at events like Chris LeDoux Days, always with humility. He might not sing songs, but every ride he takes tells a story.
Not just of his own grit—but of a promise kept.