5 minute read
Cover Story: Ruby Lightfoot
MODELING Cowgirl
by Michelle Elizabeth Photographer: Ashley Roberts (@ashleyrobertsphotos)
Ruby Lightfoot is a 16 year old model, brand ambassador, and social influencer from Southern California. Currently she is in 10th grade at ASU prep digital. What makes Ruby such a unique model is that she is a real life Cowgirl! Seriously folks, she actually rides horses and competes in rodeos and everything! She says, “My life goals [are] to make it to the NFR which is the National Finals Rodeo, the biggest American rodeo, and also to make it on the cover of Vogue magazine!”
The National Finals Rodeo is an annual championship event, considered to be like the Super Bowl of Rodeo. It consists of Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Tie-down Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding. Right now, the event that Ruby is most dedicated to is Barrel Racing. Barrel Racing is a competitive equestrian sport in which the horse and rider try to run a cloverleaf pattern around three 55 gallon metal barrels placed in a triangle shape within a large arena. The competitor who successfully maneuvers through the complicated pattern in the shortest amount of time wins. This sport requires a lot of strength, agility, skill, precision, quick-thinking and control from the rider in combination with the horse's athletic ability and stamina in order to safely and correctly navigate the course. Typically riders wear a tucked in long-sleeved Western shirt, Cowboy cut jeans, a Western hat, and boots.
Ruby’s older brothers got her interested in modeling. When they were little, Ruby’s brothers modeled for LA Models and did print work for Target, JCPenneys, Osh Kosh, and many others. Watching them piqued her interest and she wanted to follow in their footsteps and carry on the family tradition so she trained at Cynthia Bain Young actors studio, in Los Angeles and the rest is history. So far, she’s been modeling for about 8 years. Ruby’s favorite thing about modeling is the creativity of it- the variety of styles and photos she gets to take. She explains, “It’s really fun to change up different things and looks.” The most challenging part for her is finding the perfect pose and getting the perfect shot.
One of Ruby’s most memorable experiences as a model was when she walked in several runway shows during LA fashion Week for Little Jewels Boutique. She adds, “Another most memorable was shooting for KidFash Magazine cover shoot. I had a blast because I was working with my animals, including them. I absolutely loved it!” Currently, Ruby reps for Bull Kings (https://bullkings.com) which is a charitable western brand that gives back 25% of every sale back to the rodeo industry. She says, “They are a family owned and operated company local to Las Vegas and were founded by Cowboys. Their Mission is to donate 25% of each sale to injured bull riders and their families. They support and sustain those cowboys that are injured doing what they love.” She also brand reps for Knotty Horse (https://www.knottyhorseproducts.com) which makes amazing hair care products
that can be used for both horses and humans, as well as for Gea.co - a woman owned fitness apparel company. Ruby’s biggest brand rep right now is Bang Energy (https://bangenergy.com). Ruby adds, “It's not only energy drinks, they have great products for hydration and our immune system. They are also very delicious.”
To become an influencer and get lots of followers on Instagram this Modeling Cowgirl recommends consistent posting. Ruby says, “I have been on Instagram since 2013. It takes a long time to build up your followers, and fans, the most important thing to lift your presence is post post post! Your fans and followers want to see you all the time, so I try to stick to that theory! In the beginning, I also used to use a lot of hashtags.”
Ruby likes all kinds of music. Her current faves include Luke Bryan, Morgan Wallen, Juice, Tate Mcrae, and The Weekend. She enjoys good home-cooked country meals like homemade mashed potatoes and gravy with biscuits. Ruby absolutely loves
verything about living the Country Life. She gushes, “It’s great… We have our own garden here. We also get to raise horses, goats, pigs, donkeys, turtles, bunnies, and dogs. All of our animals are for pet rescue purposes only, (besides my horses which I barrel race)... You get up early each morning and you get to see all these happy animals just waiting to be fed. They rely on us so much, and I love taking care of them. My mini donkey Gucci will ‘Hee haw’ when he hears me, my horses ‘Neh’ and my pig snorts at me… my goats ‘maaaa maaa.’ It's the cutest and very loving feeling.”
Ruby also has fun grooming the animals. Despite all the amazing things about country life- there’s a downside too… The cleaning! “There is definitely a lot of cleaning you have to do, because of the dirt around the ranch. It gets everywhere, so you have to like to clean to live in the country,” she explains. “What I love the most is being away from the city, it’s quiet and peaceful, and not as many people, we also get to have as many animals as we want, that’s my favorite part!”
So just what makes a Country Girl? Well here’s what Ruby had to say, “A Country Girl to me is a girl that likes anything that is country- The lifestyle, the clothes, the chores, the animals, getting dirty, appreciation for the land… Not everyone can live on a ranch and be Country Girls, so I believe it’s what’s in your heart that makes you Country.”
