Monty McNair’s phone starts buzzing before sunrise. Don’t worry, it doesn’t wake him; odds are the busiest man in Guthrie has been up since around 3 in the morning. He has the Lazy E Ranch to run.
Since 2021, McNair has been the Lazy E’s ranch manager, at the helm of game-changing programs for some of the best horses in the industry. He oversees every facet of the massive operation—from managing an elite stallion roster and breeding some 2,000 mares a year to preparing more than 500 horses for the country’s premier sales.
“Every day is something different,” McNair said. “And every day is something fun.”
The born-and-raised horseman is the perfect man for the job. He grew up roping and rodeoing in nearby Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and his grandfather is in the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. He spent nearly three decades breeding and managing horse sales before bringing his talents to the Lazy E.
McNair’s stewardship was instrumental in the acquisition of stallions that are altering the trajectory of rope horse genetics and shaping the rope horse marketplace. Each addition to the stallion lineup since 2021 has been carefully selected not just for pedigree but for proven performance in the arena and eligibility in the sport’s most lucrative incentive programs.
With the likes of NFR stallion WSR Hesa Dunofa Lena, Bucks Hancock Dude and Show Me The Buckles complementing the E’s lineup of race horses like Coronado Cartel and Big Lew, McNair’s influence is apparent.
McNair sees these moves not just as additions to the stallion barn, but as catalysts for growth in the entire industry.
“Team roping just keeps growing,” he said. “There’s opportunity for everyone. The low-numbered guys who aren’t roping for a living can still make some money. And the futurities have made the breeding game a lot better because people want to breed to the horses in these programs. With the bar raised, everyone wins.”
McNair points out that not every horse has to be an NFR-caliber standout to matter anymore. Thanks to incentive programs, the “honest, great horses that might just not have a lot of run” now have a place and value with mid- and lower-numbered ropers.
Though his schedule doesn’t leave a lot of time for roping, McNair backs in the box as often as he can.
“If I can run 40 steers a week, I’m pretty lucky,” he said. “But I do get to go. I went to the Spicer Gripp the other day. I entered in the Riata. And I always go to the World Series Finale.”
For McNair, the horses are only half the story. Despite his career triumphs—among them, currently being the eighth-leading breeder of racing Quarter Horses in the country—McNair says the most rewarding part of his job is the people.
‘’Without a doubt, the people are the best part of this job,” he said. “I get to see a lot of great horses, but it’s the people who make this special. The community is unparalleled.
“If you’re not happy doing this, you won’t ever be happy doing anything.”
With new barns and expansions underway and a crop of foals on the horizon, McNair is focused on keeping Lazy E at the forefront.
“We just want to keep building the program and making it better for all our clients,” he said. “With everything we’ve added on, it just keeps growing—and I want to be here for it.”
For McNair, it all comes back to relationships. “Be nice to people, get them involved and treat ’em right,” he said. “That’s what this industry needs, and that’s what we’re trying to do at the Lazy E.”
—TRJ—
