For more information about W5 Breakaway Roping, email ltedder1@gmail.com, call 770-712-6603 or go to Facebook and search W5 Breakaway Roping.
Lauren Willcox owns and operates W5 Breakaway Roping, which has attracted customers from across Georgia and the Carolinas.
“A friend asked if I wanted to put on a clinic, and I thought that it would be something fun to do one time,” Willcox said. “But people loved it, they said that they did not have anywhere else near here to learn this, and then it continued to grow.”
Although Willcox is a special education and pre-K teacher in the Oglethorpe County School System, she began as a barrel racer and dove into breakaway roping in high school.
The roping business, run out of Willcox’s family arena in Arnoldsville, has also grown. In 2024, Willcox said she taught 75 lessons, but in 2025, that number grew to more than 260.
She offers ground dummy lessons for beginners, sled practice using four-wheelers and live-cattle roping sessions for more advanced riders. She also hosts jackpots, multi-day clinics and special events, such as a new Toys for Tots roping, where every participant brought a toy for local families.
Her favorite part of the business is combining her love for horses and education.
“Seeing someone catch their first calf, that moment when everything clicks, that is what I love,” Willcox said. “We hoop and holler and celebrate, because they have worked so hard for it.”
The business is also a family affair.
Lauren’s mother, Julie Highsmith, said the growth of the business is no surprise.
“She’s extremely organized and she gives everything she has, as a teacher, a mom and a roper,” Highsmith said. “I get tired just hearing everything she does.”
With plans to expand into more team roping events next year, Wilcox said she’s grateful for the unexpected path her business has taken.
“It started as something small,” she said, “but it’s become something really special for our community.”