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Jan Swan Wood: Across the divide, upcoming events, awards and a new season starts

Jan Swan Wood

This beautiful fall weather makes it hard to be inside writing my column! I’m so far behind on the fall work (from several falls ago, I’m sure) that I won’t get it all done anyway, but sure need to try. Anyone else feel that way? At least the weather’s cooperating.

Some more good hands have ridden across the divide in the past week or two. I promised to share more about Jayne Harris Voiles. Jayne passed away in her sleep Sept. 30. A lifetime rancher, Jayne raised cattle, sheep and good horses of the Hancock line. She is survived by her husband Claude, Gillette; daughter Charlene (Doug) Camblin, Gillette; Bobby (Colleen) Harris, Highmore, SD; Brad (Delight) Harris, Gillette; four grandkids; step-children, and a large extended family. Jayne, 70, was always fun to talk horses with and will be remembered for her interest in all things rodeo and ranching.

I know there’s an obituary for Warren Melvin in this paper, so just want to say a little about him myself. I enjoyed such great visits with Warren and Donna at horse events, usually horse sales. I admired them and their horses a great deal, so always had fun learning what their good horses were doing on the track and in the arena. Their kids and grandkids were also a favorite topic, and that usually involved good horses too. He will be missed.



Also want to mention longtime businessman, rancher and horse breeder Lloyd Rypkema, Rapid City. Lloyd was 92 when he passed away last week. He was a fine man and a good friend to many.

My condolences to the families of all three of these memorable people.



My dad and I took in the Alzada Poetry Gathering last Sunday and had a great time. Got to visit with a lot of folks I hadn’t seen in a while and heard good music and poetry, plus some funny stories mixed in. There was nice art and photography, plus some wood working and leather work on display too. It’s always the first Sunday in October, so easy to remember. The drive up was beautiful with the fall colors and the big grass in all the pastures, plus abundant hay in evidence. What a nice day.

There’s a catalog and open consignment horse sale coming up on Oct. 23 at Aberdeen, SD. It’s actually the venerable Redfield Horse Sale with a new location. Zelda Lutter is still in charge of the consignments and information, so call her at 605-472-2650. She tells me there will be Quarter horses, Paints, Thoroughbreds, Drafts, Ponies and even a Zony at this year’s sale. (A zony is a pony/zebra cross.)

Also on Oct. 23, the Seven Down Winter Barrel Series kicks off at that arena east of Spearfish, SD. There will be $500 added each day and it starts with exhibitions at 6:30 a.m., entries close at 9:30, with the Youth 4D and 4D to follow. Call 605-578-3518 for more information or visit http://www.SevenDown.net. The next date after that is Nov. 13.

The annual Membership Meeting of the Wyoming Horse Council will be Oct. 30, 1 p.m., at Riverton, WY’s fairgrounds. If you have an item to go on the agenda, call Bill Gentle at 307-634-1743.

The SDRA Finals Rodeo will be Oct. 22-24 at the Pennington Co. Event Center, Rapid City, SD. The Friday and Saturday performances are at 6:30 p.m. and the Sunday performance is at 1 p.m. This is a great rodeo to watch and is held in a nice facility, so sure worth taking in. I understand their announcer this year is Tim Allen from Hermosa, and he does a super job, so should make the rodeo a pleasure to attend as well, with his up-to-the-minute results and updates.

The Cowans are sure having success in the college rodeo scene, both with their kids and their home-bred horses. Breelyn Cowan and her mare, PC Sunwood, “Nikki,” won the first-go, second in the short-go, and won the average at the Ames, IA, College Rodeo. Patrick Cowan’s Docs Oaks Sugar gelding “Snoopy” carried him to third in the long-go and fifth in the average in steer wrestling. He also carried another steer wrestler to third in the average. Breelyn and Patrick both rodeo for SDSU.

The National Intercollegiate Alumni Association will have a booth at the WNFR for the first time. If you are a former NIRA cowboy or cowgirl and are going to be at the Finals, perhaps you could spend some time helping to hold down the fort at the booth. It would be a great way to see and talk to lots of folks without wearing the soles off your footwear in the process. If you are willing to help, e-mail Sylvia Mahoney at sgmahoney@sbcglobal.net.

The 2011 season of PRCA rodeo has kicked off already. Banking some money in the bulls at the Hope, AR rodeo was Kanin Asay of Powell, WY. Having the 2011 season start before the 2010 WNFR seems a little strange, but they are sure still warmed up to the task if there’s never a break. I think I remember when the Cow Palace was the last rodeo before the NFR and the first of the new season was Denver. There was a gap there, which either gave them time to heal up, or gave them time to get out of practice. This is probably better.

The 2010 AQHA/PRCA/WPRA Horse of the Year Awards have been announced and some horses from our region placed for those honors. Dean Gorsuch of Gering, NE co-owns Pump Jack (Bailey Tokum) with Darrell Kraupie, and their steer wrestling horse placed second. The horse that won the steer wrestling horse of the year, Wick, formerly belonged to Birch Negaard, now of Sundance, WY. Birch sold him to Wade Sumpter when he quit rodeoing so hard. He and Frank Thompson rodeo Wick at the NFR when he was a six-year-old. Also, Travis Tryan, Billings, MT, had his great horse Walt (Precious Speck) place second in the team roping heading, even though Walt passed away last spring. Third place honors went to Clay Tryan, Billings, MT, and his great heading horse Syndicate (Bears Cash Partner).

The phenomenal Thoroughbred mare Zenyetta is gearing up to defend her crown at the Breeders Cup, which will be Nov. 6. She has maintained a perfect 19-0 record in her career and is a fan favorite, both for her ability and her personality. She’s great and she knows it and does a little routine for the fans after winning each race. She does a little dance and then stops and lets them just adore her on her way to the winners circle.

Well, I’d better pull up for this week. Send me your info and your results so I can share it with everyone. If I don’t know about it, I can’t write about it, right?