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Faith Centennial Trail Ride, High School rodeo, injuries and fast horses

Jan Swan Wood

The grass is brushing my horse’s belly as I head out on this circle and there’s lots of country to see, so let’s hit a lope.

Faith, SD is having its centennial celebration this year in August, and you need to know about the Trail Ride that is being held in conjunction with it. The Trail Ride will be August 9-12 and starts at the Maher Ranch southwest of Isabel, with night camps at Thunder Butte, Iron Lightning and at Griffith’s northeast of Faith. It’s limited to 200 participants so you need to get your application and money in as soon as possible to get in on it. The cost is $65 for adults and $35 for kids ten and under. There will be entertainment at the night camps, plus more good entertainment when you reach Faith. The Trail Ride will cover about 20 miles/day and will cross some of the most beautiful prairie country you will ever see. Call Levi at 605-209-2983 or Jim at 605-515-1195 for info, or go online to http://www.faithsd.com/faith_centennial to find the form and all the info. You can also just Google “Faith Centenniel.” Faith is a great destination anytime, but to get there on a horse would be even better.

By the way, if you have been downtown in Rapid City, SD and couldn’t find Bader Saddles, it’s because they moved. They’re still in RC, but up on Knollwood Drive across the interstate from the mall. If you can’t find Knollwood Drive from Haines Ave., call Boyce or Wes at 605-441-0147 and they can give you directions.



High School Rodeo is raging on with state finals coming up for many states. South Dakota’s finals are June 23-27 at Belle Fourche; Nebraska has theirs June 22-26 at Hastings; North Dakota’s is the same date; and Wyoming’s is at Douglas the 23-27. Montana had theirs already, so those kids are prepping for Nationals.

National High School Rodeo Finals are at Gillette, Wyoming July 18-24 and the crowds are huge, so it might pay to be getting those rodeo tickets rounded up. I’m pretty excited about the Finals being so close and that means I will also get to go watch some of it.



Speaking of high school rodeo, a Saddle Bronc rider from Nebraska got hurt at a high school rodeo in Harrison, NE on June 5. Hoyt Kraeger landed in the Scottsbluff ICU with a lacerated kidney. Kraeger was headed for the state finals, but with 6-8 weeks on R&R, he will be sitting the finals out I’m sure. He’s home now and doing better, but is probably as bored as a young man can get. Cards and letters might cheer him a bit, so send them to 11205 Holdredge, Avoca, NE, 68307. This is an example of someone getting up and walking out of the arena, but going down later, so, get checked out if you think you might be hurt. One never knows. Don’t let “cowboy tough” make you act “cowboy stupid.” In other words, listen to your Mom and Dad!

Still on the rodeo injury subject, Kaycee Feild, Payson, UT, will be out 6-8 weeks with a broken arm sustained when his horse reared up in the chute and mashed it against the gate. He has some pins and screws in it and is actually going to let it heal before getting back on. He is second in the PRCA standings right now, so feels that the break shouldn’t totally ruin his chance to go to the WNFR again. The son of great BB rider Lewis Feild, Kaycee won the Barebacks at the BHSS this past winter.

On a solemn note, we not only remember the good hands that pass away, but the good stock as well. Korkow Rodeo’s great mare #711, Little Vegas, recently died at their ranch at the age of 23. She was selected nine times for the NFR in both barebacks and saddle broncs, and retired in 2004 after Cody DeMoss scored an 87 point ride on her in Round 9 of the WNFR. She then grazed the good pastures of the Missouri River breaks on the Korkow Ranch near Pierre, SD, raising bucking horse babies to carry on her talent. Little Vegas was buried in the horse cemetery on the Korkow Ranch.

Don’t forget the Badlands Circuit Finals that will be held September 4 at the Days of ’76 Arena at Deadwood, SD. It’s the first one for the Badlands Circuit and ought to be a great trippin’. You can bet I will be there!

Cody Nite Rodeo, Cody, WY, was the place, and June 10-11 was the date, when the Barebacks were won by Kelly Timberman, Mills, WY; Steer Wrestling saw Kyle Callaway, Gillette, WY, tie for fourth; Wace Snook and Guy Simanton tied for second in the Saddle Broncs; and Bobby Welsh, Gillette, WY, won the Bull Riding. Wace is a Hulett, WY native, I believe, but I’m not sure where Guy is from, though I suspect Montana.

The Saddle Bronc riding at the Cortez, CO Ute Mountain Roundup (PRCA) June 10-12 was a who’s who of South Dakota rising stars. Cole Elshere, Faith, was second, Troy Crowser, Whitewood, was third and Chancy Miller, Maurine/Faith, was sixth. Great job, guys! I remember watching you at the high school rodeos not too long ago.

Northern plains hands kind of spanked them at the Hawley, MN PRCA rodeo June 11-12. Hands pulling checks from there were Scott Montague, Bart Ness/Elliott Gourneau, Brett Price/Paul Griemsman, Tyler Fagerhaug, Jay Mattson, Jana Griemsman and Cody Buller.

The Web site for Running Colors Paints experienced a Jan moment a while back. I left part of it out. It is actually http://www.runningcolorsfarm.com. That’s home to the all-time leading Paint broodmare for progeny race earnings. Their great mare, Got A Grip, has offspring earnings of $572,709 and is the first APHA mare to produce runners with earnings over $500,000. She’s the mama of Girls Got Grip and her full bro, gelding Got Country Grip, who have been showing them their heels at the big races. Congrats to Jamie and Wendi Howard.

Thoroughbred phenom, Rachel Alexandra, has broke her habit of running secondthis season by winning the Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs on June 12. Named 2009 Horse of the Year, the four-year-old mare, with Calvin Borel in the irons, won it by ten and a half lengths! Rachel’s back!

The other great TB mare is Zenyetta, a six-year-old, and she just had her seventeenth straight win when she ran at Hollywood Park in California last weekend. She has won 11 Grade 1 races so far. Wowza!

I think I’ve ridden out this piece of country pretty well, so, will pull up. Send me any info you think pertinent to this column.