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The Outside Circle: INFR recap; a great mount lost; upcoming clinics; dirty tricks & arson

Jan Swan Wood

It’s a normal cold and windy January day here, so I hope all the people that were concerned about it being too warm are feeling better. Hopefully the nicer weather returns in a few days. I’ve still got a corral project to finish.

I’ve wanted to report on the Indian National Finals for months but never got the results sent to me so I could. Fortunately, another publication I take published the results this week, so I will relay how the northern plains hands excelled at Las Vegas on Nov. 8-12. The Men’s All-Around was won by Rollie Wilson, Buffalo, SD. He achieved that honor by placing fourth in the barebacks and winning the saddle broncs.

Also in the barebacks, second was won by Austin Janis, Rosebud, SD; while Joe Wilson, Kyle, SD was sixth; and Travis Sharp, New Underwood, SD was eighth.



The steer wrestling had T.R. Connelly, Browning, MT in second; Dustin Bird, Cut Bank, MT fourth; Nolan Conway, Browning, MT fifth; and Britt Givens, Riverton, WY seventh.

Ladies breakaway shows Heidi Cuny, Buffalo Gap, SD second; Kaycee Werdel, Chadron, NE third; Whitney O’Rourke, Interior, SD fourth; Sadie Harwood, Browning, MT sixth; and Ali MacCarty, Pryor, MT seventh.



Saddle broncs were dominated by South Dakota and Montana cowboys, as Rollie Wilson won it; Jess Colliflower, Box Elder, MT was third; Marty Hebb, Eagle Butte, SD fourth; Jeremy Meeks, Belle Fourche, SD fifth; Jay Longbrake, Rapid City, SD sixth; Kaden Deal, Dupree, SD seventh; Tate Longbrake, Dupree, SD eighth; and Smiley Whiteman, Busby, MT ninth.

The calf roping was represented by Scott Rogers, Boulder, WY seventh; Dallas Louden, Martin, SD eighth; and Brent Belkham, Pierre, SD ninth.

The team roping had Arlen Armajo, Lander, WY and Alfred Armajo, Jr, Lodge Grass, MT third; George Cummins, Lodge Grass, MT and Dylan Johnson, Billings, MT sixth; Britt Givens, Riverton, WY and Terry J. Fischer, Fort Yates, ND seventh; Ty St. Goddard, Browning, MT and Ryle Whitford, Browning, MT eighth; Dustin Bird, Cut Bank, MT and Casey Cummins, Lodge Grass, MT ninth; and Kenny and Ray Augare, Browning, MT 10th.

The barrels were won by Donna Small, Lame Deer, MT; while Jakki Young, Union Center, SD was sixth; Brittany Bird, Cut Bank, MT seventh; and Jenna Kittson, Havre, MT 10th.

The bull riding had Koty Brugh, Mandaree, ND second; Tuck Johnson, Browning, MT third; Dakota Louis, Browning, MT fourth; Drew Antone, Kinnear, WY sixth; Kermit Spang, Lame Deer, MT ninth; and Kevin Hunter, Kyle, SD, 10th.

Congrats to all those contestants at the INFR! Sorry to be so late in congratulating you!

There will be a benefit auction for the Badlands Cowboys for Christ Rodeo Bible Camp on Jan. 21 at the Belvidere (SD) Fellowship Hall. It will be from 6-9:30 p.m. They are accepting donated items now and they can be dropped off at J & S Restore in Kadoka. For more information call John or Sue Kaiser at 605-837-2376.

Dean Gorsuch and family, Gering, NE, are mourning the loss of Dean’s great steer wrestling horse Pump Jack. Pump Jack was runner up PRCA/AQHA Steer Wrestling Horse of the year in 2010, the year he carried Dean to his second World Championship.

The life-ending injury happened during a practice run on Jan. 5 when Pump Jack’s coffin Bone shattered. After transporting him to Scottsbluff and consulting with three veterinary surgeons, the decision was made to put him down. Dean said if surgery could have given Pump Jack a painless retirement, he would have done it and his old partner could have lived out his years as a pet of the family. The great horse was 15 years old. My sympathy to you and yours, Dean.

The Webb Ranch, Volin, SD, have a new stallion on the roster with the addition of A Hunka Burnin Love. The 2008 brown stallion is by their late, great Dashin Elvis and out of Tee Chant by Joe Tee. He comes from a powerful maternal line of proven barrel horses and will be nominated to all the top futurities as his foals come of age. They also stand First Down Devil (First Down Dash by Tinys First Effort, Special Effort). Go to http://www.DashinElvis.com to see more about the Webb’s program.

Another really outstanding horse in the region is finally standing to the public for the first time this year. Never So Shiney (Never So Lucky by Deck Susie Jack by Deck Jack, speed index 95, AQHA Supreme Champion). This great performer in the arena and on the ranch is also a proven sire of performance horses and is owned by the Thompson family’s Broken Box Ranch from rural Buffalo, SD. You can ask Bailee Murnion about him by calling 605-381-0390 or go to http://www.theBrokenBoxRanch.com to check him out.

The 20th Annual Hollers-Golliher Breakaway Clinics will be coming up soon at the Golliher Indoor Arena south of Belle Fourche, SD. The #1 clinic will be March 30-April 1 and #2 will be April 5-7. The cost is $300, so call Carole Hollers to get your spot reserved at 605-347-4228.

Bobby Harris’ annual Team Roping school will be held Easter weekend, April 6-8, at the Camplex in Gillette, WY. For more information call Bobby at 605-852-2028.

There’s a letter writing campaign to the president, using school children, which is aimed at getting horse processing stopped. Before you poo-poo this, it was school children and a letter writing campaign that got Wild Horse Annie’s ridiculous proposal to protect the wild horses and burros through and signed by yet another clueless-about-the-situation president. There’s also one going on in Canada, where horse processing is legal. I think it’s pretty low to be using innocent children for the purpose of pushing their agenda to stop animal processing.

Speaking of low, animal rights activists are proudly taking credit for the arson fire that destroyed 14 feed trucks and some trailers at Harris Farms, Coaling, CA. The North American Animal Liberation is the name of the terrorist group taking credit. It was a pretty sophisticated operation and knowledge of pyrotechnics was obvious, as the trucks were burned to the ground in less than 45 minutes. Harris Farms is one of the biggest feedlots in the country, plus they run thousands of cattle on pasture on the western part of the nation. This attack was despite security fences, night watchmen and other security measures. These people will stoop to any level to promote their agenda. The people and businesses they attack won’t do the same, as they are law-abiding citizens. Perhaps the old west way of doing things will have to return.

Well, we’ve loped a pretty long circle this week, so I’d better put my horse up. Keep sending me your information and I’ll share it here. Have a great week!