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Top horses honored

Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns
For the Nov. 7, 2009 edition of Tri-State Livestock News.

You may recall a feature article I was privileged to write for a special TSLN edition some time ago about J Bar J Rodeo of Clare, MI, and rodeo producers Jim and Margaret Zinser. We talked a lot about their top sire Night Jacket; and that beautiful 15-year-old Paint stallion has now set an all-time record sale price for a rodeo bucking horse.

Zinsers have been transitioning out of the rodeo producing business, and sold more than 600 head of their stock more than a year ago, including 250 bucking horses and more than 100 bucking bulls. It was hard for them to part with Night Jacket, but they let him go to Cullen Pickett of Lancaster and Pickett Pro Rodeo, where more than 30 of his mares had gone last year.

“I feel like he’s the best sire of bucking horses that’s ever been,” Pickett told ProRodeo Sports News, adding, “The combination of him and those mares is what has gotten all those horses to the NFR the last few years, and so we felt like he was the only missing piece of the puzzle.”



It is an expensive puzzle piece at $200,000; but the former Great Lakes Circuit Horse of the Year Night Jacket has proven his ability to serve as the foundation for a bucking horse breeding program through producing such top bareback broncs as Big Tex owned by Classic Pro Rodeo and Delta Ship owned by Frontier Rodeo Company who both had a record 91.5 points scored on them at the NFR. More than 10 of his get will be out of the chutes during the 2009 NFR. Cullen said, “In a few years, I’ll either look really smart or really dumb, and I hope that I look really smart.”

Margaret Zinser said selling Night Jacket was a “terribly hard thing to do” but she concluded, “With Cullen he’ll be able to be the great stud that he is, and that is for the best.”



Speakin’ of articles I’ve written, it was a distinct privilege to write about Donna McSpadden for the summer edition of I.M. Cowgirl, the international magazine of the cowgirl. We did that piece before Donna’s involvement in the upcoming National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) was announced. For the first time this year the event will be called the “Clem McSpadden NFSR,” and Donna will be at the Lazy E Arena at Guthrie, OK, No. 13-14, to present buckles to the winners.

“As long as people want to talk about Clem, I will be there,” she said, and she knows during this event she will be promoting Oklahoma and ProRodeo as well as preserving Clem’s memory as the dean of PRCA rodeo announcers and the longtime general manager of the NFR. She’s also carrying on his legacy of service, remembering, “If it was helping people, Clem would not say no.”

We tip our ol’ Tri-State Stetson to you Donna McSpadden – wonderful lady and true rodeo supporter!

While talking of the wonderful women great men so often go off and leave behind, I think of Jill Chase, wife of the late great Indian cowboy Joe Chase. I’m very impressed with the wonderful acceptance speech she made at his induction into Rodeo Hall at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City a week or so ago. A ‘back East’ girl who chose to teach school on a remote reservation in North Dakota and now makes her home in Colorado, Jill and her daughter did a beautiful job of representing their favorite all around cowboy at the induction. You can enjoy Joe’s entire induction via internet video at http://sharing.theflip.com/session/5

f54577f113746a30c2d094516d14936/video/6945726.

You’ll no doubt also be interested in enjoying the Rodeo Hall of Fame induction of Joe’s North Dakota comrade in spurs, Tom Tescher, who joined him in the class of 2009, and which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CQMds67a_8.

We started this column talking about a great bucking horse, and we have to tip our ol’ Stetson to another one, Calgary Stampede’s amazing Grated Coconut who has now tied the PRCA record for winning six “Horse of the Year” awards. Just voted Bareback Horse of the Year for 2009, Grated Coconut tied Beutler Brothers & Cervi’s Descent in claiming six of those special recognitions. The Coconut Roll/Wyatt Earp son is 12-years-old and adds this high honor to six Canadian Professional Rodeo Association titles, the last of which he picked up North of the border early last month.

Following Grated Coconut in the Bareback category were Classic Pro Rodeo’s Wise Guy and Growney Brothers Moulin Rouge. Taking Saddle Bronc of the Year honors is Flying 5 Rodeo Company’s Spring Planting; followed by Frontier Rodeo Company’s Let ‘er Rip and Harry Vold Rodeo Company’s Painted Valley. In the bovine bucker category, the late Buckeye of Silverado Rodeo Company came out as Bull of the Year, while Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Little Lightning was runner up and Multi-Chem Texas Cocktail from Cervi Championship Rodeo came in 3rd.

Top animals have also been selected at the gentler end of the rodeo arena, as the American Quarter Horse Association named Rocks Eyes Opener (aka Jessie) as bulldogging horse of the year. Owner/rider Lee Graves is justifiably proud of this second award in three years, and said, “This year, I think we won $170,000 on him at Calgary, and I think before we head to the NFR or the Canadian Finals he’s made about $360,000 this year.”

Baileys Cooper Doc (Diesel) will pick up his fourth consecutive heeling Horse of the Year honor for owner/rider Randon Adams; while Travis Tryan’s Precious Spec (Walt) notched a 3rd consecutive Heading Horse of the Year award on his gun… even though he was out of competition about half the year due to a tumor in his abdomen and surgery to remove it.

You wouldn’t think a 14.2 hand gelding could jerk steers, but Dan Fisher’s tough little Larneds Ricoche Doc (Woody) makes it look easy enough that he won the Steer Roping Horse of the Year award; after tying for it last year. Tie Down Horse of the Year is Sid Miller’s Big Smokin Wonder (Pearl). She’s 10, and this is her first Horse of the Year title; a deal she pretty much iced by carrying Cody Ohl to a Frontier Days victory in Cheyenne last July.

Last but not least, Barrel Racing Horse of the Year is Rare Fred, owned by Ronald Martin and ridden by Mary Burger; claiming the honor for the second time in four years. The $50,000 Fred helped Mary pocket at Rodeo Houston set him on the way to this honor. We salute all these great equine athletes and their owners, riders and trainers – it’ll be fun to watch them perform in Vegas next month!

Looks like we’re plumb down to the frayed old end of this lariat rope for today…

You may recall a feature article I was privileged to write for a special TSLN edition some time ago about J Bar J Rodeo of Clare, MI, and rodeo producers Jim and Margaret Zinser. We talked a lot about their top sire Night Jacket; and that beautiful 15-year-old Paint stallion has now set an all-time record sale price for a rodeo bucking horse.

Zinsers have been transitioning out of the rodeo producing business, and sold more than 600 head of their stock more than a year ago, including 250 bucking horses and more than 100 bucking bulls. It was hard for them to part with Night Jacket, but they let him go to Cullen Pickett of Lancaster and Pickett Pro Rodeo, where more than 30 of his mares had gone last year.

“I feel like he’s the best sire of bucking horses that’s ever been,” Pickett told ProRodeo Sports News, adding, “The combination of him and those mares is what has gotten all those horses to the NFR the last few years, and so we felt like he was the only missing piece of the puzzle.”

It is an expensive puzzle piece at $200,000; but the former Great Lakes Circuit Horse of the Year Night Jacket has proven his ability to serve as the foundation for a bucking horse breeding program through producing such top bareback broncs as Big Tex owned by Classic Pro Rodeo and Delta Ship owned by Frontier Rodeo Company who both had a record 91.5 points scored on them at the NFR. More than 10 of his get will be out of the chutes during the 2009 NFR. Cullen said, “In a few years, I’ll either look really smart or really dumb, and I hope that I look really smart.”

Margaret Zinser said selling Night Jacket was a “terribly hard thing to do” but she concluded, “With Cullen he’ll be able to be the great stud that he is, and that is for the best.”

Speakin’ of articles I’ve written, it was a distinct privilege to write about Donna McSpadden for the summer edition of I.M. Cowgirl, the international magazine of the cowgirl. We did that piece before Donna’s involvement in the upcoming National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) was announced. For the first time this year the event will be called the “Clem McSpadden NFSR,” and Donna will be at the Lazy E Arena at Guthrie, OK, No. 13-14, to present buckles to the winners.

“As long as people want to talk about Clem, I will be there,” she said, and she knows during this event she will be promoting Oklahoma and ProRodeo as well as preserving Clem’s memory as the dean of PRCA rodeo announcers and the longtime general manager of the NFR. She’s also carrying on his legacy of service, remembering, “If it was helping people, Clem would not say no.”

We tip our ol’ Tri-State Stetson to you Donna McSpadden – wonderful lady and true rodeo supporter!

While talking of the wonderful women great men so often go off and leave behind, I think of Jill Chase, wife of the late great Indian cowboy Joe Chase. I’m very impressed with the wonderful acceptance speech she made at his induction into Rodeo Hall at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City a week or so ago. A ‘back East’ girl who chose to teach school on a remote reservation in North Dakota and now makes her home in Colorado, Jill and her daughter did a beautiful job of representing their favorite all around cowboy at the induction. You can enjoy Joe’s entire induction via internet video at http://sharing.theflip.com/session/5

f54577f113746a30c2d094516d14936/video/6945726.

You’ll no doubt also be interested in enjoying the Rodeo Hall of Fame induction of Joe’s North Dakota comrade in spurs, Tom Tescher, who joined him in the class of 2009, and which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CQMds67a_8.

We started this column talking about a great bucking horse, and we have to tip our ol’ Stetson to another one, Calgary Stampede’s amazing Grated Coconut who has now tied the PRCA record for winning six “Horse of the Year” awards. Just voted Bareback Horse of the Year for 2009, Grated Coconut tied Beutler Brothers & Cervi’s Descent in claiming six of those special recognitions. The Coconut Roll/Wyatt Earp son is 12-years-old and adds this high honor to six Canadian Professional Rodeo Association titles, the last of which he picked up North of the border early last month.

Following Grated Coconut in the Bareback category were Classic Pro Rodeo’s Wise Guy and Growney Brothers Moulin Rouge. Taking Saddle Bronc of the Year honors is Flying 5 Rodeo Company’s Spring Planting; followed by Frontier Rodeo Company’s Let ‘er Rip and Harry Vold Rodeo Company’s Painted Valley. In the bovine bucker category, the late Buckeye of Silverado Rodeo Company came out as Bull of the Year, while Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Little Lightning was runner up and Multi-Chem Texas Cocktail from Cervi Championship Rodeo came in 3rd.

Top animals have also been selected at the gentler end of the rodeo arena, as the American Quarter Horse Association named Rocks Eyes Opener (aka Jessie) as bulldogging horse of the year. Owner/rider Lee Graves is justifiably proud of this second award in three years, and said, “This year, I think we won $170,000 on him at Calgary, and I think before we head to the NFR or the Canadian Finals he’s made about $360,000 this year.”

Baileys Cooper Doc (Diesel) will pick up his fourth consecutive heeling Horse of the Year honor for owner/rider Randon Adams; while Travis Tryan’s Precious Spec (Walt) notched a 3rd consecutive Heading Horse of the Year award on his gun… even though he was out of competition about half the year due to a tumor in his abdomen and surgery to remove it.

You wouldn’t think a 14.2 hand gelding could jerk steers, but Dan Fisher’s tough little Larneds Ricoche Doc (Woody) makes it look easy enough that he won the Steer Roping Horse of the Year award; after tying for it last year. Tie Down Horse of the Year is Sid Miller’s Big Smokin Wonder (Pearl). She’s 10, and this is her first Horse of the Year title; a deal she pretty much iced by carrying Cody Ohl to a Frontier Days victory in Cheyenne last July.

Last but not least, Barrel Racing Horse of the Year is Rare Fred, owned by Ronald Martin and ridden by Mary Burger; claiming the honor for the second time in four years. The $50,000 Fred helped Mary pocket at Rodeo Houston set him on the way to this honor. We salute all these great equine athletes and their owners, riders and trainers – it’ll be fun to watch them perform in Vegas next month!

Looks like we’re plumb down to the frayed old end of this lariat rope for today…