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Weasels in the henhouse, CD Olena, rodeo stuff, and one fast mare

Jan Swan Wood

The dog days of August are here and I’m sure hoping the hottest weather is behind us. With all the fairs and horse sales coming up this month, nice weather without thunderstorms would be welcome.

The crowd in Washington, DC is once again striving to damage agribusiness in a new and annoying way. A bill to ban the transportation of horses in double deck trailers passed the House Committee on July 29. Representative Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced HR 305 back in January 2009, after several truck wrecks in Illinois, when horses were hurt or killed. The wrecks were due to human error, not due to horses being in trucks, but that sort of logic eludes the anti’s who hold the puppet strings in Washington. The bill was passed without a hearing in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and will be up to a vote of the full house when their recess ends Sept. 13.

I’m sure glad they take a recess. It’s kind of like the weasel that’s killing your chickens taking a little time off. Anyway, this can potentially affect all people who transport livestock, especially stock contractors, because we all know if they can get their foot in the door with this, other livestock transport will be next.



For a full rundown on this, contact Cindy Schonholtz at 719-440-7255 or e-mail animalwelfare@prorodeo.com. This is also the time to contact your representative in Congress to let them know what you think about this bill. Sometimes they’ve been known to listen to the people who actually elected/hired them to the job, especially if they are up for re-election.

The cutting horse world has lost a great one. The stallion, CD Olena, died Aug. 6 at his Texas home. It appears that he passed away peacefully and without a struggle. At 19, he was one of the leading sires of cutting horses and on the All-Time Leading Active Sire list for many years. Sired by Doc O Lena and out of the Peppy San Badger mare, CD Chica San Badger, CD Olena won over $170,700 in the NCHA during his career. His biggest impact was in the stud barn, and his offspring have dominated the cutting game for years.



The Fultons are having their horse sale Aug. 28 at Valentine, NE. Their headline stallion, A Streak Of Fling, AAA, is represented by many very fine offspring, with both looks and brains. Trula Churchill, Valentine, NE-barrel racer, is especially proud of her gelding, A Streak Of Rita, from the stallion’s first foal crop in 2005. Her horse “Worm,” is running successfully in the pro arena, and started doing so as a mere four-year-old last year. A recent check for Trula and Worm was from a second place run at Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, Dodge City, KS. If he’s representative of the bloodline, I think I’d toodle on down to Valentine for that sale if I were in the market for a top prospect for the barrels.

Staying on the subject of barrels, the Energy Town Pro Rodeo, Gillette, WY, was won by Amy Holmes, with Jessica Routier second. If I have my facts straight, these ladies are sisters-in-law and are probably traveling together by the looks of the rodeos they are both at. Jessica is originally from Buffalo, SD, but don’t know where her zip code is now. I was unable to come up with Amy’s as well, so if someone is in the know, let me know, please.

Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, SD, won the Richland Co. Fair and Rodeo at Sidney, MT, riding her great horse An Oakie With Cash. Her sis, Jana Griemsman, Piedmont, SD, won the Lyon Co. Fair PRCA rodeo in Marshall, MN the same weekend. Ty Brueur, Mandan, ND, won the barebacks there.

Also at Sidney, MT, the barebacks had a tie for first between Dan Miller, Raleigh, ND, and J.R. Vezain (recent high school phenom), Cowley, WY. The saddle broncs also had a tie between Hugh Connolly, Golden Valley, ND and Cole Elshere, Faith, SD.

The pro show at Gillette saw J.R. Vezain win the barebacks with an 85-point ride on Burch’s No. 040. The bull riding was won by hometown hero, Bobby Welsh, with an 86 point ride on Burch’s Best of the West.

At Riverton, WY’s Big Wind Roundup, Seth Glause, Rock Springs, WY, won the All-Around. At the Big Sky ProRodeo Roundup at Great Falls, MT, the barebacks were won by Mullen, NE’s Steve Dent with 85 points on Sankey’s Thunder Monkey. The barrels were won by Lindsay Karp, Winston, MT.

Kyle Whitaker, Chambers, NE, won the All-Around at both Carson, IA and Sidney, IA. He’s a versatile feller, pulling checks in steer wrestling, saddle broncs and tie-down roping.

Louis Brunson, Interior, SD, is riding tough in the saddle broncs. He won the Silver Tour rodeo at Lovington, NM with an 88-point ride on Carr’s True Lies. He split first at Phillipsburg, KS too.

At Abilene, KS, Wild Bill Hickock Rodeo, Joe Gunderson, Agar, SD, marked an 88 on Andrews Rodeo Company’s Roly Poly in the barebacks. At the other end of the arena, Todd Suhn, Hermosa, SD, split first three ways with a 4.0 in the steer wrestling. Todd was third in the world last I checked.

Ashley, ND’s pro rodeo was dominated by Dakota hands. All-Around went to Seth Murphy, Dickinson, ND, with money in steer wrestling and tie-down roping. The barebacks were won by Ty Breuer, Mandan, ND; steer wrestling by TJ Steele, Newell, SD; team roping by Drew Gartner and Tim Franzen, Dickinson, ND; barrels by Jessica Painter, Buffalo, SD; and bull riding by Thunder Boomer, Interior, SD.

The PRCA rodeo at Glasgow, MT had Scott Montague, Rapid City, SD, splitting first in the barebacks, while Newell, SD’s Jake Costello won the saddle broncs.

In a totally different part of the equine world, the fabulous Thoroughbred mare, Zenyatta, holds her winning streak with her 18th consecutive win. It was also the third time in a row she had won the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar, CA on Aug. 7. The six-year-old racked up her 12th Stakes victory with that win as well. On her way back to the winner’s circle, she did her customary stop to check out the crowd and then threw out some dance steps, as is her usual practice. She just knows she’s special! Her next race will be to defend her victory at the Breeder’s Cup Classic in November. The gorgeous mare has career earnings of $6,254,580. Incidentally, she was purchased as a two-year-old at Keeneland for a very modest $60,000.

I’ll hopefully have more info next week, but there is a Ranch Rodeo coming up on Sept. 4 at New Underwood, SD. Contact person is Nicholas Caspers at 605-754-6408.

If you’re wanting in the Buster McLaury clinic at Red Owl, SD, you need to talk to Brad Andrews at 605-985-5493 soon.

Well, it’s time to air my horse’s back and let him cool off, so we’ll talk again next week. Send me your events and results so I can brag them up!