Ty Murray Gives Retired Bucking Horses A Place To Rest

Ty Murray’s decision to give retired bucking horses a place to live and die on his Stephenville, Texas, ranch began with a legendary bucking horse named Rusty.

The Harry Vold Rodeo Company saddle bronc horse became a cowboy favorite because he helped Murray, a seven-time world champion all-around cowboy, and many other cowboys win a lot of money. Rusty was named the PRCA Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year in 1981, and was named top saddle bronc horse at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 1981 and 1982.

Later, Murray saw Rusty toward the end of the horse’s bucking career at a college rodeo.

Murray overheard a college competitor complaining to another contestant about drawing Rusty in the saddle bronc riding. The college cowboy was apparently unaware of Rusty’s extraordinary talent and many achievements.

“He was saying: ‘I had that Rusty, and he wasn’t no good,’” Murray said.

“It just hit me a thousand kinds of wrong because this was a horse that this college kid wouldn’t have had a prayer of riding (when Rusty was in his prime),” Murray said. “In my opinion, he was one of the greatest saddle bronc horses of all time.”

The fact that a cowboy might speak negatively or in some way disrespect a great bucking horse caused Murray to swing into action. He placed a call to Harry Vold, and that phone call about Rusty more than 15 years ago was the catalyst for what is now Murray’s commitment to caring for great, aging bucking horses.

“I called Harry and I said, ‘Hey Harry, I hear you demoted Rusty to the B-string and you’re hauling his old ass around to college rodeos,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, he just isn’t good enough anymore to take to the pro rodeos,” Murray said.

Vold, who went on to collect a total of 11 PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year awards, decided to retire Rusty to Murray’s Texas ranch and also sent another horse, a companion of Rusty’s, that was also ready for retirement, named Hermie’s Worm.

“Those two, they had run together a lot of their lives,” Murray said. “They were like best friends. On the ranch, they didn’t go anywhere without the other.”

And that’s how Murray began taking in retired bucking horses. Sometimes, he calls and asks for a horse, and sometimes a stock contractor calls and asks him to take a horse.

Many retired bucking horses are geldings. Mares and studs can be used in breeding programs after retiring from competition. Regardless of the type of horse, stock contractors and contestants seem to find homes for livestock champions after they are done bucking.

“They made us a living,” Vold said. “They are part of our business and part of our life.”

“They made you, so you have to give something in return,” said Bennie Beutler of Beutler and Son Rodeo Company.

Both Vold and Beutler are caring for many of their own retired bucking horses on their ranches.

However, people have stepped in to help care for older horses because they want to help stock contractors who have done so much for rodeo.

“(The cowboys) ask for them,” said Dona Vold Larsen of Triple V Rodeo Company. “They like them. They may have won a lot of money on them, and we’re pretty specific about who gets them.”

At Murray’s Texas ranch, retired bucking horses are free to roam throughout the more than 2,000 acres. Murray’s connection with them, beyond just enjoying watching the horses, primarily is to take care of them as their physical health deteriorates due to old age.

Some of the horses can’t eat grass or hay because their dental health has declined. To help them, Murray purchases nutritious senior equine feed that is specially formulated for horses that have difficulty chewing and digesting grass and hay. If the horse’s teeth can be worked on, he may have an equine dentist treat the horse’s teeth to make them more comfortable.

Harry Vold Rodeo Company’s Wrangler Savvy, the 1986 PRCA Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year, is among the retired horses at Murray’s ranch that is living several more years beyond expectations because of the special feed provided by Murray.

Paying for dental and veterinary bills, and purchasing special feed, is something Murray doesn’t mind doing for legendary bucking horses and the stock contractors who cared for them for most of their lives.

“It’s hard for contractors who are running 400 head to take care of these old horses,” Murray said.

When the retired bucking horses that Murray has taken in eventually die, a hand-crafted metal grave marker commemorates the horse’s achievements in ProRodeo at a special horse cemetery on his property.

Along with achievements, the marker includes the horse’s birth and death dates and a likeness of the horse that expresses something about its personality.

For instance, Beutler and Son Rodeo Company’s Good Times was retired to Murray’s ranch and then passed away. His grave marker portrays the horse’s gentle nature. Good Times was so well-behaved, he was easily led into the bucking chutes. The grave marker depicts Good Times with a saddle on his back and tied to fence.

It is good times that Murray and others want to give to bucking horses once they are retired. Beutler has worked with several rodeo families and eventually sent retired bucking horses to them, along with Murray, to live out their golden years.

Vold is caring for the retired three-time PRCA Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year Bobby Joe Skoal at his Colorado ranch.

Beutler sent bucking horses Tequila and Motown to Murray after incredible runs at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeos from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s.

“Those old horses have paid their dues,” Beutler said.

Today, they are relaxing and eating grass in a Texas pasture. Thanks to Murray, they have that luxury.

Source: www.prorodeo.com

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We are proud to have these retired broncs in Texas. Thank You Ty !