Taking the Left Turn - "Khadafy Skoal"

Taking the Left Turn
The AQHA shows SS Salty Dog as a 1983 blue roan gelding by Tom Micks by Micks Moon out of Steens Star by Steen Bob. A very respectable ranch horse/ performance horse pedigree. Breeding alone, Moon Deck and Three Bars on the top side, double Oklahoma Star with some Hancock on his dam’s side could have sent this good horse to the rodeo arena. His original owners/breeders, the Millers, may have had that in mind for this pretty colored athlete having raised some other really nice ranch and arena horses both before and since.
The AQHA records show no performance stats for him but he won 6 horse of the year titles and 34 major awards in 16 years of campaigning in his event. He went to the “world” all 16 of those years. A great performer, better known as Khadafy Skoal, SS Salty Dog decided early on in life he would rather work a different end of the arena than his pedigree said he should. His world show was the NFR. His talent was bucking, a bareback bronc specifically. A horse has to “qualify” to go to the NFR too, you know, they don’t let just any ole horse go.

Like all great horses he had the help of good connections. When the newly formed Powder River Rodeo Company bought a broncy saddle horse from a ranch hand of Miller Livestock it worked out really well for both.
Powder River Rodeo has done “okay” too. Hank Franzen after spending his lifetime competing in the rodeo arena started Powder River Rodeo Company in 1986. This family run business has gone on to earn 135 awards over the years.
After the past couple of blogs I have to quote this from an article written about this legendary horse’s final year on the road. It’s a fine example of how these people feel about their stock, their sport, and each other.
This was written in September of 2004 shortly before Khadafy’s final Wyoming performance.
Lori Franzen of the Wright (Wyoming)-based Power River Rodeo Company said Chad Vivian of Ashland, Mont., has drawn the 21-year-old horse for Sunday's round at Harold Jarrard Park. "It's going to be more than emotional," Franzen said. Lori said her most memorable moment from Khadafy Skoal's farewell tour so far was the 90-point ride Aladdin native Marvin Garrett scored at the Belle Fourche, S.D., rodeo over the Fourth of July weekend."Marvin's on the end of his career, too, and that was pretty tough. I just cried," Lori said. "I was crying and Marvin's brother Mark came over and gave me a hug and he was crying."
Khadafy Skoal was retired to their ranch after the 2004 NFR in December that year. He was going home to live the rest of his life on the Wyoming range much the same as he started it. Trivia for the day…..I read while researching this blog, at the high point of his career Khadafy Skoal was valued at $100,000. Another article stated he was still sound but the Franzens felt he had done everything asked of him and had earned his retirement. Although they are best known for a horse they bought, they raise most of their own rough stock from their Born to Buck Program. Miss Congeniality is horse of the year product of their program.
Several other performance bred horses have turned their considerable ability to rough stock end of the rodeo arena and achieved long successful careers. The number of older horses still competing should be an indicator how well these animals are cared for and handled. Anyone who has ever hauled horses knows what kind of skill, attention to detail, and care it takes to keep them healthy, competitive, and sound going down the road. Maintaining and finding good stock is both difficult and important for these businesses. The majority of long running PRCA stock contractors have at least some version of their own Born to Buck breeding program.
Cotton Rosser of Flying U Rodeo Company of Marysville, California, owned and campaigned another well bred AQHA horse in his rough stock string. The horse (a grandson of Three Bars) bucked as Classic Velvet, was bareback bronc of the year in 1981, hauled 17 years and retired sound. A long time breeder of his own horses, his breeding produced Buckskin Velvet, saddle bronc of the year for 1982. This long standing rodeo family has two generations both operating and competing in rodeo. They raise 80 percent of their horses.
Bar T Rodeo of Utah has been operating for more than 50 years. Their bucking stock breeding program has produced many good and some great horses. It’s safe to assume this stock is serious business for Bud Kerby. He invested $24,000 in the purchase of War Paint at the 2002 Wrangler NFR Bucking Horse and Bull sale. This is another family owned rodeo company in its second generation of operation.
Barnes Rodeo Company of Iowa is yet another rodeo contractor passing the 50 year mark in operation. Bob Barnes has had livestock at the NFR since its inception in 1959, was 1984 stock contractor of the year, was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall Fame in 1994. He owned Crystal Springs, saddle bronc of year for 1977, his bull T Bar with Terry Don West aboard set the record 94 score in Houston. Another Barnes bull, Smokeless Bow Tie, carried Wes Stevenson to a 93 point ride and the second highest bull riding score in history. Not bad for a contractor operating out of a state not traditionally known for its cowboy heritage.
Andrews Rodeo Company of Texas run by Sammy Andrews is a third generation company who has had great success in the bull riding event of rodeo. Their great bulls include Skoals Outlaw Willie, Cat Daddy, Fender Bender, and of course Bodacious. Bodacious was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1999. When the great bull died in 2000 he was buried on the Andrews Ranch and Rodeo Houston donated a bucking chute head stone as a marker.
This is just a surface overview of some of the animals and people involved in rodeo. There are so many interesting stories behind the sponsor signs. The breeding programs, the stock, the people, and the specialty acts. It is impossible to scratch the surface in one column. I’ll come back to them from time to time.
I am particularly interested in the Born to Buck breeding programs. Livestock genetics and bloodlines interest me to begin with. Ones with an 80% rate of producing successful performers have to be doing something right in any discipline. Shoots the crap out of the theory these are ordinary animals tortured into performing.
As a matter of fact I feel it robs these great animals of their due respect as performers just as surely as saying Man O’ War was just a horse. Incidentally, Sipping Velvet traced back to Man O’ War. He was another bronc who bucked well into his old age and retired sound. He took the left turn, the road less traveled and the rest is rodeo history.

written by R.H1