02/25/2023
CIRCA 1910 — This ‘a day in the life’ of rancher Lloyd Chezem photo was captured somewhere in Montana.
The late bronc rider, Bill Stearns told the story of his father’s ranch in North Nebraska. They raised Percheron x Thoroughbred crosses, broke the youngsters to drive and sold them to buyers from New England for the carriage trade.
Strong and elegant, the ones who trained were sought after for their beauty, but there was a high percentage of each year’s crop that did NOT accept the training or any offer of work or even captivity.
It was young Bill’s job at 12 years old to go out and recapture the renegades — bring them back and get them started in some sort of useful trade.
It failed a lot.
These are the early ancestors of the horses we see standing calmly or fiercely in today’s bucking chutes.
The hotblood x cold blood cross — Warmbloods — are storied worldwide for their willingness to buck no matter how gently or tediously thorough the groundwork. It’s nature. NOW, imagine not just rejecting the unwilling to an uncertain fate. Imagine a place for the strong willed, super instinctive horses among people who honor just what they are, treat them well and give them jobs in their specific wheelhouses.
There are the professional bucking horses.
This photo is from Steve Mayville’s family collection — that’s his grandad.
