OklahomaHorses Magazine May 2023

May / June 2023 • OklahomaHorses 9 top-ranked bull on the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) bucking-stock list from 1962 through 1965, was inducted into the NFR and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame because he was an untamed storm in the arena. Tornado remained unridden despite 220 tough, experienced, professional bull riders giving it their best shots. Then in 1967, Freckles Brown conquered Tornado, followed by three more successful riders before Tornado’s retirement. Tornado now rests under a big tree in the museum’s rodeo animal cemetery, alongside other rodeo animal greats, plus a few animals with unusual claims to fame. Some are buried there, but others are immortalized by plaques or markers in the garden. “We have plaques and some animal bones,” said Grauer. “At least four animals are buried here.” He added, “This is about paying respect. Our museum is a pilgrimage site. People come from around the world. They want to see things about cowboys, and they may have read about certain famous people in history or rodeo. To come here and see them recognized in some manner, that’s like no other. It’s no different than going to Mecca or Jerusalem. That may be overstating it. But our museum is the center of the universe because we’ve been preserving these artifacts and stories since 1965. On ranches, animals are dragged off and carcasses are eaten by coyotes. That’s standard. Giving these animals a resting place is a noble thing to do.” Famous Horses and Famous Riders And those animals include Midnight, the Rock Star of Bucking Horses. In 1930, world champion bronc rider and National Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee Pete Knight unsuccessfully tried to ride Midnight. And Knight wasn’t alone because apparently no one ever cowboyed up. Colorado rancher Vern Elliott owned Midnight and Tumbling Mustard. Fans often confused the two black giants, so they started to refer to Tumbling Mustard as 5 Minutes to Midnight or 5 Minutes. Also unridable, 5 Minutes entered hoss heaven in 1947 and was buried at Elliott’s ranch. Later, he was disinterred and then buried in the museum’s gardens. Yet another great was Tipperary. Word is that a bronc rider flew off the horse and, after landing in the dirt, said, “It’s a long way to Tipperary,” referencing a popular song and meaning it’s a long way home. And the name stuck. Tipperary threw 80 buckaroos before rodeo star Yakima (Yak) Canutt’s successful ride in 1920. Canutt, a champion rodeo rider, actor, stuntman, and film action director, saddled up as a rodeo cowboy and then moved into silent western films as a stuntman. During his career, he developed high-action film stunts. He even staged the chariot race in the 1959 film Ben-Hur. As a stuntman, Canutt doubled for the big names. And he’s still famous for his stunts in John Ford’s 1939 black-and-white western movie Stagecoach. The film, which splashed John Wayne to stardom, includes the Duke jumping down and retrieving the stagecoach driver’s reins from under galloping horses, with Canutt doubling for Wayne in that breathtaking scene. No CowboysWithout Horses and Cattle The “Great Cow Pony” Baldy, known as the single most famous roping horse of all time, was really great at steer roping. And that’s amazing considering his story. In 1936, a fire left Baldy covered with first-degree burns. A veterinarian grafted chicken skin onto Baldy’s wounds. Then Baldy galloped into a world champion Yakima Canutt ridingWilsons Famous Bucking Horse‘Tipperary’Tri-state Round-up Belle Fourche, S.D. Ralph R. Doubleday, 1920, photographic postcard. Ralph R. Doubleday Photographic Postcards, Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy &Western Heritage Museum. Doubleday 033.