story by Lily Weinacht
Jerry Mudge has traversed the rodeo trail as a competitor, farrier, and rodeo judge, even working the 2016 NSPRA finals as the chute boss. No matter the area, it’s the lifestyle and people that keep him coming back. “My grandfather introduced me to horses when I was very young, but my dad was career military, so I was introduced to rodeo when I was in the Army, stationed in Fort Carson,” says Jerry, 60. He was four years active in the Army and two years in the National Guard, and today he makes his home in Grand Junction. “I rode bulls for about four years and then I switched to riding saddle broncs until I was thirty-eight. I grew up in Vancouver, Washington, and Larry Mahan was from Oregon, so I watched him compete locally and always liked the idea of riding saddle broncs.”
Jerry competed in the Colorado State Rodeo Association and Washington Rodeo Association and started rodeoing on his PRCA permit, but hurt his knee before he could fill it. “That kind of limited my range, but I still wanted to be involved in rodeo, so I started judging in about 1999. This will be my fifth year total judging for CPRA, and I’ve done some NSPRA and NLBRA and college rodeos. I also judged the Snowmass Rodeo for Darce Vold, and I’ve been judging more years than I rode now. It’s a lot harder than people think – you have to have integrity and a full command of the book no matter what the association. You also have to stand by your call and do the best job you can.”
Along with judging – working 8-10 rodeos a year and staying current with judging seminars – Jerry is a farrier. He started shoeing horses while studying animal science at Colorado State University. The dad of his girlfriend ran a dude ranch that Jerry shoed horses for, and he later traveled the Colorado Fair Circuit learning to shoe racehorses from Roger Van Horn. “I did it the hard way – there are a lot more farrier schools now,” says Jerry. “I’ve shoed just about everything, including mules and a draft horse one time. I was in Pocatello, Idaho, for a year shoeing race horses and I worked as the starter on the Idaho Fair Circuit. From there I went to Wyoming and Arizona and spent the winter there. I ended up in Farmington, New Mexico, where my daughter was born, but I’ve always gravitated back to Colorado all my life.”
Jerry has also started offering cold laser therapy for people, horses, and dogs. “The lasers treat about three hundred conditions, and initiate the natural healing process by stimulating cellular activity and blood flow,” he explains. “There’s a red and blue light and varying wavelengths for deeper tissue.”
He has five children, Andee, Zach, Jerry Ray, Katie and John, and he spends as much time with his grandchildren as possible. “All three of my boys work for the same electrical contractor, and Katie lives in Utah. She rodeoed and went to the NHSFR in breakaway roping and was on the same Utah team with Jake and Jesse Wright. I’m team roping with her when I visit. Her two kids ride, and my granddaughter Jaylee is a Little Wrangler in Little Britches. We’re planning a trip to Lagoon Amusement Park with the family this summer,” Jerry finishes. “I just want to keep judging rodeos and spending time with my grandkids, and roping with my daughter.”
