Back When They Bucked Archives

Back When They Bucked

Back When They Bucked with Jon Temple

Jon Temple loved his time in the rodeo arena. The retired bullfighter and clown spent more than twenty years in regional and pro rodeos across the nation, protecting bull riders and making fans laugh. Born in Cleburne, Texas in 1937, he saw a rodeo clown for the first time when…

Back When They Bucked with Lyle Smith

Because of a box of western magazines, and his dislike of cows, Lyle Smith became a saddle bronc rider. The Canada native now living in Reno, Nev., competed at four National Finals Rodeos and finished in the top ten in the world six times, making his mark in the rodeo…

Back When they Bucked with Veach Saddlery

Monroe Veach was fascinated when he saw his first cowboys. His dad took him to Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show in Saint Jo, Missouri, when he was eight. He was amazed at how they dressed, their horsemanship and ability to rope. He saw a Charro spin a rope like he’d…

Back When They Bucked with Florence Youree

story by Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns Tiny Florence Price, from Addington, Oklahoma, learned cowboy skills early and well, in the footsteps of her Daddy, John Henry Price, and many other top hands. She cut a wide swath into the world of rodeo and followed it faithfully for decades, claiming amazing victories…

Back When They Bucked with Lydia Moore

Lydia Moore was raised in a rodeo family in Missouri. Her parents, Hazel and Percy worked for many rodeo and wild west show companies traveling the country with her older sister, Maudie, and younger sister, Percyna in tow. Maudie was a trick rider and roper and Percyna had a goat…

Back When They Bucked with Lee & Dixie Wheaton

Lee and Dixie Wheaton have five PRCA gold cards within their family. Lee, a former multiple-event contestant, and his wife Dixie, a barrel racer, each have one. Their daughter Deena Wheaton, has hers, and Dixie’s dad, 1939 world champion steer roper Dick Truitt, had his gold card. Lee and Dixie’s…

Back When They Bucked with Terry Peek

Terry Peek craved riding bulls. And although he never made a living at it, it was his hobby, his lifestyle, and where he made many friends. The Bandera, Texas cowboy was born in 1945 in Paris, Texas, the son of Joe Bailey and Robbie Lee Peek. When he was seventeen…

Back When They Bucked with Jerome Robinson

courtesy of the family For Jerome Robinson, being born in Ogallala, Nebraska (the self proclainmed “cowboy capital of Nebraska”), might have been an omen as he was destined to spend his entire life dreaming about, and then acting out the life of a cowboy... Specifically, a rodeo cowboy. A three-year-old…

Back When They Bucked with Ronnie Bowman

Ronnie Bowman was part of the pro rodeo bull riding scene in the 1960s and 70s. The Durant, Okla. cowboy qualified for the National Finals Rodeo four years, never going to more than 55 or 60 rodeos each year, and rarely going far from home to compete. He was born…

Back When They Bucked with Franklin Manke

The Edgemont, S.D. cowboy was the 1952 National High School Rodeo Bareback Riding champion, and it wasn’t until fellow South Dakotan Shane O’Connell won it in 2013, that the drought was over. Manke not only competed in the bareback riding, but also as a steer wrestler, cow cutter, wild cow…

Back When They Bucked with Argene Clanton

Argene Clanton laughs, and life laughs with him. The cowboy, an Okie, former calf roper, café and truck stop owner, veteran, rodeo committee member and daddy of three girls, loves a good joke. And at the age of 94 years young, he’s still laughing. He was born in 1924 to…

Back When They Bucked with The Ludwig Twins: Wilma Hybarger & Wanda Cagliari

The Ludwig Twins - Wilma and Wanda – made their mark, and their living, in the horse and rodeo world. Wilma Ludwig Hybarger and Wanda Ludwig Cagliari were born in Auburn, California in 1935, the daughters of Everett and Edith Ludwig. They were raised on a dairy farm, bottling and…