“Cowboys don’t know what pen to put her in,” said 4x World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider, Clint Johnson, about Killer Bee. “She is probably the greatest in this generation. She’s been a little bit of an exception all along. She is an outstanding bronc – one of those horses that comes along once in a lifetime – like Secretariat, Scamper, and a handful of others that were exceptional in their discipline.”
Killer Bee is the daughter of Commotion and Molly Bee. “Molly Bee had been to the finals four or five times and we bred her to Commotion as we retired him. That mare colicked when we were in Nebraska and she didn’t survive the surgery,” said Bennie Beutler. “Killer Bee was two months old, and we raised her on a bottle. She never got real gentle.”
She bucked her first time as a four-year-old, at a college rodeo. “We eased her along to some of the smaller rodeos,” continued Bennie. “We knew we had something – she was rank in the bareback.” Cowboys couldn’t mark her high enough, so she was switched to bronc riding. The Wrights got on her – that was in 2015 – the bronc riders wouldn’t get on her because they couldn’t ride her. When cowboys could ride her, they, they were in the 90s and same in the bronc riders. “She’s just as rank one way as the other.”
At 17, Killer Bee went out on top – Dawson Hay scoring a 92 point ride in Round 9 of the 2022 WNFR. Among her other accolades Killer Bee was the 2020 Wrangler NFR top bareback horse. She was the 2019 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year and voted top bareback horse of Round 3 of the 2019 NFR after bucking off Austin Foss. Killer Bee was also the top bareback horse of the 2018 NFR and top saddle bronc horse of the 2013 and 2014 NFRs. Her job now? Raise colts. “Now the hard part comes.”
The Beutler name has long been connected to rodeo stock and this year their ranch-raised stock took all three awards for top-scored rough stock of the Finals. Beutler & Son were awarded best bareback, bronc, and bull of the Finals. This comes from the judges scores – and with 105 in each event, winning one is an honor and winning all three has never been done.
“We were pretty fortunate.”
Killer Bee Accomplishments
2013 – Top Saddle Bronc of the NFR
2014 – Top Saddle Bronc of the NFR
2018 – Top Bareback Bronc of the NFR
2019 – PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year
2020 – Top Bareback Bronc of the NFR
2022 – Top Saddle Bronc of the NFR
Beutler & Son Accomplishments
Most Top Bucking Stock of the NFR Awards for a Single Rodeo Company – (14), six bucking bulls, four barebacks, and four saddle broncs.
Most Top Bucking Stock of the NFR Awards – Killer Bee (5), 2013, 2014 & 2022 as a saddle bronc and 2018 & 2020 as a bareback horse (Tied with Sippin’ Velvet (Bernis Johnson).
Most Top Saddle Bronc of the NFR Awards – Killer Bee (3), 2013, 2014 & 2022 (Tied with Angle Blue (Flying U), Trade Winds (Big Bend), & Trails End (Zumwalt).
First Stock Contracting Company to Win All Three Top Bucking Stock of the NFR Awards In A Single Year – 2022 with Killer Bee (saddle bronc), Ghost Town (bareback), and Smoke Stack (bull).
4th Highest Scored Bareback Ride in PRCA History (13-way tie) 93 points by Devan Reily on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Killer Bee in Tucson, Arizona, in 2018.
Ranch Raised
The Beutler name has long been connected to rodeo stock and this year their ranch-raised stock took all three awards for top-scored rough stock of the Finals. Beutler & Son were awarded best bareback, bronc, and bull of the Finals. This comes from the judges scores – and with 105 in each event, winning one is an honor and winning all three has never been done.
