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Any Northern Cowboys remember Buddy Heaton?

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Brad S

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I went and saw him last week at the old folks home - he says he's getting along ok, asked me to get him a hooker and a bottle of whohead. Its tough to see the legends get old.
 
When I was about 18 years old I was asked to work the ring at a horse sale, Buddy was woking the other side.We took a break to sell some machinery outside and on the way back in I felt a very distinct burning on my butt. I hollered "YOU S..O..B.." , turned around and there was Buddy and that cigar. I had visions of getting clobered for a few seconds but he just started laughing, much to my relief.
 
Brad S said:
I went and saw him last week at the old folks home - he says he's getting along ok, asked me to get him a hooker and a bottle of whohead. Its tough to see the legends get old.

Hi Brad S....

How are you feeling? I just wanted you to know that we've been thinking about you!

A family that's friends of ours, who live clear up in NW ND have a pile of kids, and one of their little boys has the same stuff you have, Guillen Berret Syndrome . It started with his legs hurting, and went all they way to him not being able to walk or really talk. He spent from the end of Nov./beginning of Dec. to the first week of Jan. in the Mayo Clinic Children's hospital in Rochester recovering and getting therapy. They think his started with an upper respiratory infection.

Cheers--

TTB :wink:
 
It's been a while since this topic was posted (2005 - 2006) but I wanted to share a story about Buddy Heaton.

A bunch of years ago Buddy was at the rodeo at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto Canada. I was clowning and Gordie Tapp (of HeeHaw fame) was doing his Clem Kadiddlehopper routine.

Grunter (Buddy's Buffalo) got out and they chased him all the way to Union Station (about 4 miles).

After the show Buddy suggested going out to eat - IN COSTUME - which included Buddy's Buffalo coat and pistol.

So, the 3 of us went around the corner to the very snooty, high-class Savarin Tavern. The waiters didn't want to seat us or serve us - but you know Buddy. We sat and waited but everyone tried to ignore us.

Buddy finally got p____d off, pulled out his pistol and fired a blank at the ceiling. We got very quick service but we also got a few very concerned boys-in-blue a few minutes later. Buddy grabbed the food and took it along to the station and we got to eat free while waiting..

Gordie Tapp was so well known that they accepted his explanations and finally let us go - but they kept Buddy's pistol. Don't know if he ever got it back.

Buddy was wild but he was fun to be around.
 
Great story :D Glad you passed it on. I always enjoyed Gordie Tapp. Seemed like such a fun happy person.

If you rodeoed you must have some more stories to share.

Did you ever clown at Bengough or Wood Mountain?
 
Gordie was almost as wild as Buddy but a lot more peaceful - and yes, usually very happy.

I can share one interesting story - I used to work for rodeo contractors to meet expenses while I entered rodeos (before clowning).

We were at the University Field House at Manhattan KS. There was a solid wooden gate for the cowboys to get in and out of the arena. One of the bulls, a small Angus (not too aggressive) had bucked off his rider - just then someone came in the gate and he saw it open. By the time he got there the gate had closed (on a spring) but he went right through - splitting the gate in half.

The back doors of the field house were open and he headed out onto the football field, scaring a 10 year old up a tree in the process.

The football team was practicing and he went right through them knocking down a few - the coach said later "if I'd known he was coming I would have had the guys tackle him."

From there he headed down fraternity row and into the open front door of a frat house. The house mother was in the kitchen and said she heard a noise and came out to tell the guys to "stop fussing", only to come face to face with the bull in the living room.

By this time he had calmed down and was just wandering around, however, (there's always a however), one of the cowboys on horseback rode his horse into the house to rope the bull. The bull did no damage in the house but the shod hooves of the horse broke several floor tiles.

The bull, meanwhile had avoided the horse and wandered back outside and was eating grass on the lawn when the rest of us caught up to him.

I was able to put my belt over his neck and lead him to the horse trailer they brought to get him back to the field house.

At the same rodeo (different day) we had to transport stock back and forth to the stockyards. I was following another truck when the back door of the truck ahead popped open and there were suddenly dogging steers all over the road (none hurt).

We spent the next 2 hours gathering them all up. Of course it made the papers.

Never got to Bengough or Wood Mountain though>
 
Long forgot about this old thread, but was reminiscing about Buddy. Thought I might relay the note that Buddy died 3 years ago in 2011 at 82 years old. Likely the toughest man I ever met. He could laugh through the toughest times and just as easily flare up at the least provocation. I count myself lucky to have known Buddy, and count the world lucky he was one of a kind. What a man!
 
That was a great find; I really enjoyed it. I wish the hell I woulda been savy enough to write the buddy heaton tale, but I couldn't bring myself to include any of the dark side.

What passed for a broke to ride buffalo for buddy and lil bud wasn't tame enough to pet for a cautious man.

Losing buddy and dick cole has been hard
 
My Dad knew Buddy quite well from the Appaloosa world. I heard Buddy Heaton stories all the time as a kid growing up. I just wish I had paid a little more attention at the time. For whatever reason, Dad always referred to him as "Colonel Heaton".
 
Thanks for the stories all. I've got a friend that said he helped Buddy break some broncs. They went at them on Wednesday for a Saturday sale. Maybe 12 or so. He said Buddy's favorite "aide" was an axe handle on the neck. I've got to let him know about this thread.
 

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