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CattleCo

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Has anybody out there had any experience handling BLM Mustangs? :hat:
AND has anyone used these mares to try and breed a good bucking horse?
 
A few years back, like 2 decades, I skinned broncs for a capable horse swapper. We handled plenty freeze branded colts, and they were seldom special to ride. If you're trying to raise classy bucking horses, I don't see mustangs helping much. The bucking horses that scare me are foundation cow bred and draft crossed.
 
If you want ones that terrify you -you come to Canada lol. Interesting that the two highest marked saddle bronc rides ever were both on Vern Franklin horses but twenty years apart-one of them was Doug Vold on Transport at our local rodeo the Meadow Lake Stampede.Out of all the horses I've seen bucked there I think AirWolf had to be the rankest and hardest to cover. Kingsway was just an honest horse that overpowered anybody who got on him.
 
i just finshed a book about the initial wild horse conservation movement in this country, and just heard that there's legislation afoot to make it ok to send unadoptable/excess horses to kill plants. i have no opinion on this right now, being torn between what's best for the horses vs. the history of the program, the BLM, etc.

at any rate, i wouldn't think that wild horses would make an outstanding bucking horses....IMHO
 
I got plenty respect for those northern horses - to me there's no dif between a Mt horse and an Ab horse. On my best day I couldn't warm Airwolf up.
 
chuckie said:
i just finshed a book about the initial wild horse conservation movement in this country, and just heard that there's legislation afoot to make it ok to send unadoptable/excess horses to kill plants. i have no opinion on this right now, being torn between what's best for the horses vs. the history of the program, the BLM, etc.

at any rate, i wouldn't think that wild horses would make an outstanding bucking horses....IMHO
Click to expand...


Where are the kill plants now?
Northern Rancher, is right on target with those "draft" X horses.
Burch also has a good number of horses that cause night mares. It`s always been amazeing to me seeing those big borses getting in the air. The only bare back I`d ever did a head stand on was a 16+hand 1400lber. Might have been a Hollenbeck or Buckles horse. Big Bud of Korkows also gave a lot of Bare Back riders grief, cause he jerked everybody around so bad and caused more then a small amount of hang ups.
 
Another thing that separates the great athletes in any sport including bucking stock is the mental strength to last for years. Not every horse or bull can take the hauling etc. It's got to bring a lump to your throat when you see them retire an old campaigner at the NFR.My son is itching to get into roughstock we have around 15 cows and just looking for the right stud to start the horse deal with. Lots of those draft X mares in our country-I had the right horse here but I dealt him off he was a percheron/belgian/arab cross and was like a big cat-wish I could get him back but a doctor bought him-Dr. Ballards.
 
Where are the good sales one can pick up a few good mares? I know the NFR and Blk Hills Stock Show have Sales, but I was looking for ones in other parts of the US and Canada?
Thanks for all the responses,
CattleCo :clap:
 
IKe Sankey at Joliet, Montana or else Brian Gifford at Lovell Wyoming-I've never met these guys but from conversations with they seem like good reputable guys-they both have studs I'd buy in a minute if that border would open. You try Korkow's in North Dakota as well.
 
The next bumkin sale at Crawford Ne or Martin SD is about as good a place as anywhere. You just have to wear out pickups. I'd befriend a local horse swapper, and get his help. Horse swappers are a problem, by the time they know enough to help you, they seem to want to snide you.

Ike Sankey grew up by Wichita Ks. He may stand a stud that can help because his bucking progeny are rank. Ike ain't a real benevolent sort however.
 
Brad you haven't been around Shane Franklin much he makes Ike look like the Good Humour man lol. Temperment aside both men have horses that can buck.
 
ok, you guys have me intrigued (sp?). i have a couple of questions for you because i know NOTHING (repeat, NOTHING) about rodeo broncs. so here's you all's opportunity to straighten me out...!

i get where the draft cross gives 'em the muscle to really put a hard twist/pounding on a rider, but where does a mustang give them anything but just "tough"? or is that exactly what they give 'em?

and then, what ever did happen to all those mares in canada when the synthetic what-ever-it-was caused the big drop in horse values? i have customer that called me at the time and told me that if i wanted to buy some high-quality horses cheap, it was then. of course, i had no more money then than now, so i couldn't take advantage of it...
 
There's still lots of PMU horses around in certain areas of the country-there are some very well bred horses at some of those outfits that stand quality mares-they get treated pretty well at most of them. Alot of those draft horses are very agile for their size. Our neighbors had an old Percheron mare 'The Hun' they couldn't load her so they led her two town behind one of those old JD tractors every rodeo-to my knowledge she was never ridden-once a year buck everybody off then back on the hay mower. I've never seen one of those mustang horses your talking about but I'm not sure if they'd be buckers or just chute fighters-those real good horses have alot of desire and just refuse to quit-I wonder if one of those might just get sour.
 
I'm not saying mustangs can't or won't buck, but they don't seem to offer the extremely rank progeny. Today's bronc riders will spank medium good bucking horses so a bucking horse needs to be special. Sure the drafty crosses have power that is beautiful to watch, but I think the drafties crossed with foundation cow horses have power/athleticism/hate/resolve/ and HEART. We've all been arround gentle giant draft horses, but I'm convinced a good bit of the determination not to be tamed comes from that draft blood. About half the Hancock ranch horses up north would make decent bucking horses with a flank strap and a cool breeze.

NR, that's about the first time Ike Sankey was called the good humor man, that Mr Franklin would make a good hangman?

Many good mares were wacked when the pissmare deal fell through, but you can still buy exceptional mares for less than $500 if you keep looking. I'd love to put togather a string of 30 to 50 decent mares (enough so I could buy spread out the cost of a fancy stud) of confirmation, temperment, speed, soundness and cow sense. Color be damned. But I just don't have the spare grass and I can always buy nice long yearlings for less thasn it costs to feed a mare. My third child, Callie, is horse crazy, so maybe we'll put something togather when I get old.
 
Brad we need to sit down and swap stock contractor stories lol. Alot of guys use part draft saddle horses iup here just for their toughness and no quit. ou put 10-12 hours on a horse in muskkeg when it's freezing out you need some pony under you. Like I said I've only talked with Ike on the phone but he seemed to be an alright guy-answered lots of questions for me. Those Hancock horses supposedly have a bit of draft back in their pedigrees anyway if that 'Legends' book is right. I've only seen a few in the flesh but they are stout son of a guns.Shane I think was born a hundred years or so too late-I don't know him personally but i've watched him perform a few times-quite a show lol.
 
Northern Rancher said:
IKe Sankey at Joliet, Montana or else Brian Gifford at Lovell Wyoming-I've never met these guys but from conversations with they seem like good reputable guys-they both have studs I'd buy in a minute if that border would open. You try Korkow's in North Dakota as well.
Click to expand...

Korkow`s are in South Dakota. Pierre phone book Blunt address. They run a breeding program, that utilizes some good lines from other stock contractors. There sure is some nice horses in that herd,and they are always culling. They usually have a good number at the NFR. A couple of years ago I believe they had 5 go round winners.

There is a bull man not far from us in North Dakota that also uses Percheron X Quarter Horses for saddle horses. They sure are stout and tough. He wants to head on a 4 yrold this year. If he is fast enough he`ll set steers real easy. Kinda keeps those QH breeders, includeing some one I know quite well thinking he`s wasteing his time. I figure what the heck, it sure don`t hurt to give it a whirl.
 
N Rancher,
I never meant to suggest Ike isn't a straight shooter - He mey be grumpy, but his word is tops.Lyle and Bud Sankey got all the personality.


Speaking of swapping cotractor stories (most need to fall unmentioned), are you old enough to remember when Bud Heaton was welcome in Canada.
 
I ran 132 BLM mustangs for one year. Quite the experience, we selected them by pen at Bloomfield Neb. holding facility. We talked them into letting us take 19 studs that were good big horses. My neighbor and a pretty good crew cut them. We ran them in a chute,haltered, run the rope thru the chute to a good snubbing post, turned them out, two guys pulled slack as they went by, pulled slack again as they came by, by this time they had about 8 feet of rope. I heeled them, pulled them down, I had a real good stout ranch gelding at that time. Two more guys forefooted them,snubbed to another post, and then my neighbor cut them. Most had just one nut, the lady vet that processed them said they couldn't be cut, and she had a hydralic chute to work with. We had a fun day and a lot of stories and memories. When we shipped them we sorted off two three year old red roan geldings, thinking we would break them. Before we were done loading trucks the two we sorted off had jumped over two Powder River gates and were back in the bunch, so they got shipped also. If I remember, they went to Fort Worth, and I suppose they are now pets out in peoples back yards, or something like that. :)
 

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