Feature
Colorado Ranch Family has Made National Western
Stock Show a Tradition for Nearly Five Decades
Running Creek Ranch prepares bulls, draft horses for annual event
By Judith Kohler, Denver Post
For nearly a half century, folks at Running
Creek Ranch have geared up every year
for one of agriculture’s major events:
the National Western Stock Show.
ranch, started by Freund’s father, Joe, in 1970,
specializes in raising registered Limousin bulls.
This year is no different. “All the guys here look forward to going to it,”
said Freund, whose 15-year-old son, Soren,
will show a lamb at the National Western.
The ranch in Elizabeth was bustling Tuesday,
January 8 preparing “yearling” bulls, ones born
last spring, to show at the National Western.
The black bulls were ushered into a big red barn
where they were washed and dried as part of
the primping to ensure the animals look their
best when judges and buyers check them out. The Freunds will also bring their Belgian
draft horses to compete in the Draft Horse
Show and Pulling Contest on Jan. 25-27.
Freund’s father helped revive the draft-horse
competition in 1980. Instead of trucks or
tractors, the ranch uses teams of two draft
horses to haul the hay to feed their cattle.
Joey Freund, manager and co-owner of the
ranch, and the rest of the crew planned to bring
the bulls to the stock show complex in Denver
on Friday, January 11, the day before the 113th
annual National Western officially starts. The “It’s more efficient. One guy can go out and feed
the cows,” Freund said. “You don’t have to get out
of the truck and take it out of gear. The horses all
drive on voice command. They just walk along at
14 | MARCH 2019