Bucking greatness starts early
Just outside of Moscow, Texas, superstars are pampered. They receive the best food and the top care so they are at their peak when it’ s time to perform.
Welcome to the Pete Carr Pro Rodeo ranch, which is run by operations manager Billy Jones and his family. There are about 300 horses and 60 bulls roaming the pastures and lush grasses available in that part of east Texas, and much goes into not only caring for
TanLine & Colt Photo by Ted Harbin
Photo by Click Thompson
supreme athletes but also raising them to be part of a powerful herd of buckers.
From conception to birth, from their first time bucking to having long careers as rodeo athletes, from their performances at the National Finals Rodeo to their days in retirement, it all happens under the watchful eyes of Jones and the Carr staff.
It begins with a keen understanding of what it takes to have great bucking animals. Jones knows this; so does Pete Carr, the owner of the company who has been inducted into the Texas Cowboys Hall of Fame alongside one of his greatest stars, two-time PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year Dirty Jacket.
“ What I focus on is confirmation and the way a horse bucks,” Jones said.“ We’ re fortunate enough that Pete has acquired studs that have been to the NFR. I don’ t need to worry about anything else. In my opinion, we’ ve got the best studs available.”
Those stallions are busy. Not only do some of them buck, but their jobs are to help develop the next generations of rodeo athletes. There are 10-12 mares that have retired from bucking and another 12-15 rodeo mares that are part of the package. The Carr crew will wean around 25 foals every year.
When do they wean? It depends on how things are going with the dam.
“ As long as she carries the foal good, they grow better on the momma, because they’ re getting momma’ s milk and feed,” Jones said.“ We have one older mare that we’ re getting flushed, but we don’ t do that every often. Almost all of ours is live breeding.”
It’ s not just the equine flesh that goes through this process. The Carr ranch is also home to several cows that have been prolific breeders. He matches them with just the right bulls to continue the pattern of having fantastic bovine power at all Carr events.
“ I’ ve got cows I started with that I’ ve been breeding for 20 years or more,” Jones said.“ If a bull hasn’ t been to the PBR Finals or the NFR, then he doesn’ t go on my cows. It’ s performance and genetics. You can count on the cow or the mare hitting most of the time.”
When Carr was establishing his herd two decades ago, he purchased some outstanding bucking animals with proven bloodlines. Dirty Jacket, Big Tex and Deuces Night are three world champion bucking horses sired by Night Jacket, one of the most recognized stallions in rodeo. The Carr team has continued to follow genetics, and each year colts born on the ranch are proving their value.
Riverboat Annie was selected to buck at the NFR 10 times, the last in 2014. A year later, Painted River became her first colt to buck at the NFR. Since then, four more Riverboat Annie colts have made names for themselves in Las Vegas. She’ s become one of the most prolific dams in the Carr herd.
The next generation of renowned buckers is coming, and the world of rodeo is better for it.
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