IN THIS ISSUE
The Cutest
Little Buckers
CT Rodeo Company & the Ponies of the Jr. Roughstock Association
By Lori O’Harver
MALTA, Idaho – The Junior Roughstock Association’s
work with Jr. National Finals Rodeo has brought
international attention to the talented bareback and
saddle bronc riding youngsters from ages 4 to 17.
The young cowboys have been around for far longer,
though. Just ask Cameron Tuckett, owner of CT Rodeo
Company, who’s been producing rodeos for kids and
nurturing those kids into top hand riders with his string
of tiny buckers for the last 31 years.
PRCA top hand bareback rider, Caleb Bennett, got his
start on CT ponies when he was just 7 years old.
“Caleb is a natural born athlete who loved the bareback
riding as a kid,” said Tuckett. “He was fun to watch
come along, knowing he was big star bound. Every
day of my life is fun. I knew I’d never be a millionaire.
That was never important. It’s the memories, getting to
work every day with my family and horses, but the most
gratifying thing is watching the kids we and our small
horses and ponies started move on to be successful
in the PRCA.”
“I grew up going to Little Buckaroos Rodeos produced
by Bernis Hunsaker,” he said. “My most vivid memory
is of up to 50 pony weanlings turned loose in the arena,
a few with red ribbons on their tails. Every kid in the
grandstand would run into the herd trying to catch
one of those cuties. If they did, that pony was theirs
to keep.”
“We can trace those ponies’ pedigrees back to the day
we bought them, about six generations,” Tuckett said.
“They’re family members, just ask my wife. She runs the
stripping chute at all of our rodeos and keeps a big stash
of apples to treat them with after they buck.”
Their breeding program is serious business all the way
through. The CT program keeps the draft blood strong
in their herd, providing their ponies with the stamina and
durability to succeed from their debuts at 4 all the way up
into their 20s.
“Our blue hen broodmare came from Bar T Rodeo’s
Swanny Kerby,” said Tuckett. “He called one day and said
he had this Robins Egg daughter who never grew, figured
we were the only outfit that could use her. 7D not only was
a solid performer for us in the arena, she gave us a foal
every year. In the years we chose not to breed her, she still
found a way. In fact, her last foal was born when she was
26. She raised that baby for us then, while in seemingly
perfect health, she left this world. We buried her here and
see her daily in the next generations she gave us.”
CT Rodeo Company is a vital part of the JRA network
of stock contractors, providing horses for the regional
qualifiers and the Jr. NFR during NFR Week in Las Vegas
in December.
When Hunsaker was in his 80’s, he sold out to a
partnership in Wyom