05/26/2014
One of the toughest bucking horses I've every been on was a horse call Maybe owned Hally Merril from South Dakota. He was a big bay horse kind of nice to look at, probably weighted about 1200 pounds. I'd just graduated from high school and my dad had gotten me a pretty pair of bronc chaps, glove leather tan and blue, so I was rearing to try them out. So I entered the Hardin rodeo in Hardin, Montana, where Merril had the stock, the rodeo being NRCA at the time. Well, first day came around and I hadn't slept the night before thinking about my ride, first time among the big boys. Showed up at the rodeo office and paid my entry fee, and found out I'd drawn Maybe, no problem cause I didn't know him, but I asked some guys that looked like bronc riders how he was and they asked, whose got him and I said , I did, well they kind of looked at me funny and said go talk to Charlie Colombe, didn't know Charlie at the time, so I asked, who is he, they pointed him out. Well, Charlie and some other guys were looking over the SB pen and I walked up and asked him Charlie how's this Maybe horse, wanted to know who had him when I told him I did, He told me, he's a little hard to ride, bales out high, jump and kicks hard, throws a lot of power at you and he doesn't weaken any, but he's a hell of a draw, good luck.
Well, I got him saddle with some help and he just stood there, kind of leaned to the inside, waited tell the chute boss came around and said, one ahead of you kid, so I got down on him and he pinched my right leg against the chute, and then the chute boss said lets go kid and I nodded, the gate came open and up in the air we came, I had him marked out pretty fair, when his front end hit the ground I still had ahold him, but I'm sitting loose, the next jump seemed even higher and he hit the ground even harder , this went on for about three more jumps and then he flung me about 15 feet in the air and about 40 feet ahead, I landed on my chest and slide another 10 feet and rolled over and watched him jump over me, I love that horse, always wanted to draw him again. Next time I saw him he was bucking in the Harry Knight string in Cheyenne. The next day I drew Big Red.