IN THIS ISSUE
Morgan Buckingham has ridden bucking ponies for three years , including at the Jr . NFR in Las Vegas . This summer ’ s ride at Cheyenne Frontier Days will be the most memorable yet thanks to the Junior
Roughstock Association and CFD Committee .
Photo by Mary Peters
CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS
LEGENDS & LEGACIES
The Junior Roughstock Association Debuts at The Daddy
CHEYENNE , Wyoming - They trailed big herds of cattle to the railhead at Cheyenne one bone-jarring , sun-beaten , rain-hammered , wind-burned step at a time where they held them a while on grass and good water before shipping them back East where no one really considered at what cost to man or beast their meals from the butcher shop came . They called themselves cowboys , these tough , talented , committed men who fed our growing nation .
In 1897 , a couple outfits got together before starting the long ride home and did what cowboys do . It started with a one-day ‘ hold my whiskey and watch this ’ contest out on the plains . That was the beginning of the Daddy of ‘ Em All and today , everything and not much has changed .
This summer , under the dome of rarified air that covers Cheyenne during the third week in July , for the first time , the youngest of the cowboys who feel the call of horses born to buck will taste the hallowed grounds of Cheyenne Frontier Days . Ages 14 and under , these kids ’ fathers before them worked their hands into bareback riggings and nodded for the best the West had to offer in the roar of 19,000 tourists and fans making the pilgrimage and now , they ’ ll stand over their sons and relive it in a whole new way . It ’ s called Legends & Legacies and was organized by the Junior Roughstock Association ( JRA ) and the award-winning Cheyenne Committee .
The JRA is bringing opportunity to young bareback and saddle bronc riders all over the United States and Canada .
The organization is the sanctioning body and producer of the bareback and bronc riding part of the Jr . National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas . Providing mentorship and contests is the heart of what they do , but strong forwardthinking leadership understands that it ’ s not just reaching the choir of ranch kids who are scrambling to get involved that ’ s important ; they know their role as ambassadors and in creating ambassadors for the sport is vital to not just growing but sustaining the bucking horse community . Marty Buckingham entered Cheyenne for the first time when he was 23 years old . It was 1996 and he was on the trail in a bid to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo . It was a focused mission that meant being all business and not letting anything interfere with his clear vision of the goal . He called his entry into PROCOM at PRCA and got back to the serious business of staying fit , healthy and getting the most out of every ride wherever he traveled . Cheyenne was ‘ just another stop ’ until he jumped out of the van , grabbed his riggin ’ bag and headed for the chutes .
“ It was huge . So huge I got lost on the way to the platform ,” Buckingham remembered . But that wasn ’ t the impression that would last through the three more times he ’ d pay fees at The Daddy and be fresh in his mind today .
“ At the time , Darrell Barron was the chute boss and Harry Vold provided the bucking stock . There were Quarter Horse races blasting down the track while several bucking horses flew around the big arena with teams of pickup men and handy queens in hot pursuit . Barron was calling
16 www . rodeofame . com By Lori O ’ Harver