Presentation to Laramie Lyceum, April 19, 2016
Race Horses:
Sir Barton
Perhaps the most famous of this group is Sir Barton, 1919 winner of the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes) Born in Lexington, Ky., in 1916, the horse was sold to Cmdr. J. K. L. Ross of Canada in 1918. When he was a three-year-old in 1919, he won the Triple Crown, eight more races and was named “Horse of the Year.” He was the last Triple Crown winner until 1930. After being defeated in a match race in 1920 against the younger Man o’ War, Sir Barton was retired and sold back to an American. In 1933, he ended up at Fort Robinson, Neb., as stud for army horses. There, Dr. Joseph Hylton of Douglas saw the horse and bought it, taking it to his ranch on LaPrele Creek. The horse lived out its few remaining days there, dying at the age of 23 in 1937. Soon after the horse’s death, a statue to him was erected in Douglas’ Washington Park.
Foolish Pleasure
The 1975 winner of the Kentucky Derby was purchased by Ron Vanderhoef in 1993. The horse was brought to Vanderhoef’s Horseshoe Ranch near Dayton where the 19-year-old horse enjoyed retirement until his death in 1994. At the height of his fame, Foolish Pleasure finished second at both the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness following his Derby win. As a two-year-old colt, he ran a match race against Ruffian in which Ruffian broke her leg and had to be destroyed
Lusty Latin
The only Wyoming-owned horse to be entered in the Kentucky Derby, the horse ran in the 2002 race. It did not compete in the other two triple crown races. It was owned by Joey and Wendy Platts of Lyman, Wyoming.
Working Cow Horses:
Old Blue
A popular children’s book was written about this dependable old cow pony. The horse worked on ranches in Laramie County. The grave marker on the Wyoming line between Cheyenne and Fort Collins reads: “Erected to the memory of Old Blue—the best old cow pony that ever pulled on a rope, by the cowpunchers of the 7XL outfit. Rest in peace.”
Muggins
The horse competed in the first Cheyenne Frontier Day. For 17 years, it was the prize cow pony of the Swan Land and Cattle Co. He never had a bit in its mouth, but could be ridden easily without any harness but a hackamore. The horse appeared in feature silent films. Muggins died in 1933 in Los Angeles at the age of 38. He was buried on the grounds of the Union Stockyards where a marker was erected to his memory. His remains were dug up and reburied at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in the 1960s, his head removed and stuffed by a taxidermist. The head is now part of the permanent collections of the Wyoming State Museum.
Teddy
Teddy, a Cody area horse, won the Evanston-Denver horse race in 1907. A working cow pony, Teddy was regionally famous for his endurance.
“Hero” Horses:
Dapple Dan
Gray horse from Co. C was said to be the only army horse (or U. S. soldier) to survive the Fetterman fight (1865)
Grey Eagle
Col. Carrington’s horse at Fort Phil Kearny, he was supposedly borrowed by “Portugee” Phillips to begin his famous ride, on Christmas night at the end of the grueling 240-mile ride. In actuality, Grey Eagle probably never left Fort Phil Kearny. In fact, he was ridden by Col. Carrington two days after Phillips’ departure. No single horse carried Phillips the entire distance. Records show he changed horses several times at ranches and stage stations along the route.
Rodeo Horses:
Steamboat
One of the best-known bucking horses of all time, Steamboat was known as the “horse that couldn’t be ridden.” He is said to have been the inspiration for the emblem on the Wyoming license plate. Raised by Frank Foss, the animal struck his nose while he was being branded and broke a small piece of the bone. Sam Moore of the Swan Company bought the horse, trimmed away the protruding bone and the horse was left with a peculiar whistle. Jimmy Danks told a Swan foreman that the animal “sounds like a steamboat,” hence the name. Ironically, Danks’ brother Clayton Danks won the world championship at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1907 by riding Steamboat. The horse made his first public appearance in a Denver rodeo in 1901. Steamboat performed at an Irwin Brothers show at Salt Lake City in 1914. A lightning storm spooked the horses held in a wire enclosure after the show. In the melee, Steamboat was cut by the wire. He was returned to Cheyenne, but the injury caused blood poisoning from which he died.
Midnight
The legendary bucking horse was known as the hardest bronc to ride during the 1930s. It is said that the horse had been raised by a female schoolteacher who had ridden him to school daily before selling him to rodeo stockmen Vern Elliott and Ed McCarty. After a long career on the rodeo circuit, Midnight was retired in 1933, but reactivated soon after for a rodeo season which included shows in England. He died in 1937. Buried near Platteville, Colo., the horse’s body was exhumed in 1966 and reburied on the grounds of the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
Five Minutes to Midnight
Another great bucking horse, Five Minutes to Midnight was once called the “greatest athlete I’ve ever seen” by Curt Gowdy, Wyoming-born sportscaster. The horse’s bucking career began when he was a four-year-old. The times he was ridden can be counted on one hand. Pete Grubb rode him successfully at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1939. At the horse’s last appearance at Cheyenne in 1942, he was ridden to the buzzer by Ralph Collier. Five Minutes to Midnight remained active on the rodeo circuit for a total of 17 years until his retirement in 1945. He died in 1946 and was buried next to Midnight near Platteville, Colo. Like his predecessor, Five Minutes to Midnight’s body also was reinterred at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in the middle 1960s.
Rip Van Winkle
The greatest bucking horse in the history of Sheridan County, Rip Van Winkle was owned by Don Iddings. It is said that the legendary horse was “never rode.”
Show Horses:
William F. Cody had several ‘named” horses in his career as an army scout and showman. Brigham, Buffalo Bill Cody’s first horse, c. 1868, was named for Mormon leader Brigham Young. Years later, Cody rode two other horses in his shows. One was named Isham. The other, Cody’s last horse, was named McKinley, in honor of President William McKinley. His favorite was said to be “Old Charlie” who died just as Cody’s exhibition was leaving Hull by steamship back to the U. S., May 5, 1888. He was to be buried at sea—and he was– 12 days later. He was stitched up in canvas with American flag attached. Cody gave long memoriam in horse’s honor before the sea burial. “130 horses, 16 buffalo, ten elk, assortment of burros and wild steers” along with the Cody company of some three dozen Indians and close to 100 other workers. Were aboard the ship that landed at Staten Island. The Indians had slept on deck and, during the day, “played dominoes.” Painting by Thom Hall (1999) in BBCW is the burial of Old Charlie.
Cowboy Joe
Cowboy Joe, the Shetland pony, has been the mascot for the University of Wyoming since 1950. In fact, there have been five “Cowboy Joes,” all from the same ranch, the Farthing Ranch, in the Iron Mountain area of northwestern Laramie County. Charles and Maud Farthing donated the first horse by that name to UW and the pony made its first appearance as UW mascot on Oct. 7, 1950. He was retired after 14 seasons and died in 1970 at the age of 21. Cowboy Joe II held the role from 1965 to 1980; Cowboy Joe III, from 1980-97; Cowboy Joe IV, from 1997-2012. Cowboy Joe V was introduced at Homecoming, 2012. Source: Virginia R. Wakefield, The Cowboy Joe Tradition: Pony Mascot of the University of Wyoming, 1950-2012. (Cheyenne: Anticipation Press, 2012).
Ragalon
Douglas horse given to President Theodore Roosevelt in May 1903 by citizens of Douglas, represented by Sen. F. E. Warren. Roosevelt is said to have ridden the horse on his celebrated ride from Laramie to Cheyenne in 1903, but that account is suspect, given that the horse was presented to the president in Cheyenne. TR renamed it “Wyoming.” The horse was shipped East to pastures near the president’s home on Long Island.
Misc. Horses
Sitting Bull’s gray circus horse
William F. Cody presented the handsome gray horse to Sitting Bull when the Sioux medicine man left Cody’s Wild West Show in the late 1880s. On Dec. 15, 1890, when Indian police came to Sitting Bull’s home to arrest him for his part in the so-called “ghost dances,” gunfire erupted. As legend has it (even though evidence for it does not exist), trained to respond to the sound of rifle shots, the horse went to his haunches and began performing tricks while Sitting Bull and seven of his followers died in the hail of bullets. Six police also died in the gun battle.
Gypsy
Pioneer eastern Wyoming stockman R. S. Van Tassell applied the name to a series of horses he rode over 50 years. He was still riding a “Gypsy” when he was in his 80s.
Babe
The black and white Shetland, owned by Velda and Wayne Childers, Goshen County, lived to the age of 52 (1906-1958), a record age for a horse. Born in April 1906, in South Dakota, the horse was bought by the Childers’ in 1936 from an owner who had abused her. They nursed Babe back to health. She lived until June 14, 1958.
The Spanish Mustang (breed)
The first registry for the line of horses was founded by Bob Brislawn and Larry Richard in Crook County in 1957. The Spanish Mustang Registry was still being kept by Brislawn at the time of his death in 1979:
Thunder, Denver Bronco Mascot
The 20-some-year-old horse was enroute along Interstate 80 in Wyoming to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif., when the highways were closed near Rock Springs due to harsh winter conditions. As a result, the famous horse spent time in a vet clinic in Rock Springs while the roads were being cleared. (Feb. 5-6, 2016)