It's a rough stock life

For most bronc riders, eight seconds is more than enough time with a bucking horse. They’re mean. They’re angry. Generations of breeding and years of practice make these rough stock animals a terror for anyone in their way. One man who doesn’t shy away is Kaycee rancher John Forbes. Forbes has provided rough stock to rodeos across the state and surrounding region for more than a decade. The work is, well, rough. Transportation is stressful, maintenance, upkeep and training is unending and the work is never over. This year, Forbes has made stops in Sheridan, Gillette, Cheyenne and even Rock Springs for the National High School Rodeo Finals. Every Friday he provides the horses for the Kaycee Friday Night Rodeo. However, his biggest event of the year is the Johnson County Fair and Rodeo. Forbes has provided the fair with rough stock for about a decade. This year, Forbes will provide all 25 bucking horses. Forbes will load each of the horses into a large truck and will move them Tuesday of fair week. “It’s not easy getting that many (horses) in one place at a time,” Forbes said. “They’ll stay in the barns at the fair, and they’ll accommodate for them. It’s easier to move some than others, but some way or another we’ll get them all there.” Forbes purchased his first two broncs in the mid 1990s when his sons first expressed interest in riding. What started as two practice horses quickly turned into a lucrative hobby. Popularity spread, and Forbes purchased additional horses. “Pretty soon every kid in town wanted to ride,” Forbes said. “We have kids who come and practice, and my boys and others like to work on riding.”...more