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The Natural Horseman – Legends Never Die
By Steve Stevens
If you have been lucky enough in your life, you have met a true legend, a human who has transcended life and myth. Sometimes that is an artist, a sports figure, a first responder or just a neighbor whom everybody around town knows for a lifetime of goodwill. My dear friend Sonny Jim was one of those legends. He passed a few years back in a gunfight helping a man in need. He would have celebrated his 76th birthday recently, so I have been thinking about him a lot lately.
Steve Stevens with Sonny in El Morrow, New Mexico in 1991. (Photo courtesy Steve Stevens)
Sonny lived ten lifetimes: he was a basketball player, musician, and one of the all time great rodeo cowboys. If you walk down the streets of Gallup, New Mexico, and have a conversation with someone about Sonny, the stories they tell are straight out of a movie.
A guy once told me at the Indian rodeo finals that when Sonny won the world in the steer wrestling championship, that he had a cast all the way up his leg with blood squirting out, and that it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. If I remember correctly, I think Sonny just had a knee brace on. But Sonny did things people had never seen before.
He was proud of his Native American heritage. I can’t tell you how many times I saw Sonny give his last dollar to someone in need. If anybody ever wanted to learn how to ride horses or rodeo, his door was always open. And that was to anyone. If you wanted to learn, there wasn’t a man in the world who enjoyed teaching more than Sonny. I saw him do things that most normal humans couldn’t do in toughness, kindness and spirituality.
Sonny’s greatest gift was that if he saw that you tried hard at anything, he believed in you and would support and inspire your dreams.
He truly was a legend. The other day, I wanted to honor him so I made sure to put a first ride on a little filly we have in training on his birthday. Sonny loved starting horses and working with them probably more than anyone I had ever been around. So although it wasn’t as wild as he might have liked, I started the mare the way I used to start colts with him, which was with another colt being in the pen with us. It is really a great technique because it puts your colt’s mind on the other horse and if you can get the other horse to move out, yours will follow easily.
I say legends never die because every step I take on a horse, Sonny’s spirit is with me.
I was proud to start this little filly in his honor. Miss you old friend. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
Angel’s First Ride. (Photo courtesy of Steven Stevens)
The Saint Jo Riding Club is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Saint Jo Riding Club Agricultural Scholarships.
• Saint Jo ISD Graduating Senior: $750
o Kathryn Sherwin
Kathryn Sherwin is a 2023 graduate of Saint Jo High School. She lives on a small farm in Montague and currently owns four Angus cows. In the future, she hopes to grow a small herd of both breeding cows and bulls.
This fall, she will be attending Texas Tech University majoring in Animal Science and minoring in Ag
Business. After earning her Bachelor’s of Science, vet school is her next goal. While in college, she plans to
continue creating western art as a small business. She also looks forward to participating in many internships and any other opportunities Lubbock has to offer.
• Saint Jo ISD Graduating Senior: $750
o Jerod “Kile” Thurman
Kile Thurman is the son of Clint and Denise Thurman of Saint Jo, and he is the grandson of longtime Riding Club members Ancil & Elsie Thurman. Kile has attended school in Saint Jo ISD since he started in Pre-K. He has been active in FFA, football, basketball, cross country, baseball, golf, track and One Act Play. Kile has served as the President of his class every year since 7th grade. He has been on the SJHS Student Leadership Team each year and is also a member of the National Honor Society. Kile has served as the Saint Jo FFA Chapter Treasurer for 2 years. He was a State Qualifier in CDE Cotton Judging. He has been a part of the award winning FFA Chapter Conducting team for 3 years. Kile enjoys playing sports and spending time with his family. He looks forward to attending Texas Tech University in the Fall to study Kinesiology.
• Area Graduate beyond Saint Jo: $500
o Casen Lynn Harris of Nocona ISD
Casen Harris is a 2023 graduate of Nocona High School. He has lived in Montague County all of his life. His parents are Andrea Nobile and Rusty Harris. He has 3 brothers, Cooper, 21, Kale and Kline, both 16. He attends Montague County Cowboy Church. He has been active in FAA raising pigs and sheep and participating in Livestock Judging competitions. He plans to pursue a career in GIS (Geographical Information Systems) and Land Surveying. He will be attending North Central Texas College and then moving on to Tarleton State University.
• Area Graduate beyond Saint Jo: $500
o Anna Marie Becker of Sacred Heart in Muenster
Anna Marie Becker is one of five children in the Michael & Billie Becker family. She lives between Myra and Era on a small farm where her family raises cattle, chickens and ducks. She loves being outside and working with the farm animals, especially the ducks and cattle. She has been very active in 4-H for many years where she has shown dairy heifers. At Sacred Heart Catholic School she has participated in volleyball, basketball, track and cheer as well as being part of student council and the National Honor Society. She plans to attend the University of Alabama where she will study Kinesiology and Sports Broadcasting with a minor in Spanish. She would like to return to Muenster after college to run a Brahman farm and raise ducks.
• Saint Jo Riding Club Member / Legacy: $500
o Karagan Ritchie of Prairie Valley ISD
Karagan Lynn Ritchie of Nocona is the daughter of Randal and Laurie Ritchie. She is a graduate of Prairie Valley High School where she was active in FFA, FCCLA, 4-H, Texas High School Bass Fishing Association, Girl Scouts, and all available sports her school had to offer. She was a member of the National Honor Society, and recently accepted her FFA Lone Star Degree. She has had many achievements and honors in sports, Girl Scouts, and agriculture events. She loves showing her heifer in Texas major shows, and competing in High School Home Economics where she has won the Senior Sweepstakes in Montague County for four years. Karagan loves riding and competing with her horses Snicker and Twinkie, and she is wrapping up her two-year reign as Saint Jo Rodeo Queen. She plans to go to Midwestern State University to become a radiologist.
The Saint Jo Riding Club Agricultural Scholarship Program exists to provide scholarships to a high school graduating seniors interested in or intending to pursue a course of study in a college or university related to agriculture.
By Donna Long
If you are hankerin’ for home cooking just like grandma used to make with fresh ingredients, then look no further than Dixie House Cafe with locations in Fort Worth, Saginaw, and Euless. Dixie House, which was originally named Theresa’s Cafe after its owner, opened its first restaurant in 1983.
In the early days, it was just Theresa and one employee that ran the cafe. Between the two of them, they created mouth-watering meals from scratch using tried and true recipes. Dixie House is where the nostalgic vibe of a 60’s diner meets the charm of Southern hospitality and cooking. The portions are substantial, and the flavor is reminiscent of a time when meals were slow-cooked with families gathered in the kitchen and not hurriedly microwaved.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Phillip Kitts
With most of America fighting off the winter blues and setting their sights on the warmth of spring, the rodeo world is already heating up. It is often common chatter about how the rodeo world really does not have an off season. In October when the regular season wraps up, it is not even a week before rodeo athletes start running to fall rodeos so they can start building up money toward the next year’s finals. It is true that fall rodeos do not have big payouts, but many athletes take the every dollar counts approach and throw several of them on the calendar.
November and December may be the slowest months of the rodeo year, but believe it or not, there are still plenty of places rodeo athletes can go and earn a small check. Traditionally the number of rodeos in the winter months is lower, but the few events that do happen tend to have big payouts. Pretty much every rodeo fan knows all about places like Denver, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Rapid City. These are all big scale events with huge payouts.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
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