Equine
Starting from the Bottom
By Corsi Crumpler
Contrary to popular belief, being a cowboy has little to do with hats and boots and a lot more to do with heart and soul. Cowboys come from all over, in the form of all walks of life. Terrell Ryan Houston is living proof that there is much more to being a cowboy than what meets the eye.
Houston was born and in the vast suburbs of Oklahoma City, and was raised on the north side of town by a loving mother, whom he greatly admires.
“I was raised in a house full of women,” Houston says. “I’m my mother’s only boy and the baby.”
Aside from growing up around women in his family, Houston took an interest in the stories he had heard of his great-grandfather, who was a rodeo cowboy in years past. Although he never got the chance to meet his great-grandfather, Houston naturally took a liking to horses and ranching.
Upon graduating high school, education was on the to-do list, but not among his passions. Houston later attended Langston University and Oklahoma State University before realizing that his heart simply was not in it. While he wanted to make his mother proud and complete his education, as his sister did, Houston was avid about pursuing a life in Texas that would fulfill his passion for horses and the outdoors. The life of a lawyer, doctor or policeman didn’t suit him, so as soon as he was able to, he moved to Texas.
“I knew that my dreams of becoming a cowboy and a world champion would start here,” Houston says. “All I ever wanted in life was a house on a lot of land and a small pond with cattle and horses.”
Being that Houston has heard so many wonderful stories of his great-grandfather and his rodeo days, it was rodeo that first sparked his interest. However, he would be introduced to the sport of cutting by way of his riding coach, Sarah Webb. Still unsure about the sport, Houston decided to enroll in a cutting clinic that was offered by Chubby Tuner, otherwise known as “Mr. NCHA.” If the National Cutting Horse Association had a face, it would be Chubby’s.
To read more pick up a copy of the October 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Phillip Kitts
The mystique and imagined glory of the rodeo road call many young people’s names. As they grow up, they watch the greats of the sport run from rodeo to rodeo and occasionally land on the television giving the perception of the rockstar lifestyle.
No, the glory of the rodeo road is not as grand as, say, the National Football League or the National Basketball Association, but being an athlete competing in front of the yellow chutes of Vegas is just as big a deal, and in every way, can be compared to competing in a Super Bowl.
However, things sure are different in the rodeo world. Let us take a minute and talk about what seem to be simple things in life that impact rodeo and rodeo athletes that in no way would make a difference to the big-money sports.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Garrett Metcalf, DVM
It is common for horse owners to have a horse with a wound or laceration at some point in their life. Sometimes small lacerations can be perceived as benign, inconsequential problems that do not need immediate veterinary attention and are managed by the owners or trainers initially. Unfortunately, these simple-looking wounds can involve very important anatomical structures that can lead to serious infections that can be life-threatening or, at best career-limiting, for the horse.
Large wounds tend to get all the attention from owners or trainers because when they occur they are so obvious and visually appalling that medical attention is sought almost immediately. Those types of large wounds can be devastating, but they often involve the upper body regions of the horse, which heal better and often don’t involve structures such as joints or tendons.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Phillip Kitts
Have you ever wondered what the rodeo looks like for contract personnel in the winter?
This month we will look at what the winter months look like from the rodeo photographer’s perspective.
To understand the time and demands that go into a career as a rodeo photographer, let’s start at when the season gets busy. Not all rodeo photographers work the same. There are many varieties in their career field. They can vary from the few weekends here and there to the full-timer who travels more than 30 weekends a year.
The full-timer that spends most of their year working usually hits the road in late winter. Yes, the winter months are slower but the photographer who has cemented themselves into the field usually books a few during late winter.
Rolling into the spring it begins to get busy. Depending on the photographer, spring can start with an every other weekend type schedule all the way to every weekend through the summer. In 2023 there were photographers that had 20-plus weeks straight going from rodeo to rodeo.
When late fall rolls in things begin to slow down, even for the go-getter who books everything they can.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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