Country Lifestyles
December 2016 Profile, Rusty Riddle – The Riddle Way
By Jessica Crabtree
A large personality comes to mind when describing Rusty Riddle, formerly known as “the happy red head.” “Rusty’s approach to life has always been determination. Whatever it took to get something done, that was Rusty’s way,” said Riddle’s wife, Dollie. She would know after 42 years of marriage.
When reminiscing about a young Riddle, Dollie recalls their first time meeting and early years of dating, “His reputation preceded him,” she laughed. “We just lived life to the fullest back then! That was my motto. We had a lot of fun,” Riddle interjects. The “back then” meant his years of rodeoing professionally as a bareback rider, a career that spanned 10 years.
Riddle was born in 1948, the oldest of four children. The family called Weatherford home. Attending school first at Granbury, then when the bus route finally reached their rural home, he completed school and graduated from Weatherford High School. Riddle’s time as a youth was consumed with work. At six years old, his family bought a dairy. By the age of 10, he and his younger brother, age nine, were running the business. “We would get up in the morning before school and milk then get home from school and milk again,” he explained. “Me and my brother would ride the milk cows. One day we’d ride her with a saddle, then next maybe with a bull rope,” he chuckled. “We rode whatever we could find. If it moved, we’d ride it,” Riddle said.
By the age of 15 his parents divorced and the dairy was sold. “At that point, I’d seen all the black and white cows I’d wanted to. I got my first taste of bareback riding and that was all it took,” he assured. By 16 Riddle was traveling and competing in rodeos. Starting out, the young cowboy wanted to do it all, every event. When he was 18 Riddle found Tommy Steiner from Austin and began working for him feeding livestock and driving trucks. That was the young man’s first taste of pro rodeo. The time allowed Riddle to gain experience practicing and study other competitors.
In 1968, Riddle obtained his PRCA card. With no time to spare, the rodeo cowboy hit the ground running, traveling and competing. “Like they say, it’s not when you get hurt, it’s how bad in rodeo,” Riddle said. In 1970 Riddle was in Jackson, Miss. when a bull stepped on him, breaking all his ribs on one side, collapsing his lung. The serious injury put him out the rest of the year. That is when Riddle drew the line, opting to only ride bareback horses, “I just saw I could ride bareback horses a little better and saw there was more opportunity there for me.”
To read more pick up a copy of the December 2016 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Riddle riding bareback at the Weatherford rodeo in 1977. (Photo courtesy of Dollie Riddle)
Riddle riding at Calgary in 1974 on Reg Kesler’s Country Cousin. (Photo courtesy of Dollie Riddle)
By: Martha Crump
Most cattle producers can tell you quite a lot about balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals based on the specific needs for their herd and type of operation.
A key factor, and one that is often overlooked, is that how your animals perform is also directly affected by their water intake.
Now many of you may already be thinking “well of course water is necessary, anybody knows that!”
In many years, as September marches into October, we are beginning to experience some return of rainfall. But as many of us know, that is not always the case. Often we are still experiencing hot and dry weather, and water supplies are dwindling.
When we find ourselves experiencing those types of fall conditions, it is critical to not only understand the daily water requirements for cattle, but also the impact that the quality of water can have on herd health and development.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Annette Bridges
A friend and I were recently talking about our husbands. She made a comment that I felt also perfectly described me and my hubby.
“He slows me and I hurry him. I’m sure that is why we do well together,” she said.
“Precisely!” I thought. Why?
Because when two different worlds collide, it can be magical.
No matter what those two different worlds are- a man and a woman with very different personalities, beliefs, or backgrounds, two partners with contrasting passions, strengths, or talents, or when a country boy marries a city girl.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Watauga, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, is known for its rich history as a railroad stop, but over the course of the last year, one teen girl has put it on the map for agriculture as well. Emma Harvey has lived in Tarrant County her entire life. Despite being highly involved in her local 4-H chapter, she still felt there was more she could do. In the spring of 2023, she stepped up to the plate to take over the title of Tarrant County Teen Miss Agriculture USA.
“It all started when I put in an application for the teen title here in Tarrant County,” explained Harvey.
The Miss Agriculture USA program is a national non-profit, age-inclusive pageant program that offers both competition and non-competition titles to women dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Read more in the October issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available online and in print. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive NTFR in your inbox each week.
Photo by Hannah Claxton.
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