Miss Congeniality
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By Susan Kanode

Out in the eastern plains of Wyoming, on a windy March day, a mare by the name of Red Bird
gave birth to a bay filly.

That filly was me, Miss Congeniality, the 2007 world champion saddle bronc horse owned by
Powder River Rodeo. My mom had been in the business of raising bucking horses for a few
years when I came along. She had a lot of practice and was the best mom ever. One of my first
memories is of her nudging me, encouraging me to get up and telling me that I had great things
to do in my life.

Hubbell PRCA photo of Miss Congeniality. The mare on the Franzen's ranch in Wyoming.

My mom spent the next few months telling me that I was born to be a bucking horse. She told
me about my dad, Cut the Cards, a little stud horse that came from Harry Vold. He has a long
black curly mane and is a deep blood bay. She was always telling me how much I looked like
my dad and how I was destined to be a bucking horse.

My dad was selected for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo three times, so the Franzens,
owners of Powder River knew what he could do in the arena before they kept him at home to let
him be a dad. Well I listened to everything that my Mom told me. When I would complain about
the wind, or that it was cold, she told me to be quiet. The weather would just make me tough.

My mom reminded me every day that I was growing big and strong and that I had a legacy to
fulfill. We’d be walking across the pasture and she’d give me a big nudge that would almost
knock me over. I asked her “what was that for?” She explained that she was teaching me about
balance.

She was always after me to eat telling me if I wanted to grow big and strong it was important to
get my fill of grass. She would watch me buck and play with the other foals in the pasture and
always gave me encouragement and advice. She also explained to me that Wyoming’s state logo
was a bucking horse and that all of us horses born in this state were representing that logo.

The Franzens purchased my mom with a group of other mares from Johnny Morris. They came
out of Montana. Johnny had some great horses and I’m proud to say that my mom was one of
them. He was a former bronc rider and an accomplished pilot that used to fly rodeo cowboys
around. He needed money for an engine for his plane and that’s when he decided to sell the
horses that included my mom.

Johnny was flying four cowboys from Bozeman, Mont., to the Cow Palace in San Francisco in
1998 when their plane crashed. Bareback rider Mark Garrett had minor injuries, his brother
Marvin along with saddle bronc rider Scott Johnston and bull rider Thad Bothwell all sustained
broken backs. Johnny died from injuries he got in the accident. My mom told me that Johnny
was a very kind man and took real good care of all of them. She told me about Johnny’s love of
flying and said that he will always be an angel looking over the horses and cowboys in the sport
he loved so much.

All of those stories made a big impression on me as I was growing up. I’m now a 10-year-old
mare that has made a career in the arena as a saddle bronc horse and outside of the arena as a
mom. I’ve just given birth to my fourth foal, a filly that I’m trying to teach the same lessons that
my mom taught me.

About a year and a half ago, the Franzens loaded us all up and I knew we weren’t just going to
a rodeo, because I mean they loaded everything. We moved from the eastern prairies of
Wyoming to the Wind River area. We now call Riverton home and I think this will be a fine
place to raise the next generation of Powder River Rodeo bucking horses.

The wind doesn’t blow as much here, so I’m nudging my baby more than my mom did to teach
her about balance. There’s a little more snow but so far we all like the climate. It’s good for
growing strong babies.

If I am half as good of a teacher as my mom was, my babies will have it made. When I was just
five, I earned my first championship title. Then last year, the top 30 bronc riders in the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association picked me again. I think last year was outstanding.
I only had three guys make the whistle on me during the regular season and each time they were
91 points.

One of those guys was Anthony Bello, who had me at Idaho Falls, Idaho. He was lucky enough
to get me again in the 10th round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, but I don’t think he
had as good a trip. We only got an 86.5 point ride there.

I’m pretty proud of the other seven rides where I bucked the cowboys off. Don’t get me wrong,
I don’t mind when they ride and we win, but it’s a lot of fun to see them dusting off their
britches after I’ve thrown them in the dirt.

I’ve been told that I’m an honest bucker. I’m not really sure what that means, I just know that
this is what I was born and bred to do, and every time they open the gate, I’m going to kick as
high as I can, drop my head as low as they let me and do my best to get that cowboy off my back.

This month I’ve told you what influenced me outside of the arena. Next month, I’ll be talking
about what has happened in the arena for the last five years. For the rest of the year, I’m going
to share my experiences with you and I hope that you’ll get a chance to see me in action.

My name is Miss Congeniality and I’m proud to be a Wyoming bucking horse.