381:(NFR) took place. War Paint competed at the NFR for the first and only time, where he was ridden twice. He helped Jim Tescher and Les Johnson finish 1–2 in the Average race. War Paint's career lasted almost two decades. He finished his career off with an almost 90 percent buck-off rate. "If they got past those first three or four jumps, they'd ride him once in a while", explained Bobby Christensen Jr. “He came out so high and came down so hard those first three jumps; not many of them got past those”.
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Alvin Nelson was only 23 years old at the time. Casey and Deb
Copenhaver had both tried the horse before. As seasoned bronc riders, they tried to help Nelson by adjusting the amount of rein. They made an error, and the measurement was too long. That is what actually resulted in a buck-off for Nelson.
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War Paint was an elite prospect of the
Christensen Brothers from the beginning. It did not take long for the spotted horse to develop a reputation. His first jump out of the chute was potent, and he followed it up with a high, forceful kick. No cowboy could get past the second jump for his first few
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War Paint bucked off 90 percent of his riders over a two decade career. He had a signature dive which occurred within his first three jumps. The handful of riders that did ride him figured out how to get past that dive. He was popular with all the different rodeo personnel and fans. Announcers were
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Christensen
Brothers first tried out War Paint, who weighed 1,400 pounds (640 kg), in bareback bronc riding competition. However, they soon moved him to saddle bronc riding competition, where he excelled. In the 1950s he became known worldwide for his bucking ability. There was a certain rodeo
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The 1957 World
Champion Saddle Bronc rider, Alvin Nelson, attended the 1958 award ceremony. Nelson and War Paint had never met up. An exhibition ride was slated for the presentation. The chute gate opened, and War Paint jumped out in his typical high jump. Nelson was bucked off in two seconds. The
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War Paint won the award again the next year in 1957. The award ceremony was again held in
January of the following year, 1958. Stock contractors Beutler Brothers furnished all of the bucking horses for the National Western Stock Show's rodeo. The Christensen Brothers still brought War Paint to the
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An out is a trip out of the bucking chute. A qualified ride is 8 seconds long. Some cowboys who rode War Paint for a qualified ride include Manual Enos who got the first qualified ride on him. Enos rode War Paint a few times. Enos, for example, rode War Paint for a qualified ride in
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historian who wrote that many bronc riders would say after "seeing the paint go was–'That spotted horse is the one I want'–but generally, after a seat on him, they'd be out there checking their eyesight the next time they got a chance to see him go"!
400:, St. Paul Rodeo, and Pendleton Round-Up. Both the fans and War Paint seemed to appreciate having their pictures taken together. When War Paint became very old and his health was declining, the stock contractors made the decision to
393:, War Paint bucked off Jim Botham. His owners had him unsaddled in the arena, and announced that he was retired. War Paint traveled 540,000 miles in his career. In his last season, he had 28 starts with 25 buck-offs.
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and in the states north of it. Hank
Christensen was known to say that the horse had no distinctive bucking pattern but just tried his hardest. The stock contractor spent $ 10,000 to insure the horse with
247:, where the crowd always appreciated him. World champion saddle bronc rider and hall of famer Deb Copenhaver elaborated, "That pinto is a sure day-money horse. He just bucks hard and keeps trying."
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In 1958 War Paint and a horse named Joker, owned by Harry Knight & Company, tied for the award. Harry Knight was a ProRodeo Hall of Fame and
Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame stock contractor.
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War Paint lived into his 30s. In his retirement, the
Christensen Brothers hauled him with the other horses when they took them to major rodeos to compete. Usually, it was rodeos like
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in
Klamath Falls, Oregon, in 1953; Bill Ward in Prineville, Oregon, in 1954; Jim Nunes in Red Bluff, Oregon, in 1955; Bob Bailey in Prineville, Oregon, in 1955; Arlo Curtiss in
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whom they drove in a team. The tribe never tried to break War Paint's dam. Sommers gave the foal a
Klamath name that means "painted horse". Sommers brought War Paint up as a
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Bucking Horse of the Year. He won the award in 1956, 1957, and in 1958 he tied with another horse. He was inducted into four halls of fame, the most prominent being the
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suggested an award for bucking horses. War Paint was voted the inaugural RCA "Bucking Horse of the Year" in 1956. The award presentation took place at the
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attempted to cover over Nelson's reputation by printing a story several months later that claimed War Paint had also bucked off Tibbs in the same manner.
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With War Paint, as Tibbs once said, "He was a horse that allows you no mistakes". Thus, War Paint showed again why he won the title.
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In 1958, War Paint was approximately 11 years of age. The Christensen Brothers had bucked the horse for eight years, mostly in
677:
357:, in 1964; Gene McBeth in St. Paul, Oregon, in 1966; Jim Bothum in Eugene, Oregon, in 1966; Casey Tibbs, and Deb Copenhaver.
353:, in 1958; Dean Reeves at the Pendleton Round-Up in 1959; Tom Tescher at Red Bluff, California, in 1959, Don L. Jackson in
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War Paint died in October 1975. His owners accepted Rothrock's idea and had his body preserved by a taxidermist.
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War Paint bucked at the highest professional level which was the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA), renamed to the
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243:. "War Paint was still buckin' when he was 20 years old", claims Jones. War Paint performed many times at the
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in 2011. War Paint was known for his bucking ability and his buck-off record, which was close to 90 percent.
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presented the winner with a silver mounted bucking horse halter, which was decorative but also functional.
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years of bucking. Bronc rider Manual Enos is known as the first to make a qualified ride on the horse.
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him so he would not have to endure another hard winter. It was Kent Rothrock, a Pendleton
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ceremony to be presented for the award. The arena was packed with publicity personnel.
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Some notable cowboys who tried War Paint without success are Dick Pasco in
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partial to calling his name. He received fan mail from everywhere.
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War Paint's preserved body is on display at the museum in the
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A belly full of bedsprings : the history of bronc riding
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member named Orrie Sommers. War Paint's sire was a big-boned
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ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy
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In 1956, saddle bronc world champion and hall of famer
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War Paint – Hall of Fame Bucking Horsepower – YouTube
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One pickup man named Denny Jones, who worked at the
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969:Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame
862:War Paint – Hall of Fame Bucking Horsepower 2019
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640:War Paint – Hall of Fame Bucking Horsepower 2019
475:War Paint – Hall of Fame Bucking Horsepower 2019
463:War Paint – Hall of Fame Bucking Horsepower 2019
441:Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame
421:Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame
121:Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame
408:, who had the idea to have his body preserved.
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1054:(1st ed.). Austin, Texas: Eakin Press.
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1092:War Paint – Hall of Fame Bucking Horsepower
1083:(Online video). Geronimo Productions. 2011.
389:In 1966, at the Emerald Empire RoundUp, in
1095:(Online video). ProRodeoHorsesVideo. 2019.
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214:Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
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439:inducted War Paint and in 1969, the
166:c. 1945 in the Klamath marsh on the
102:Orrie Sommers, Christensen Brothers
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435:inducted War Paint. In 2001, the
431:inducted War Paint. In 2011, the
1046:Woerner, Gail Hughbanks (1998).
1161:ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees
837:Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
1118:War Paint – ProRodeoHorses.com
1005:PRCA Media Department (2019).
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522:Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame
437:Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame
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117:Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame
1151:Horses in the United States
261:National Western Stock Show
204:, bought him from Sommers.
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678:"Five Minutes To Midnight"
549:PRCA Media Department 2019
349:, in 1957; Ted Tufares in
318:, in 1954; Les Johnson in
168:Klamath Indian Reservation
148:Rodeo Cowboys Association
1126:Saddle bronc riding horse
614:Affleck-Johnson, Ashley.
322:, 1957; Jackie Wright in
251:Bucking Horse of the Year
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941:Idaho Rodeo Hall of Fame
429:Idaho Rodeo Hall of Fame
398:California Rodeo Salinas
241:Five Minutes to Midnight
185:who was registered as a
125:Idaho Rodeo Hall of Fame
355:Porterville, California
337:in 1952; hall of famer
904:Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
879:Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
812:Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
732:Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
707:Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
682:Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
657:Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
577:Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
335:Ellensburg, Washington
308:Ellensburg, Washington
172:Klamath County, Oregon
616:"Rodeo Organizations"
433:ProRodeo Hall of Fame
379:National Finals Rodeo
347:Red Bluff, California
316:Klamath Falls, Oregon
174:. He was raised by a
152:ProRodeo Hall of Fame
146:who was a three-time
113:ProRodeo Hall of Fame
443:inducted War Paint.
385:Retirement and death
142:– 1975) was a
1108:War Paint – YouTube
761:, pp. 111–113.
604:, pp. 102–103.
377:In 1959, the first
1146:1975 animal deaths
1141:1945 animal births
343:Clovis, California
304:Prineville, Oregon
279:Match of Champions
229:Pendleton Round-Up
372:Lloyd's of London
284:Rodeo Sports News
269:Rodeo Sports News
202:stock contractors
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50:Saddle bronc
937:"War Paint"
573:"War Paint"
518:"War Paint"
257:Casey Tibbs
140: 1945
41:Pinto horse
1135:Categories
991:, 0:00:30.
926:, 0:01:10.
797:, 0:02:25.
785:, 0:00:15.
773:, 0:01:45.
653:"Midnight"
642:, 0:00:48.
492:, 0:01:00.
477:, 0:00:28.
465:, 0:00:21.
451:References
367:California
158:Early life
47:Discipline
1080:War Paint
1035:ignored (
1025:cite book
1015:August 3,
974:April 11,
946:March 30,
909:April 13,
884:April 13,
842:April 13,
817:April 13,
737:April 13,
712:April 13,
687:April 13,
662:April 13,
625:April 16,
582:April 11,
527:April 11,
402:euthanize
133:War Paint
19:War Paint
237:Midnight
183:stallion
59:Stallion
1067:May 22,
406:rancher
81:Country
68:c. 1945
1058:
833:"1985"
425:Oregon
415:Legacy
233:Oregon
164:foaled
107:Honors
65:Foaled
965:(PDF)
191:Pinto
180:Paint
99:Owner
93:Pinto
89:Color
37:Paint
33:Breed
1069:2019
1056:ISBN
1037:help
1017:2019
976:2019
948:2020
911:2019
886:2019
844:2019
819:2019
739:2019
714:2019
689:2019
664:2019
627:2023
584:2019
529:2019
297:Outs
239:and
194:mare
76:1975
73:Died
423:in
263:in
231:in
55:Sex
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1027:}}
1023:{{
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
