ProRodeo Sports News - June 23, 2022

SADDLE BRONC HORSE

PRCA ProRodeo file photo

Medicine Woman Star saddle bronc horse headed into Hall of Fame BY PATRICK EVERSON Special to the ProRodeo Sports News more horses in the Hall of Fame.”

“Medicine Woman was like one of the family. She was a special horse. She was easy to get along with and she was gentle.”

Only ProRodeo Hall of Famer Descent of Beutler Brothers and Cervi won more saddle bronc honors than Medicine Woman. Descent won the honor six times from 1966-69, 1971-72. “Medicine Woman was like one of the family,” Nelson said. “She was a special horse. She was easy to get along with and she was gentle.” Medicine Woman was selected to the NFR 12 times, beginning in 2009 as a bareback horse. In 2010, she was chosen in saddle broncs, a role she played uninterrupted through the 2020Wrangler NFR. She passed away in December 2021 at the age of 19. Her legacy lives on through the Hall of Fame election, and Nelson is eager to be on hand for the induction of his one of-a-kind horse. “When you get one that guys like to come (ride) on, one that wins first place, to me, that’s what it’s all about,”

A s the owner of Frontier Rodeo, Jerry Nelson is plenty familiar with his top-flight stock winning awards. The past seven years, from 2015-21, Frontier Rodeo has been named the PRCA’s Stock Contractor of the Year Individual awards have also piled up, primarily via saddle bronc horse Medicine Woman. The mare was honored four times as the PRCA Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year – in 2011, followed by a three-year run from 2014-16. She was also named the top saddle bronc horse of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2010 and 2015. But arguably the biggest honor will come at July’s ProRodeo Hall of Fame 2022 induction ceremony. Medicine Woman was among those elected in an April vote. Nelson couldn’t be happier for Medicine Woman to get such a crowning achievement. “I think it’s a great accolade or compliment, or whatever you want to call it,” Nelson said. “It’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime deal (for Frontier). But we hope going forward for the next 20 years, that we get a whole bunch

– JERRY NELSON

Nelson said. “That’s what makes our rodeos so good – that we’ve got (the stock) that those guys want to get on. When you raise one that’s good enough that they want to come get on and be bucking horse of the year four times and all that other stuff, to me, that’s what rodeo is all about.”

ProRodeo.com PRORODEO HALL OF FAME 34 ProRodeo Sports News 6/24/2022