Tipperary King of the Broncs
I’m Susan Allen welcome to Friday's Open Range. Those of you who know me know I have a soft spot for saddle broncs, (my athletic "pistol" of a horse, Indigo is from the Beard bucking string.) Those tuff equines have entertained generations of rodeo enthusiasts. Unlike bulls, broncs are rodeo's unsung hero’s rarely remembered or honored. Tipperary was an exception. Stay tuned for the story. If you find yourself in the Black Hills of South Dakota driving through Harden County you can’t miss the name “Tipperary”, it’s on parks, rodeo grounds, stores and streets. Born in 1905 the flashy bay Thoroughbred became known as the World’s Best Bronc, after tossing nearly ninety top cowboys throughout his career. Named for the Irish tune one poor bloke woke up singing after a nasty landing off the great bucking horse, Tipperary’s reputation for a move cowboys called “sunfisher” (when a horse drops a shoulder low and rolls his belly towards the sun,) caused his legend to spread through the West like wildfire meaning many cowboys refused to ride him. Yakima Canutt was credited with the first ride but a host of folks didn’t consider it qualified because the horse was hindered by deep mud. When Tipperary was retired at his last rodeo the band belted his namesake WWI song while the horse proudly strutted to the beat. In 1932 Tipperary was stolen, he was discovered in terrible condition in an old Montana barn. South Dakota ranchers pooled resources and brought him home to the Black Hills where at twenty seven he succumbed to a blizzard. His fame lives on, the “King of the Outlaws” was inducted into both National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and the song continues to immortalize the great bucking horse Tipperary.
