This past week, Curtis Cassidy and his family had to say goodbye to their beloved horse Willy, who was in bad health at almost 35 years old.
“He’s definitely in a better place, but it was a tough day for the family,” said the Canadian steer wrestler and 8X NFR qualifier.
Before retiring in 2010, Willy has carried bulldoggers to four world championships, six Canadian titles, an Olympic gold medal and more than $3 million in prize money. Curtis, his brother, and his dad all won Canadian titles with Willy, and Luke Branquinho won his 2008 world title on the gelding, who that year was also named the PRCA | AQHA Horse of the Year.
Curtis talked to Steve Kenyon on Western Sports Round-Up about what Willy meant to him and his family, looked back on favorite moments, and compared him to his 2020 Horse of the Year Tyson, who he’ll be riding at the NFR in December.
Curtis struggled to find the right words to explain just how special Willy was. “Longevity, soundness...,” Curtis says, “he let a million different cowboys, I wouldn’t say conquer their dreams but, bring their dreams to reality — which is pretty amazing for one horse to do that for so many people. Just a great horse. Hopefully he’s a legend that people remember forever.”
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