Talking Bareback Horses with Powder River’s John Franzen

Powder River Rodeo is a roughstock power house. This year the rodeo company has 5 bareback horses, 2 saddle bronc horses, and 5 bulls, including 2020 PRCA Bull of the Year Chiseled, heading to the NFR.

Powder River Rodeo owner John Franzen admits that bareback horse Craig at Midnight “is kind of what’s put us on the map the last few years.”

Craig has placed in the top three horses of the NFR the last 5 years, and he was the 2016 world champion. This year will be his ninth to qualify. “He loves what he does,” Franzen says. “He’s big and powerful, and he gives everybody a shot to win on him. And that’s all a guy wants as far as a cowboy getting on. The first that they see with Craig at Midnight is his size. He’s demeanour is not a wild demanour by any means but his presence next to you, he’s so large that you just naturally can feel the power from him.”

While giving us a tour of the Powder River Ranch, Franzen talks about NFR veteran Craig at Midnight and rising star Miss Valley (sired by Vold Rodeo’s Painted Valley), as well as the company’s breeding and training programs, and what makes a bucking horse special.

RELATED:

At Home with Powder River Rodeo’s Craig at Midnight

NFR 2020 Qualifiers: Bareback Horses

NFR 2020 Qualifiers: Saddle Broncs

NFR 2020 Qualifiers: Bulls

Top Bareback Horses of 2020

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