Rodeo Community Mourns Loss of Famed Saddle Bronc Horse
Powder River Rodeo Co. recently announced the passing of one of their beloved mares, Miss Congeniality, on March 19. She was 26 years old. Born and raised at the Powder River Ranch in Wyoming, "Miss C" quickly made a name for herself in Pro Rodeo. Her dam, Red Bird, came from Johnny Morris, and her sire, Cut The Cards, came from Harry Vold.
Hank and Lori Franzen are the proud owners and managers of Powder River Rodeo Co., one of the most esteemed and award-winning stock contracting companies in the Professional Rodeo world. In 1986, the Franzens established Powder River Rodeo with a partner, and a year later, they became the sole owners.
Since 1988, Powder River Rodeo has provided livestock for every National Finals Rodeo (NFR). The industry has acknowledged their dedication to excellence, and they were awarded the prestigious PRCA Remuda Award in 2019.
"Miss C" was a remarkable horse who accomplished a great deal in her career. At just 4 years old, she went to her first NFR in 2002, where she bucked off five-time World Champion Billy Etbaur and was awarded the third-best horse of the NFR. Throughout her 11-year career, she won multiple Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo and Mountain States Circuit awards and went 11 consecutive years to the NFR from 2002 to 2012.
"Miss C" was known for her massive size, long wavy mane, and agility. She was honest and bucked hard every trip, consistently marked in the 90s throughout her entire career.
In 2003, she was third place Saddle Bronc Of The Year. In 2004, she was Reserve Champion Saddle Bronc Of The Year and also Reserve Champion of the NFR. In 2005 she won her first world title, then again in 2007, along with the top three saddle broncs of the NFR. She was also the Reserve World Champion Saddle Bronc in 2008.
"Miss C" was not only an incredible athlete but also one of the best producers. After her third pregnancy, she was unable to carry foals and spent the rest of her days in Canyon, Texas, at Dr. Gregg Venklasen's. She was then able to produce embryos, and a couple of the most notable are four-time NFR and two-time Wilderness Circuit Horse Of The Year Miss Valley (Miss Congeniality X Painted Valley) and a stallion named Big Easy (Miss Congeniality X Big Medicine). Big Easy is used for breeding purposes only, and his first colt crop, sired in 2016, has already produced 2 NFR Qualification horses.
"These animal athletes are part of our family and truly why we love what we do," Powder River Rodeo Co. said in the same announcement. "Rest easy, Champ."
"Miss C" will be deeply missed by the rodeo community, who will always remember her incredible talent and contributions to the sport.
(Note: The contents of this article are from a Facebook post by the Powder River Rodeo Co. For more information, please refer to the original post.)
