Steamboat was voted champion bronc in 1906 & 1907 Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Off to Cheyenne Frontier Days for the next few days for the Art Show. There is a lot of rodeo history at the Daddy. Their first rodeo was in 1897. My favorite bucking horse Steamboat was voted champion bronc in 1906 & 1907 Cheyenne Frontier Days. Born in 1896 near Chugwater, Wyoming, Steamboat was widely considered among the best bucking broncos in rodeo history. Nicknamed “the horse that couldn’t be ridden”, the black gelding was christened Steamboat as a colt he sustained a broken bone in his nose that caused him to make a whistling sound when he bucked and that is why the cowboys gave him the name Steamboat. The old-time cowboys said the horse would buck his heart out and wouldn’t quit. Steamboat died in 1914 and was later immortalized with the legendary bucking horse and rider symbol. Since then, he has been inducted into the Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame, the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and even represented Wyoming on the commemorative state quarter and our license plates. You can’t think of Wyoming and not think of Steamboat.
In my monument to Steamboat I wanted to show the determination and spirit of both the horse and the rider in a contest of one man against one horse. In the early days of rodeo to make a qualified ride a cowboy had to stay aboard his horse until it came to a standstill. The rider was not allowed to pull leather or grab any portion of the saddle. He could fan the horse with his hat which dressed the ride up and made the horse buck harder. chrisnavarro.com