Postcard from the past: Bullet, Daddy of all Rodeo Horses

By: Dick Perue

An article in the 1943 annual edition of The Record Stockman declares:

Meet Bullet, the daddy of all rodeo horses. Such ropers as Ike Rude, Bill Wilkinson, John Bowman and Everett Shaw have practically had reserve seats on him from year to year.

The Rodeo Association of America steer roping event was won in 1941 by Rude on Bullet. The 1942 title was won by King Merritt, his owner, mounted on Bullet.

One peculiar characteristic of this horse is when the tie is completed, he nearly always looks back over his shoulder and nickers as if to signal the judge of a job well done.

Bullet was born in 1929. His sire was Jack McCue by Peter McCue. Hoyt Lewis, House, N. M., raised him and broke him when he was a two-year-old. His rodeo career began when he was three with two famous calf ropers, Roy and Pat Lewis, roping calves on him. Firsts and seconds were won at many shows that season.

Roy and Pat took him to Cheyenne in 1934 and sold him to Bob Crosby. Crosby immediately started training him for steer roping but never used him in a contest. He brought him back to Cheyenne in 1935 and sold Merritt half interest in him for $250. Three weeks later, Rude bought the other half interest for $350.

The first rodeo to which Rude and Merritt took Bullet was Pendleton in September 1935. They won first and second in the average on him there, about $1,700 in cash and a $450 Hamley roping saddle. Crosby won the steer roping on him at Cheyenne the next year and Rude won it at Pendleton.

Rude sold his interest in Bullet to Merritt for $600 in the spring of 1937. Bullet has been a consistent winner ever since in all steer roping contests. 

His big year was 1941 when a total of $7,500 was won on him. Of this, $3,070 was taken at Cheyenne in placing first, third and fourth in the average. 

Three weeks later, at Ada, Okla., he won first and third in the average. The following week he finished second and third at Carlsbad, N.M. This year $1,900 was won on him at Cheyenne.

Bullet is a chestnut and weighs 970 pounds.

On July 18, 1948, the first annual Platte Valley Steer Roping was held at Encampment, with Merritt of Federal and Marvin Reid of Encampment as the sponsors, but then this is another Postcard from the Past.