Rodeo company mourns tragic loss
On Aug. 23, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry received word from a veterinarian of a potential issue related to a single bulk feed order for Beutler and Son Rodeo Company.
The bulk equine feed delivered to the renowned production company by Livestock Nutrition Center (LNC) was contaminated, and nearly 70 bucking horses have passed over a two-week period of time.
In a recent LNC press release, President Ronnie Castlebury states, “Our preliminary tests show a load of feed delivered to Beutler and Son Rodeo Company in Elk City, Okla. contained monensin, which can be toxic to horses.”
Monensin, commonly referred to by its brand name Rumensin, is often used in feed for other livestock but can be fatal if ingested by equines.
Castlebury continues, “This likely occurred due to a combination of a failed cleanout procedure and a sensor malfunction. We have confirmed this is an isolated incident to this single load of feed from a single facility and no other feed has been impacted and is safe for animal consumption.”
“We take this seriously and are working with the state departments of agriculture in Oklahoma and Kansas and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to get to the root cause of the problem and will take any and all corrective actions needed,” says Castlebury.
Legendary rodeo company
Located in Elk City, Okla., the Beulter and Son Rodeo Company gained recognition for its outstanding professional rodeo livestock and stellar productions.
Throughout their years involved in professional rodeo, they have produced some of the largest and most popular rodeos across the U.S., including Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne; Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho; Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs, Colo.; the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver and the Oklahoma State Fair Rodeo in Oklahoma City.
Early on, John Beutler’s sons decided to become rodeo stock contractors, and over the years they have developed a rodeo company five generations strong.
According to the Beulter and Son Rodeo website, the sons began the companies long, successful journey in September 1929, when they trailed 10 horses to the Custer County Fair and Rodeo in Clinton, Okla., where they decided stock contracting would be their life’s endeavor.
By the 1950s, the renowned rodeo company became the largest stock contractor in the country.
The rough stock they have produced are just as famous as the owners themselves, including a palomino gelding named Descent who went on to claim the Bucking Horse of the Year Award a record six times.
The rodeo family was also very instrumental in helping form the first National Finals Rodeo (NFR), held in Dallas in 1959 and have consistently provided several head of livestock each year to the NFR.
The Beutler and Son Rodeo Company continues to produce award-winning livestock widely sought after by cowboys, rodeo committees and their fans.
Updates
Kendra Santos, a family friend of the Beulters, has been providing updates via Facebook to the community as this tragedy unfolds.
In a recent update she states, “The level of catastrophic loss is still unfolding at the Beutler Ranch right now and is beyond comprehension. It is devastating a family-dynasty breeding program. A 95-year-old cowboy empire, what Elra, Jake and Lynn Beutler started and Elra’s grandson Bennie and his son Rhett built onto with Beutler and Son Rodeo Company today can’t be replicated or replaced.”
“Five generations of bloodlines were in the making and many of the stars of this breeding program are gone,” she adds. “The only surviving NFR bucking mare, Black Kat, was spared because she was at the Timber Creek Veterinary Hospital in Canyon, Texas when the contaminated feed was delivered.”
Dr. Gregg VeneKlasen, Beutler Ranch and Timber Creek veterinarian states, “Never buy horse feed from a mill that makes cattle feed. Period. Please quote me on that. Every horse who ate this feed is dead. The only Killer Bee baby who is still alive refused to eat the feed.”
He adds, “The one silver lining I’ve seen so far is the heartwarming generosity of other stock contractors stepping up and offering their stock to the Beutlers for the Elk City Rodeo of Champions in their hometown Aug. 30-Sept. 1.”
“This is how our rodeo family rolls in the toughest of times, and it’s something special to behold and be very proud of,” he continues.
“The Andrews and Beutlers go way back,” Sammy Andrews of Andrews Rodeo says. “Our families have always been kind of intertwined. Bennie and I have been best friends forever. So, it was a no-brainer for us to step in and help. When a disaster like this hits, the goodness of everybody steps up.”
In an honorable fashion, Black Kat won the Elk City Rodeo of Champions in the Beutler Bros. Arena, with Roedy Farrell of Thermopolis aboard, winning a score of 88.5.
Ionophore-free and safe feeds
To help prevent further public panic over feed safety, VeneKlasen states in an Aug. 31 press release, “Many brands of feed – Purina, Nutrena and Bluebonnet, to name a few off of the top of my head – are made in equine-only mills and are safe. I suggest people stay with the big commercial companies with strict regulations in place.”
He continues, “Because bucking-horse genetics are prone to metabolic syndrome, I feed Triple Crown Senior to everything here at Timber Creek Veterinary Hospital, even the babies, because it’s beet-pulp based feed with low sugar and high fat content.”
“If you’re going to get custom feed from a mill that makes feed for multiple species, including horses, cattle, goats, pigs and whatever else, make sure before it leaves the mill it’s been tested for ionophores,” VeneKlasen states.
“It’s not an expensive test, but it’s a critically important one,” he mentions. “You can’t have even trace amounts of ionophores, which can happen in unintentionally cross-contaminated feed, because the smallest dose impacts horses’ hearts. If they eat even a tiny amount of it and don’t die today, it might kill them in three weeks, three months or three years.”
Santos has been keeping a social media post on the issue up-to-date, including a recently added list of ionophore-free and ionophore-safe feed mills compiled by Equine Nutritionist Dr. Rachel Mottet, on behalf of VeneKlasen.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
