The dogs have been used on cattle gathering expeditions in Southern Florida, where "alligators lay and waited for hot, thirsty dogs to come to the water's edge," to Georgia, where large timber companies like Weyerhaeuser "harbor maverick cattle in brush and vines so think that is it almost impossible to walk in, much less ride a horse." His travels have taken him to New Mexico, the west coast of California and the vast plains of the Kansas Flint hills, where fattened cattle are gathered for market, sometimes weighting in excess of 1,100 pounds—a real pain to handle. And John has lots of experience in Oklahoma, where he has been in partnership with his father and four brothers for many years.
John lost his arm when, thinking that electricity was turned off, he sustained 7,200 volts for ten seconds. The electricity was so intense that it exited his abdomen, leaving intestines showing. The electricity burned through leg muscles and through his fingers to the point that he was pronounced dead. He was eventually revived through CPR, licked his wounds for months, then returned to ranching and eventually to the rodeo circuit. Through this shocking experience, he became the famed One Armed Bandit.
Although John is Back Home in Benton this
week, he has taken his act throughout Canada and the United States and
has been seen in some of the top horse shows and rodeos. Prince Phillip
expressed great appreciation of the horsemanship displayed and has invited
John to Great Britain.
John has been named the PRCA Specialty Act of years 1989 through 1996.
The tradition of the show has been carried on by John's son, Lynn, and
by daughter, Amanda. We welcome John to the Great Benton Rodeo.
