PRO: John Rice

The Bust Out happens without preamble. After 30 minutes of pageantry—a troupe of angelic girls on horseback swinging flags, a prison drill team sweeping and pinwheeling their horses down the length of the arena, the national anthem, and an extended prayer for protection—the polished, somewhat professional façade of the Angola Rodeo crumbles into mayhem.

It raced toward me from the left side of the two-lane highway. The familiar big and white sign had become my own personal landmark over the years. On the outskirts of Sealy, Texas, just north of I-10 and Port City Stockyards, it signaled the countdown: 29 minutes to go before reaching my parents’ farm.

Pro

Randy Wayne White
When my physician told me, “The truth is, nicotine is a great drug,” I thought he was nuts.

The man was a chief resident at John Hopkins Hospital, for heaven’s sake. But he had been the first to effectively medicate the back pain I had suffered for a decade, so he had my attention.

With almost 700 known cowboy churches in North America, there is no doubt that spirituality is still a priority in cowboy culture. This Sunday, grab your dress hat and join some like-minded folk in worship.

To find a cowboy church near you, visit CowboyChurch.net.

As food, board, and vet bills become increasingly difficult to justify in hard economic times, many families face the difficult prospect of separating from their horses. And some owners must weigh the grim options of euthanasia, slaughter, or release (often illegal). Horse rescues, like Colorado Horse Rescue (chr.org), are filling up with starving and neglected animals.