Bradie Jill Jones interviews the 2020 Fort Worth Stock Shoe & Rodeo Ranch Work Champion Brent Bennett about competing at Will Rogers Coliseum, his every day life as a working cowboy, and his beloved horse Badger.
Bennett says he caught some grief about the saddle he chose for the competition. “Well, you know, most people ride in a show saddle, and I brought mine that I day work out of and just use every day so,” Bennett says, “and when we leave here, I’ve got yearlings to look after. I’ve gotta check cows and probably doctor some this afternoon, so I figured we’d go straight from here, just like we do.”
That “we:" refers to both Bennett and Badger, his 5-year-old horse who Bennett makes clear is priceless. “I’m bad about making horses and selling them, but this one’s not for sale,” he says. “He’s got a special place. Everything I’ve asked him to do, he’s done it. He’s made my life complete, I guess you’d say.”