Photos: Taylor Gilkey
At RFD-TV’s The American Semi-Finals this past week, Canadian saddle bronc rider Kolby Wanchuck placed fourth overall, earning a coveted spot in the Finals, and his success has to be partially credited to the horse that got him there — a fierce competitor that the Frontier Rodeo Company affectionately calls Crazy Eyes.
While recently visiting Frontier Rodeo Company’s elite crew of equine athletes, The Cowboy Channel team made Crazy Eyes’ acquaintance.
When we arrive, he’s standing alone in a pen, looking lean and mean. We can see that his body is almost pure muscle as he huffs and stomps his hoof upon our approach. The already ominous figure becomes even more so when we get close enough to look him in the eyes. One is a dark espresso brown and the other a milky white, with a small pitch-black iris that darts from side to side. His name now makes sense.
Ranch hand Preston Kafka is met with reluctance when he tells the team we can get in the pen. But as we enter — at a safe distance behind Kafka — Crazy Eyes becomes chipper, dancing around and seeming to “turn it on” for the camera. He crosses his legs, tosses his head, turns left, turns right.
“He’s kind of a poser,” Kafka says with a laugh, also explaining that Crazy Eyes is only being isolated for his protection as one of Frontier Rodeo Company’s main studs.
Outside of the arena, this formidable powerhouse is spirited and affable.
That’s not to say it wouldn’t be intimidating to stare into those eyes when climbing in the chute. And when it opens, Crazy Eyes performs just as well for a crowd as he does for a camera. The seasoned bucking horse has a low buck-off percentage and an average score of over 80, making him just the type a cowboy wants to draw.
When matched up with Wanchuck in The American Semi-Finals Short Round, Crazy Eyes did his job like a pro, bucking high and hard for the full eight seconds. He earned the Canadian cowboy 76.5 points, putting him in fourth overall and securing him a spot in the Finals to fight for $1 million at AT&T Stadium.
This weekend, Wanchuck has the chance make a significant jump in the World Standings from his current spot at 30 and get one step closer to his first Wrangler NFR.
Watch Kolby Wanchuck vs. Crazy Eyes at RFD-TV’s The American Semi-Finals: