RAPID CITY, S.D., Feb. 3, 2010 --- Onida-raised bucking horses and bulls have been adding 
quality to roughstock herds around the region for more than a generation.
Twenty-five years ago, the Sutton family began holding a sale of their broncs and bulls 
in conjunction with the Black Hills Stock Show Rodeo, and this year their highest volume 
buyer was Vern McDonald of LaLaBiche, Alberta.
McDonald, who owns a construction company in the crude oil industry called Swamp Cats, 
and his cousin, Dean McDonald, have quietly been building what most agree will be one 
of the best bucking-horse strings on the continent.
On Wednesday, they purchased 18 head of broncs from Suttons that included the high seller. 
Lot 576 is a mare with the bloodlines of Sutton’s great stallion, Justin Boots, and their mare 
Showtime, an NFR bronc that was sold to Jerry Nelson a couple of years ago.
The top bull was consigned by Kim Halverson of Hartford, S.D., and went to Glen Southwick
of Lusk, Wyo., for $2,700. The sale was also a competition for riders, with Cole Elshere 
of Faith winning the saddle bronc riding, Ty Kenner of Wood Lake, Neb., winning the 
bareback riding, and C.J. Pesicka of Timber Lake, S.D., earning top honors in bull riding.
McDonald, whose new purchases were mostly 4-year-old mares, is a member of the 
Cree Nation, and frequently contracts stock to All-Indian rodeos north of the border. 
The McDonalds are responsible for the addition of roughstock events to Indian rodeos, and 
their future plans are to produce an all-roughstock tour in Canada through their company, 
Alberta Roughstock.
“We just wanted to add good another good bloodline,” said McDonald. “I like the Royal 
River horses because I knew the stud.”
McDonald, who also previously purchased Sutton bucking stallions Waynes World 
and Checkers, will likely winter his new group of buckers in North Dakota because the 
prices are better.
“We like to cross American studs on Canadian horses,” said Dean. “These horses down 
here perform a lot and have the athleticism and stamina we want. The horses we bought 
today had good motion and looked really good.”
The McDonalds believe there’s a hefty demand for quality bucking horses today, and 
foresee broncs commanding skyrocketing prices in the near future.