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Some of the 2019 Pink Buckle Awards
Lance’s lifelong love for rodeo led him to launch the Pink Buckle barrel racing stallion incentive and regional event series in 2018.
The Pink Buckle’s success led to the launch of the Ruby Buckle in 2019, which allows entry by progeny of 100 stallions in addition to the Pink Buckle’s 50 stallions and touts a $1.6 million payout.
“I think it’s a game changer,” says Keith. “It’s going to allow so many people the opportunity to go and win the biggest check they’ve ever won.
“What’s interesting is that last year, we had a little gelding we raised, Boots N Boardroom, who went to the Pink Buckle. He hadn’t had the best 5-year-old year, and he didn’t even come close to sniffing the money in the first or second rounds — I mean, he’s running in the 4D, maybe the high
3 — and he won a $22,000 check for winning
the 4D average. Just imagine if this was someone whose biggest check was 125 bucks in the 4D! It’s a moment that they’re never going to forget, and it’s going to be amazing because hundreds, maybe thousands, of people are going to have that kind of memory because of Lance and Chad, who were willing to take the blows and get this going.”
Life After Hours
Throughout the past 40 years, Lance and Marla have welcomed three children to their family: Brooke, 39; Clint, 37; and Trevor, 31. Clint lives on Fairholme Farm and along with his work there, carries on his dad’s love for rodeo: roping calves, bull dogging and team
roping. The couple has nine grandchildren, whom they love spending time with.
“We don’t really have any hobbies,” Marla says. “Lance loves to rope, so if he gets away from the [breeding side of the] horses, he gets to go to the rodeo arena. We’re all-in for the horses.”
“The real off-time for me is the grandkids,” says Lance. “We spend a lot of time with them. Clint has two sons, 6 and 9, who are involved in horses, and I look forward to the days when we can go with them to the rodeos and help them get going. I like to take them on vacations, too.”
By passing on the skills learned through a lifetime in the equine world, Lance and Marla hope to enjoy their life’s work for many years to come.
“The real off-time for me is
the grandkids.” Lance and wife Marla with their children and grandchildren
SPEEDHORSE May 2020 39