Page 83 - March_2022

THEIR HOME LIVES
Although Bob has some helpers in his racetrack operations, his and Gary’s wives, Shilo (whom Bob met at the racetrack in Fargo, North Dakota, and married 10 years ago) and Jodi (whom Gary met at a horse sale in Mandan, North Dakota, and married 24 years ago), star in most of the supporting roles. “Shilo is on the job at the racetrack every day,” Bob says. “If I have a horse to haul somewhere, she usually takes it, and she travels with me wherever I go.”
“Jodi works at a sale barn in Lemmon four days a week,” Gary says, “and she helps out by keeping track of papering the colts, mare breedings, foaling mares, and the rest of the book work here at the ranch.”
Gary and Jodi’s daughter Lexi, 18, also worked on the ranch until she left last fall for Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Although they’re not actively involved in the ranch now, Bob’s daughter Katelyn also attends Black Hills State University, and step- daughter Cheyann works at a college in Arizona and barrel races. Bob and Gary also have a brother, Mike, who sells used cars in Dickinson, North Dakota. “He’s smart; he got a real job,” Bob jokes.
When asked what they consider their biggest success, Gary sarcastically says, “Surviving on a horse ranch in the middle of nowhere! It’s 90 miles to Walmart!
“We’ve been raising horses that have been doing really well, both racehorses and barrel horses,” he adds. “We bred and raised Hastabeflicknfast (Hasta Be Fast-Flick Your Brakes, No Brakes Now) who was the AQHA Reserve World Champion Senior Barrel Horse this year, and another one that’s by our stud but we didn’t raise is Whatcha Lookn At (Hasta Be Fast-I Love Crafty, Crafty Ridan), who was the 2018 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) Derby Champion.”
They also raised Eyes On The Prize, the Five-State Breeders Barrel Futurity Amateur Winner in 2017.
Bob half-jokes that his biggest success is making it through the ’80s. “Those were rough times,” he says, then adds, “For me, winning over 1,000 races as of 2008 was kind of cool. But South Dakota has all but shut down, so this year we’ll go to Miles City, Montana, in April and maybe to Gillette, Wyoming, after that.”
In the meantime, they have about 25 horses in the barn headed to the racetrack, and when they’re not working on the track or at the ranch, they spend their time going to horse sales.
“This is what we’ve done our whole lives,” Bob concludes.
Bob with his wife, Shilo, at Heritage Place.
Whatcha Lookn At, sired by Hasta Be Fast, at the 2018 WPRA Derby Championship.
SPEEDHORSE March 2022 81
G a r y w i t h
w i f e , J o d i , a n d
d d a a u u g g h h t t e e r r, , L L e e x x i i , , a a t t h e r g r a d u a t i o n .
Bred and raised
by the Johnson’s, Hastabeflicknfast was named AQHA Reserve World Champion Senior Barrel Horse.
Courtesy Bob Johnson
Courtesy Jodi Johnson Courtesy Jodi Johnson
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse