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Show Sivnnny Kerby Produces Top Area Rodeos D. A. (Swanny) Kerby has a rare occupation. He's a rodeo contractor r one of 32 in the nation. Mr. Kerby started his 'business in 1948 by supplying sup-plying a Moab rodeo with stock "because there was no one else in that kind of business." Two decades later, his Bar T Down is one of the best-known rodeo contracting contract-ing firms in the nation. Three years ago he was asked to stage two rodeos iin West Virginia. And that's a long ride, even for a man who knows "every trail and waterhole" in the hidden splendors now called call-ed Canyonlands. Born and raised in and around Moab, Mr. Kerby spent his youth in the open spaces. By the 1940's he had a small ranch near Moab. About that time the Bureau of Land Manage-, ment decided to combat the population explosion of mustangs on the area's open ranges. Mr. Kerby organized an outfit, and won the contract. For two seasons the horsemen rode through the spectacular scenery northeast north-east of Arches National Monument from the Colorado Colo-rado line to the Green River. Ri-ver. Wild horses were ferreted fer-reted out from the rims beneath the Book Cliffs. And near the Devils Gar- den, Kerby's horsemen discovered dis-covered a herd of about 275 animais running free as the wind. He now keeps several hundred head of stock, including in-cluding a string of 100 bucking horses. Rodeos also al-so use his Brahama bulls, steers and calves for events. ev-ents. : He acquires Brahamas from Mexico and Louisiana and buys bucking horses "wherever we can find them." Broncs which are useless for gentlemen riders are bought for about $150 each. If they stop bucking, they become "runaways" and are sold for as little as $50 each. Mr. Kerby estimates that each season his loss for replacements replace-ments is over $5,400. "We have as good a herd as any in the Northwest," Mr. Kerby says. And the quality of his stock is endorsed en-dorsed by the Rodeo Cowboys Cow-boys Association. Each year fhe RCA sends out "spotters" to locate the broncs and bulls that buck the hardest. Mr. Kerby usually us-ually has sent "a good share" of stock to the annual an-nual national finals. Last season Mr. Kerby was awarded the contract to produce one of the largest larg-est rodoes in the nation, which was held at the famous fam-ous Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, July 22-24 (six performances). |