The Ivory Rodeo Company stock that you will see during a summer at the Cody Nite Rodeo include 100 head of bucking horses, 35 bulls, 12 head of saddle horses, 45 head of roping and steer wrestling cattle and 25 roping calves.

The Ivory Rodeo Company uses bucking horses and bulls from 6 western states, as far east as New Jersey and Florida, north to Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada and south to Mexico. Some of the bucking horses are 4th and 5th generation bucking horses raised by stock contractors and ranchers such as Kesler Rodeo, Montana and Alberta, Canada; Jim Anther, rancher, Alberta, Canada; and Max Burch, rancher/rodeo producer, Rosette, Wyoming.

The most natural instinct of a horse is to try to rid himself of whatever, or whoever, gets on his back. From the time he is a young wobble-legged colt the horse's senses tell him not to submit to dominance by man.

Obviously, there are thousands of horses broken each year as today's horse population continues to grow at an extremely fast pace. Yet there are those horses, each year, that become one of the select few to end up in someone's rodeo string. Bucking horses are much like the cowboys that live to ride themspirited, untamed, each having its own unique characteristics. it is very vital that the cowboy know as much as possible about the bucking pattern of each horse he rides. These animal athletes are capable of some incredible moves durin an eight second ride.

Longevity of life is more apparent among rodeo horses than any other group because of the leisurely lifestyle. Today's rodeo bucking horse spends approximately five minutes a year "working" bucking cowboys off or carrying them to the pay window.

Stock contractors, as they are called, have millions invested in horses and bulls. A contractor has a real pride in his stock-pride like the coach of the high school champion football team. Nothing will bring more satisfaction to the stock contractor than when one of his broncs bucks off a top-notch cowboy.

What's a bucking horse worth to the stock contractor? Outstanding bucking horses and bulls have sold for as much as $25,000. So you see why Jim Ivory is proud of and takes such great care of the livestock you see here at the world famous Cody Nite Rodeo.

Cody Nite Rodeo and Cody Stampede Program 1996, page 11