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By Peggy Nelson
Excerpted from “The Bucking Horse Man”
Printed with permission

     The first professional Wild West show that Leo Moomaw saw was held in Omak on the south end of Main Street in 1912.
     Bronc riding was the featured event along with horse races, foot races, roping contests, and other activities designed to draw a crowd to town. A corral was set up to hold the stock and makeshift grandstands held the excited crowd.
     Leo had handled some pretty tough stock in his 16 years as he broke several wild horses and some tame ones to ride. He had entered bronc riding contests at festivals held at Nespelem and Keller, and had done all right.
     Feeling a little cocky with his ability to ride, Leo and some of his friends rode to town to enter the bucking contest. It seemed to his parents, Sam and Ellen Moomaw, that this may be a good time for a family outing and shopping trip.
     The wagon was loaded with items to sell, goods to trade, and supplies for the family. They headed out from the ranch in Monse to Omak, 30 miles away. They all camped on the banks of the Okanogan River at the edge of town.
     The prize money was attractive but the excitement of competition drew the contestants. The best of the local cowboys signed up to ride, rope, and race.
     These were events that occurred every day on the ranch. Eneas Dick, Big Sam, Flynn Peone, Paul Byma, Dave Meyers, George and Pete Marchand, Lawrence Morris, and the Condon boys (Bill, Smith, and Dan) all entered the show.
     The competitors formed new bonds of friendship as they helped each other prepare for their events.
     This show was not like the small local holiday festivals that Leo had attended before. It had an air of showmanship that played to a paying crowd with bright colors and thrilling sounds.
     The arena crew worked well together and saddling time for the broncs was kept to a minimum. The cowboys seemed to ride a little better and showed off more in front of a cheering crowd.
     The announcer was also the judge and kept the audience apprised of the events happening before them. The judge carried a pistol that signaled the end of the ride if the cowboy was still aboard the bronc.
     His decisions about the quality of the ride may have been seriously influenced by the reaction of the crowd to a ride in the arena.
     When his turn was called, Leo saddled his blindfolded mount and climbed aboard. The horse snorted and jumped forward.
     He bucked straight away snorting and bawling all the way. The horse spent himself after a few tries to unseat his rider.
     Leo spurred the horse high and rode well to the crack of the judge’s pistol but did not win the prize.
     Leo’s eyes were wide open as he took in the spectacle unfolding around him. These people had taken an activity that he did every day and made it a performance that people traveled a ways to see and paid hard-earned cash to watch.
     Sam noticed, too, the excitement in the area and the new sense of wonder in his son’s eyes. They would have many conversations about the Wild West show and possibilities for the future.
     Leo continued gathering horses through capture, trade, or stock he raised on the ranch. Good, strong horses were kept to ride and the others were turned back to the open range.
     Those horses that could be broke to ride or work were traded or sold. Although cash bought goods and supplies, Leo preferred to trade for what he needed or wanted and he usually came out ahead in his trades.
     The U.S. Cavalry was buying good horses for soldiers to use in the Army.
     Army standards demanded that all horses purchased must be a certain height and color. In order to get the horses meeting their standards, the Army started a remount program that involved the loan of Kentucky thoroughbred stallions that could be crossed with ranch mares.
     Dan Condon and Dave Meyers had joined up with Leo and George after competing against each other in the local bronc riding contests. They helped gather wild horses during the week and rode them on the weekends.
     Friends and neighbors began to gather at the ranch to watch the action as the boys tried out the new stock.
     Many of the wild horses and remount stock were too rank for soldiers to handle and the tryout gatherings turned into an every Sunday bucking horse event at the ranch. The neighbors then had the first opportunity to buy or trade for horses they could use before they went to market.
     Leo built corrals to manage the stock and growing crowds. In order to speed up the process of saddling, he built a special runway with a chute on the end that confined the animal while the saddle was put in place and the rider mounted.
     The gate was opened and the fun began.

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     Leo Moomaw and Tim Bernard were founders of the Omak Stampede. They provided stock for and organized the first rodeo. “The Bucking Horse Man” is a yet-to-be-published book about Moomaw’s life.