Billy Minick and Larry Mahan met in Sidney, Iowa. It is a vivid memory for Minick as he recalls a one ton truck with cattle racks, one horse in the cattle racks and pulling a travel trailer.
“The next day I was out there and he takes his horse and he puts him in the chute… He put his bucking saddle on him in the chute and he’d just crow hop out across there and Larry would get on him and ride him eight or ten seconds to practice his spurring lick. Then he’d just pull the flank, step off of him and lead him out. I said I’ve got to know this guy,” Minick said.
Fast forward and two years later, Minick said they left Sidney in a plane together.
Minick’s life is full of great memories with Mahan and one that he likes to recall takes place in Omaha, Nebraska in the 60’s. Six cowboys were sharing a hotel room and at 5:00 in the morning, Mahan left to go do an interview at a radio station. When asked why, Mahan put it simply. One day, it would help him and it would help professional rodeo. It was a statement that has stuck with Minick since that day.
These are just two of many memories shared between two legends, one of who will be greatly missed while the other carries on the legacy of the West.
