Ann-Marie Fanner shares about their family’s special horse, Bucky:

Mr Star Bogie, “Bucky”, had come into our life when Rori, our daughter, had just lost her barrel racing horse. One night before bed, I felt like I needed to look one more time at Facebook and there was Bucky! Within 24 hours he was on a trailer headed to her - the stars aligned!

Prior to barrel racing, Bucky started out as a spicy ranch horse. With whatever job Bucky is tasked to do, he will give it his all from gathering cattle, roping, and even bucking (hence his name)! Rori has also trained him to do pole bending; he is now a 20-second pole horse! 

Bucky really is a silly goober. He has quirks, and that is what makes him “him”! He hates the rain on his nose and will dig a hole in the ground to bury his nose if needed to keep the rain off. Bucky still likes to buck (although, not to the same level as his younger years), but if he bucks in the warm-up pen, Rori knows it's going to be a great run! He loves to watch other horses run barrels prior to his run -- he will wiggle his lip out of excitement. 

Bucky is phenomenal with our kids. For being the Champion he is and beast in the arena during races, he has the gentlest soul. Since she was 4-years-old, Riot, our youngest daughter, has been warming him up and cooling him down for Rori and can handle him no problem. Although he loves the whole family, Rori is “his kid”. She can do no wrong in his eyes, and they are truly a team. He whinneys to her when he sees her coming toward him and watches her every move! 

Rori can dismount by taking a flip off of her saddle to celebrate a great run with Bucky. While we were told he was “quirky, watchy” and to “just be aware with him”, our family has never seen this behavior from him. Bucky seems to enjoy anything and everything Rori does on or around him - he just loves every minute!

Bucky’s amazing personality boils down to his heart. He partners with Rori on another level where they are in sync: this team thinks, breathes, and feels together. It is the most beautiful thing to watch!

When we got Bucky, Rori took him to their first race and they won it! We sent the video to the lady that had trained him and she was surprised to see that Rori ran Bucky to the right for the first barrel. She said he runs to the left! It was pretty funny because they won the race that way, and Rori ran him in that direction for years!

Before each run, Rori braids his mane and they talk about what their goals are for that race. It has become an important part of their pre-race routine - a quiet space to connect and link up before they run. 

In 2021, Bucky had a suspensory tear that went undiagnosed for 6 months. He saw a vet 4 different times because we knew something was off but couldn't find it. During the time we were unaware of suspensory tear, he was still winning races and clocking wicked fast pole times... he just gives everything he's got when he is with his kid that he loves, Rori! Finally, in December 2021, we found out about the tear, treated it very aggressively, and were told it would take at least 3 months to get him back to being able to run. We had him rechecked a month later (January 2022) and the vet couldn't believe his eyes! He said that had he not known that Bucky had the tear a month earlier that he would have thought nothing was wrong. And so, the vet gave Rori the greenlight to compete again. We like to think it was the love and spoiling Rori gave him during that month that helped him heal so well. 

I feel this exemplifies how Bucky’s level of commitment, respect, and heart helped him through his injury. He is absolutely an amazing athlete physically, but it is his heart and determination makes him great and the legend he has become!

Over the years, Bucky has had a very successful career. With Rori, he has won:

     · Over $200,000

     · Multiple 1D Championship Titles

     · Top 5 of the World in pole bending

     · The duo is on the Xtreme Wall of Fame

     · He was the 1D World Champion Horse

     · The duo has qualified four times in barrels and pole bending to the Junior World Finals 

     · Reserve 1D Championship Title three times at the Sherry Cervi Youth Race 

     · Honored as Sherry Cervi’s Youth Barrel Race choice for the “Horse with the Most Heart” 

The list could go on, and on! 

Bucky has made us fall in love with his pedigree - the Frenchmans Bogie line. All of his sire’s foals have a similar demeanor and a lot have that “never quit” attitude. We knew it was something we wanted to carry on in our program. With Bucky being a gelding, we knew to carry on his bloodlines that we’d have to go about it a little differently. Rori has taken earnings won with Bucky to invest back into our program to build a legacy. To date, our family has acquired two mares by Frenchmans Bogie along with a Bogie Nights, a 2020 stallion. We have 3 foals by this stallion set to hit the ground this spring (2024) and the mares are in foal as well. We can see a lot of similarities between Bucky and Bogie Nights, so we hope to have Rori competing with him in the next few years!

That said, our family’s goals for Bucky are to help him keep doing what he loves as long as he can! We are battling age to some extent, so we are making sure to keep him maintained, seen by the best vets, on a great supplement program, and to let him be loved by his girl! He loves to go win, so as long as he can, we will let him!