The ProRodeo trail may not exactly be like the magical Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz, but it does have its own version of the horse of many colors.

The aptly named El Chapo changes from a chestnut in the summer to a dark, almost bay in the winter, according to his owner J.C. Yeahquo. 

What never changes is his performance.

“He’s good at everything and so easy,” Yeahquo, 24, said. “He’s maybe not great at anything but he’s good at everything.”

Thanks in large part to El Chapo, Yeahquo is heading to his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2024 after earning $126,296 while roping with Buddy Hawkins. He’ll go into Las Vegas ranked eighth in the PRCA World Standings.

El Chapo was bred by Jim Mullin of Westville, Oklahoma, and is registered Captain Playboy Chex. The 14-year-old gelding is by the Freckles Playboy son Playboy Alice and out of MJ Snickels Doll by Great Captain Jac.

Yeahquo’s dad, Luke, first spotted the horse when he was owned by his neighbors, the Fierros. 

“They roped on him a bit, and I’d always seen him and he looked like he moved his feet good,” Yeahquo noted. “My dad found out they were thinking of selling and said, ‘You want to come try him?’”

Trying was believing, and Yeahquo was sold after the first ride.

“After that, I had to have him,” he joked. “He’s been awesome, a really fun ride, and it’s cool to have one this good that came from a friend.”

El Chapo joined Yeahquo’s stable in 2019.

“He had been to some ropings but no rodeos,” he explained. “I used him in high school and college rodeos, so he’s been through the ringer at this point.”

Riding El Chapo, Yeahquo won a Reserve National Championship at the College National Finals Rodeo in 2021 with brother L.J. before setting out on the ProRodeo trail full-time.

“El Chapo’s been so good to me,” Yeahquo said. “He’s done everything I’ve asked and done it pretty darn good.”

The Yeahquos liked El Chapo so much that they sought Mullin out to see if he had any brothers and sisters. They discovered that he had lost MJ Snickels Doll and was no longer breeding Playboy Alice, more or less leaving El Chapo a one-of-a-kind.

For those wondering, the horse’s name came from his confirmation and not the infamous drug gang-lord.

“El Chapo is Spanish slang for shorty, and he’s maybe 14.3 and pretty darn wide,” Yeahquo chuckled.

Yeahquo says the gelding is gentle enough to turn his young nephews loose on but does have his quirks.

“He’s pretty easy, the only bad habit—and I should probably do something about it but I just let him do it—is he tries to walk really fast and is a little jittery,” he admitted. 

Concrete and fairs are something else, too.

“He’s not very handy on concrete,” Yeahquo said. “When I have to ride him through a fair or carnival, he gets really nervous acting and jumps sideways. He gets all crazy and fired up. But he loves his job.”

After finishing 27th in the PRCA World Standings a year ago, El Chapo and Yeahquo’s 2024 campaign started with a huge boost thanks to winning RodeoHouston in March.

Ironically, his biggest win didn’t start with El Chapo. Yeahquo chose another horse from his string for the first two rounds of the Super Series competition before switching back to old faithful when the chips were down. With El Chapo underneath him, Yeahquo and Hawkins swept through the final round of the Super Series and into the SemifInals and ultimately claimed the championship worth $54,375.

“He’s amazing indoors, there’s probably not many better,” Yeahquo said. “He’s got a good stride, pulls good and never gets caught in the wall.”

“He’s good outside,” Yeahquo noted, explaining some of his rationale for not starting with the gelding initially inside the huge Reliant Energy Arena at Houston, “but he’s not as fast.”

Thanks to maintenance treatments like the use of a Magnawave machine, El Chapo has felt his best in 2024 despite being in his teens and traveling the long rodeo road.

“He started running harder, like a whole different horse,” Yeahquo laughed. “I had to figure out how to get back in time with him but he’s never missed a step.”

With a rejuvenated—and now sorrel El Chapo—the summer was golden, allowing Yeahquo to continue to pick up checks and coast into his first Finals. Though El Chapo will probably be looking bay by December, Yeahquo thinks he’ll shine in any color inside the tiny Thomas & Mack in Vegas.

“I think he’ll enjoy it,” he said. “He scores so good for short barriers, and he doesn’t overrun steers.”

One part of the NFR experience that isn’t likely to be on El Chapo’s list? Two words: Grand. Entry.

“I rode him in the grand entry at the CNFR and he was as stiff as could be in the bit,” Yeahquo chuckled at the memory. “He just took off.”

“If I ride him in a grand entry, he’s worked up for the rest of the night.”

Luckily, others can pitch hit for the parade of states, leaving the job of winning big checks in the team roping to the steady gelding that Yeahquo describes as irreplaceable.

“It would be hard for a horse to fill his shoes,” he said. “I don’t think I could find another one that would fit me like he does.”