Travis Graves said goodbye March 31 to his iconic gelding Manny—registered as a solid Paint named BBF Barely Fancy—a horse the Oklahoma-born heeler won everything from the NFR average to the California Rodeo Salinas to the George Strait Team Roping Classic aboard.
The horse developed Cushing’s disease, leading to laminitis, and Graves consulted with his vets at Signature Equine before deciding to put the great horse down.
“It’s what was best, but it was still so hard,” Graves, 41, said. “Between him and Superstar, they did so much for me, my career and my family.”
Graves bought Manny in 2012 after his previous owner, Manny Egusquiza, had won the Southeast Circuit heeling on the gelding four times. But both Egusquizas were swapping to heading, so Graves picked him up and added him to his string.
In 2014, Graves won the US Open Prelims on him with Trevor Brazile, and he and Brazile also won third in the Open that same week. In 2015, Graves went to winning big on him, winning the George Strait with Clay Tryan, helping for Brazile to win the Cinch Timed Event Championship and winning The American with Kaleb Driggers all in one month.
“He taught me so much about the feel—what you expect and what you look for in a horse. The way he should make the corner and never take your shot away, just the correct way you have in your mind of how it should be. He was one of those horses that gave me that feel.”
Graves rode Manny at Salinas four times—running five head each year—and he won second on him twice and won the coveted title twice in those four appearances.
“Riding him was like stealing at Salinas,” Graves said. “He was just so fast, and he scored so good.”
In the opposite setup, Graves won the NFR average on Manny behind Chad Masters in 2017. He sustained a career-ending deep flexor injury in Round 10, though, and never fully recovered. Since then Manny’s been in a pasture at Graves’ place in Stephenville living the good life.
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