Early in the 2024 edition of The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio, presented by Tito’s, auctioneer Steve Friskup dropped the gavel to the ring of $180,000 on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lot 8 with a 6-year-old red roan gelding Rusty Peptoboosmal riding through the sale ring.
That horse just so happened to be consigned by Brooke and Rodey Wilson, of Canyon, Texas, making this their third consecutive high seller of this prestigious sale. Their first-ever high seller was in 2022 when they sold Sportin Roscoe (“South Point”) for $200,000, and in 2023 when they sold TRR Kadabra Kat (“Honkey Tonk”) for $160,000.
Wilson sells good horses to good buyers
“I can’t believe it,” Brooke Wilson said. “It’s nerve-racking because you don’t really know what’s going to happen, or who is going to show up or if there’s something better that they’re waiting on. You just have to bring a good horse and see what happens.
“Twizzler is probably the most different of the other ones,” she continued. “He was the easiest of the three to ride, I think. ‘South Point’ was a lot more horse in every way. ‘Honkey Tonk’ was in the middle. He was easy. It’s kind of crazy how they all are. I ride every horse the same and I want them to have the same feel, but they are different. It’s hard to explain. I just kind of let the horse do the talking I guess.”
Rusty Peptoboosmal, known as Twizzler, was sold online to Javier Rodriguez, who purchased Honkey Tonk in the 2023 sale. In the same fashion, Rodriguez jumped online and bid through the Superior Livestock Auction.
“I didn’t try to do it again, I promise,” Rodriguez joked about purchasing the high seller two years in a row. “Twizzler is something else. When I had seen him, I was blown away.”
Roping on Rusty Peptoboonsmal
Unlike Rodriguez’s 2023 purchase which was made site unseen, he made the call to Brooke to come meet her in person and try Twizzler.
“He actually came out to ride him,” Brooke said. “I went back and watched his videos of him riding him over and over and that horse was unbelievable for him. He’s a #3 [roper] and that horse made him look like a #6. It was unreal. I’m just so glad he’s going to someone that’s going to enjoy him.”
Rodriguez also appreciated how well the horse worked for him.
“She told me, ‘You can run 10 steers or 100 steers, it’s not a problem,’” Rodriguez added. “So I went and roped just a few steers on him and he was perfect. I just couldn’t believe how good he was. I was kicking him and pushing buttons that I probably shouldn’t have, and he made it work. That’s way I was sold.”
Rusty Peptoboonsmal’s roots
Unlike the conventional Wilson Cattle Co. trained horses, Twizzler had a different training program. The Wilson’s acquired Twizzler a few years prior to the sale after seeing him at a jackpot being roped on by Levi Parker, who initially started him in the team roping.
“When you see a horse that looks like Twizzler, you go ask about him and see if you can take him home,” Brooke said. “He was still pretty green on the head side. They just heeled on him.”
Having purchased a horse that had already been started is a little out of the norm for the Wilson clan, as they typically purchase horses to start themselves.
“We just got to go on and enjoy him,” Brooke said. “We don’t buy very many horses at all that have already been started, but I had seen that kid rope on him, and he was cool. His looks alone are so amazing. Then to go win on him—that’s hard to find.”
Winning with Wilson
And win they did. Brooke won the #10.5 on the head side at the Riata Buckle on Twizzler in 2022. Twizzler then was on the winning team of the exact roping in 2023, this time on the heel side.
“Even at the Riata Buckle the first year, I was pregnant. We had Rio (Brooke and Rodey’s now 10-month-old son) and then Rio got to hang out on him and ride him,” Brooke said of Twizzler. “I’m not saying he’s the most talented horse that we’ve ever had, but he’s the winningest horse. It doesn’t matter who rides him.”
Wilson Cattle Co. wisdoms
After enjoying the gelding herself and watching close friends and family find success on him, Twizzler’s new owner Rodriguez hopes to find the same success after taking his time to bond with the horse.
“I’m going to get to know him and ride him at my house and maybe take him to a jackpot,” Rodriguez said. “These horses just have to get used to the way I ride and the way I rope. Honkey Tonk knows how bad I screw up and he makes up for where I lack. I think Twizzler is built the same way.”
With the confidence knowing they sold the horse to a good home, Brooke has time to reflect what makes the Wilson Cattle Co. so successful and the is having a strong team being them.
“We have True Lacina that works for us full time, and he’s been awesome this year. I can depend on him. He’ll heel steers for me all day,” Brooke said. “He’s never one time asked me, ‘How many more are you going to ride today.’ That means a lot.
“The Lacinas have been a huge blessing to us. They are great friends of ours and Westin is 14. He helps us ride the horses and helps show them for me when I want to do videos. Then I have Sami Mcguire; she does a lot for us with videoing. And my mom, Tracey Hughes, she has been here the last month helping with Rio, and I couldn’t have done this without her.”
Along with having a team of people in your corner, if you ask what the makes the Wilson Cattle Co. training work so well, Brooke will say, “A good horse, I guess. Something you can win on. I swear every year the competition gets harder and harder. If you don’t have a good horse, you aren’t going to win. We bring our best here that way we can actually enjoy being out here all winter. And then we sell them when we’re done. I hope I get to own another one like Twizzler. They’re hard to find, and it’s fun having a great one.”
— TRJ —
The Riata Buckle Ropings are available on Roping.com
