Tommy Rand
In Town: Every weekend from April through October, Tommy, his family and his crew of about 10 men are working in a town somewhere. Rand Rodeo Company services rodeos in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. This has been going on since about 1969, for the Rands. The team hauls between 60 and 75 head of rodeo stock, bucking bulls and horses, Mexican roping steers and whatever else it takes to put on a rodeo. Tommy said, “I provide everything but the spectators, and I hope somebody brings them.”
At the Farm: Tommy keeps between 30 and 40 head of bucking bulls, 75 to 100 head of horses and a herd of Mexican roping steers. He said, “We’ve been real fortunate the last 15 years.” Tommy also has a herd of 150 head of momma cows and buys, sells and trades horses. His rodeo crew also doubles as the ranch crew, tending cattle, mending fences and breaking horses.
What makes a bull or a horse want to buck?
“Want to,” Tommy said. “No other way. If a horse wants to buck, it’ll buck. We’ll have 10 or 12 bull calves every year, bred to buck. Out of that 10 or 12, we’ll have two or three that want to buck.”
Tommy keeps his steers and calves at his ranch near Mountain Home, Ark. But the bucking horses and bulls are kept on a 650-acre farm on the Izard-Fulton County line. That’s where he has stronger pipe fencing. He said, “When you house 30 to 40 buckin’ horses and buckin’ bulls, you need good neighbors.”
How has your involvement with the rodeo allowed you to give back?
Tommy and his family are passionate about getting young people involved in rodeo through the Rand Little Britches Association (RLBA). Tommy also sponsors special days at his Mountain Home ranch where youngsters can practice their rodeo skills.
“You can come and play all day with us, and at night we have a weenie roast when it’s over. You can come and run barrels, poles and rope steers. Also, I get to be involved in 200 kids’ lives… The RLBA has been able to give away $38,000 worth of saddles and buckles. When you see a 4-year-old kid drag a saddle that they can’t even carry, with their eyes lit up, that makes it all worthwhile.”
By Jack and Pam Fortner
