Tommy Rand
In Town: Every weekend from April through October you will find Tommy, his family and his crew of 10 men working somewhere around Mountain Home, Ark. Rand Rodeo Company services rodeos in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma 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, a herd of Mexican roping steers and 150 head of momma cows.
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.”
But the bucking horses and bulls are kept on a 650-acre farm on the Izard-Fulton County line.”
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 ranch where youngsters can practice their rodeo skills.
“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.”
Story and Photo by Jack and Pam Fortner
