Star Plaudit (1948–c. 1970) nicknamed Red was a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

stock horse A stock horse is a horse of a type that is well suited for working with livestock, particularly cattle. The related cow pony or cow horse is a historic phrase, still used colloquially today, referring to a particularly small agile cattle-herdin ...

who excelled in

steer wrestling Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by grabbing its horns and pulling it off-balance so that it falls ...

and

barrel racing Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur a ...

. He was inducted into the

Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame The Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas, dedicated to the sport of rodeo. History This hall of fame was founded by Johnny Boren. Also contributing to the foundation were a group of Belton, Texas, bu ...

in 2015. He was inducted into the

ProRodeo Hall of Fame The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, pr ...

in 2017.

Background

Star Plaudit, nicknamed "Red", was born in 1948. Red was a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

. World champion barrel racer

Sherry Combs Johnson Sherry Combs Johnson (August 16, 1938 – August 2, 2023) was an American ProRodeo Hall of Fame barrel racer. In 1962, she won the World Barrel Racing Championship at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Fort Worth, Texas. Life Sherry Combs Johnso ...

first saw Red when her husband and his brother bought the horse together. Red was a

horse. Red was 8 years old then. The brothers competed on him for a time, but then the Johnsons bought his brother out. Combs Johnson needed a barrel horse. Red took to barrel racing almost instantly. Combs Johnson believed that the steer wrestling pattern was responsible for his easy transition and ability to run hard without many mistakes. According to Combs Johnson, Red was also a very independent horse who did not care for human attention. But he did tolerate her best; perhaps like could be used.

Career

Red accomplished a feat in rodeo that no other horse has duplicated. He won two world championships and assisted in the winning in another in one year. First, he carried his owner Combs Johnson to a

world championship. Then he carried her friend and hall of famer Tom Nesmith to a Rodeo Cowboys Association (now known as the

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National F ...

) steer wrestling world championship. Last, he assisted Nesmith in winning the

all-around The All-Around is an award given to a rodeo competitor who is most successful in two or more events. Most individual rodeos and championships determine the winner of this award at the conclusion of the other events or championships. Championshi ...

world championship. The year was 1962. "He was one of those once in a lifetime horses", said Johnson." For his early years, he competed in both events at most rodeos. After Combs Johnson was divorced, then Red was strictly hers and strictly a barrel horse.

Death and legacy

Combs Johnson retired Red when he was 18 years old. She let her daughter Becky ride Red in his retirement. Sometime after he had been in her pasture a few years, she sent Red to a family friend, whose young daughter kept Red in the front yard and rode him. It was a tough decision for her, one where she asked the new owners not to tell her when Red died. "Of course, I cried when they finally told me", she admits. Red is buried in

Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley (East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of College ...

. Red died when he was 22 years of age.

Pedigree

Source:

References

External links

2017 ProRodeo Hall of Fame Inductee Star Plaudit - YouTube video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Star Plaudit 1948 animal births 1970 animal deaths Horses in the United States Rodeo horses ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees