Favored Son of Silverton

This is a story I wrote for Dally Times Magazine.  It was published in the November edition. 

Hope you enjoy. 

The Texas Caprock is one of the state’s most fascinating, majestic landmarks.  Rising on the horizon, the magnificent mesa separates two distinct geographic sections of West Texas: South and East are some of Texas’ most famous ranches, sprawling across the rugged mesquite and cedar covered terrain where the traditions that make the cowboy way of life so appealing continue to thrive in the 21^st century.  North and West lay the Llano Estacado and the seemingly endless Great Plains – where farms and feedyards produce the bounty that helps feed not only the nation, but also much of the world.  While the Caprock’s beauty can compel one to pull up stakes and move there, it’s a hard place to make a living and as a result fewer people call the area home as did 50 years ago.  The remaining descendants of the area’s settlers have endured because of good fortune or hard work and tenacity, or some of both. 

Walt Arnold, who has lived there all of his 71 years, has thrived on the Caprock due to diligence and dedication, rather than simple good luck.  An impeccable character shaped by a hardscrabble lifestyle and strong faith in God have allowed Walter – as he is known by friends and neighbors – to take rare talents with horses and ropes and land an induction in the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.  These attributes make him not just a local hero, but one of the most respected cowboys in the nation.

Deep Panhandle Roots

Arnold’s grandfather, J.H. Burson, came to Amarillo in the 1880s with two sisters and $10.  He homesteaded in the Palo Duro Canyon near where famed trail driver, Charles Goodnight, had also established roots.  It was not long, however, before Goodnight wanted the “nesters” out of the canyon and began making offers to buy them out.  Burson knew relocation was in his future and while some resisted Goodnight’s offers, he negotiated with the legendary rancher to expand his fledgling operation.  He worked out a deal to trade two sections of land for five of Goodnight’s up on the Caprock.  Burson made sure he was able to pick his five sections and, knowing an area where an earthen tank could be dug for life-sustaining water, the trade was made. 

Besides being very entrepreneurial, Burson also had a knack for roping and he expanded his cattle herd by claiming maverick cattle on the vast Texas Plains.  Fortunately for Arnold he inherited his grandfather’s roping skills as well as some of the fertile land on the edge of the Caprock in Briscoe County, Texas. 

Life on the Texas Panhandle wasn’t much easier in the 1930s and 1940s than when Burson settled there, thus young Walter and his siblings toiled alongside their parents to provide for themselves and keep the family ranch in-tact.  He recently told Livestock Weekly, “… back then, it took the whole family to make a living.  Everybody worked, which was good.  We all had good work ethics.” 

Depending on how one looks at it, Arnold was one of those fortunate, or unfortunate, kids who roped hundreds of pasture cattle doctoring screw worms.  While the parasite cost the livestock industry millions, the need to treat the larvae infested wounds made outstanding ropers out of men like Arnold and others who dominated professional roping events from the 1950s through the ‘80s. 

Learning the ropes

When he was about 10, Arnold began riding his horse the eight miles to Silverton to rope calves with friends on Sunday afternoons.  Entering his first rodeo four years later, his father loaded the aspiring competitor’s horse in a pickup with sideboards and they drove 90 miles to Post, Texas, for a junior rodeo.  Arnold didn’t draw a check but was badly bitten by the rodeo bug.  He began chasing the dream, roping in rodeos, jackpots and matched ropings.  By the time he was 20, he knew his roping could only become a career if he could win enough to cover most of his expenses and supplement winnings with income from other sources.  The work ethic instilled by his parents became very important as he honed skills as a steer and calf roper while working for area ranchers, breaking colts and selling a few finished rope horses. 

In the early 60s he got the confidence booster he needed when he entered a steer roping in McLean, Texas.  For a poor ranch kid, it was a very intimidating milestone because the $250 entry fee almost equaled the $300 he drew each month on a local ranch.  Eleven former world champions were there for a shot at the pot, making the tension greater.  Arnold placed second and from that day forward he knew he could compete at the professional level steer ropings.  He quit his job and embarked on a roping career in a 1960 Pontiac Tempest that pulled a two-horse, side-by-side trailer.  Hitting the road that summer his first big rodeos were in Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming.  He won the steer roping at Laramie and placed at Cheyenne.  The modest ranch kid with the strong work ethic was well on his way. 

“Finals” and friends

By 1965, Arnold made his first appearance at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) joining the ranks of the nation’s most elite steer ropers.  From then on, if it was a Sunday afternoon at the San Angelo Roping Fiesta, OS Ranch Roping, the Windy Ryon Memorial or at Cheyenne, Pendleton, Bushyhead, Oklahoma or any number of other places where steer ropers gather you could bet – and many did – that Arnold was in the thick of it against the likes of roping legends Sonny Davis, Don McLaughlin, Olin Young, Tuffy Thompson and Charles and Gary Good, to name a few.  Winning the title of world’s champion steer roper in 1969, he remained a serious contender through 1986, when he earned a berth at the Finals at age 47.  Besides being runner up in the world in ‘71, ‘78 and ‘79, he was in the top five seven times between 1969 and 1982.  He ranks third behind Guy Allen and Arnold Felts for most trips to the NFSR, with 19 total appearances, and he won the event average in ‘65 and ‘78. 

Arnold’s versatility earned him two team roping appearances at the National Finals Rodeo, heading for Bob Ragsdale in 1966 and heeling for Tim Prather in 1968, while he continued winning his share of the money in tie-down roping at rodeos and jackpots.  Although steer roping has been his bread-and-butter event, he’ll admit roping calves is still his favorite.

One can’t rodeo for such an extended period of time without developing strong friendships and one of Arnold’s closest traveling buddies is likely James Allen, an outstanding steer roper in his own right and father of steer roping legend – Guy Allen. 

“We were best of friends and our families were an extension of each other,” Allen said.  “We traveled hard together for seven years, and two brothers could not have gotten along any better than we did.”

Besides sharing similar physical features (people still confuse the two), Arnold and Allen shared a passion for training and riding good rope horses, frequently using each other’s at jackpots and rodeos. 

“I was driving to San Antonio to rope calves in the slack one year when the snow slowed me down,” Allen said.  “It made me late and I ran into the coliseum to see when I roped and they were calling my name.  Walter was sitting on his horse, but didn’t see me run in.  I stepped up beside him, slapped him on the leg and said, ‘I need this horse.’  I went and roped my calf and didn’t miss a beat.” 

The two friends relied on each other for more than horses, sharing winnings to make sure both could stay on the road together. 

“The Good Lord just looked after us,” Allen said.  “One year before Cheyenne, Walter told me he was out of money and was going to draw out and head home.  Nothing doing.  I paid his fees and he went and won the first go-round at Cheyenne.  Walter was always very encouraging to me and I hope I was to him.” 

Facing adversity with faith

At least twice in his professional career Arnold has had to call on his personal strength and faith to deal with setbacks.  In 1970 he suffered a wrist injury that his doctor said would end his career.  Not satisfied with this opinion he sought another from a physician for the Denver Broncos whose treatment and therapy allowed him to return to competition. 

Time away from competition also got Arnold pondering where he stood with his maker. 

“In 1970 I felt God beginning to chase after me,” he said.  “Although I had been a Christian for most of my life, I ran from the Lord for about three years until I rededicated my life to Christ.  In 1974, I became a charter member of the Cowboy Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, something that I’m very proud of.” 

It was his faith that would get him through perhaps a larger crisis in 1984.  With a weak cattle market, his ranching business floundered.  Arnold’s longtime cattle business partner, Gene Newman, died, further putting him in a significant financial bind.  He did not make the steer roping finals in 1983 and rodeo winnings were not picking up the slack.  To further complicate matters, a divorce was taking its toll and the house he had known as home for most of his life burned, claiming all his personal belongings, including his 1969 world championship buckle. 

“It was a very tough time, but I kept my trust in the Lord,” said Arnold.  “Some jackpot roping winnings and especially training and selling rope horses kept me afloat, and things finally got better.”

The next two years saw Arnold back in his championship form with two more NFSR appearances in 1985 and ’86.  As the decade ended, he stepped back from fulltime rodeo competition and devoted more time to ranching, team roping, and training and selling rope horses.  Horsemanship and training is an area where he’s made a significant mark and many top contenders in tie down, team roping and steer roping have had big paydays on Walt Arnold horses.  When his sons were at home, it was not uncommon for them to have 20 or more horses in training.  While his modesty won’t allow him to brag, he has sold an abundance of expensive horses over the years. 

Staying strong

Today, at 71, Arnold rides five rope horses in a regimen that would fatigue many 30-year-olds.  It keeps him and the horses in tip-top shape.  Three to five days a week he will take four horses for a five-mile ride across his ranch before lunch.  Riding one and leading another, he’ll make two large swings through parts of his ranch, including some rugged parts of Palo Duro Canyon.  Afternoons are spent in the arena, roping on as many as four mounts.  Arnold’s experiences prowling pastures and roping and doctoring cattle enhance his ability to keep horses conditioned and prepared for training and competition.  He recently told the ProRodeo Sports News: “It’s a big advantage to know how to keep a horse working, and a lot of guys who don’t have a background like that don’t know how to keep horses working.” 

Arnold’s current string is adept at doing more than team roping.  He and wife Sandra (he remarried two years ago) ride most every day, tending to stocker calves on the ranch and Arnold even hunts wild hogs horseback.  “One of my best rope horses is one I call Nickel, and I can I shoot hogs on him and step off and shoot them from the ground if I need to,” he said. 

Hall of famer – role model

Exciting things have happened to Walt and Sandra in 2009.  He continues to excel as a team roper, winning a Chevy pickup in a truck roping in Hamilton, Texas, this spring and qualifying for the World Series of Team Roping Finale this December in Las Vegas.  In April, the PRCA announced that Arnold would be one of six rodeo legends to be inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. 

“I was really surprised and it’s a really big honor,” he said in a ProRodeo Sports News story.  “My wife’s pretty excited and is trying to get me fixed up, and the kids are excited about it, too.”  But, Sandra wasn’t the only one trying to get him “fixed up” for the induction ceremony. 

On June 24, he was coaxed into going to the Malt Shop in Silverton for a burger and fries.  A group of 23 friends, organized by Jerry Millhollan, were waiting in the shadows of the Malt Shop to surprise him with a new world championship gold buckle. 

“Me and a bunch of guys made phone calls raising money,” said Millhollan.  “No one could donate more than $100.  I called Gary Gist to order the buckle and his people were great to work with.  Walter’s nephew, Pokey Arnold, owns the Malt Shop, so it was a perfect place and Walter was really shocked.” 

It’s easy to see that something other than Arnold’s Hall of Fame induction make him perhaps the most admired, respected, and loved citizen of Briscoe County, Texas.  In a world where champions are often soon forgotten, he remains a favorite by his neighbors 40 years after becoming a world champ. 

“Walter is always helping someone up out of a bind,” said Millhollan.  “Once, when the church was having difficulty, I was riding around with him and he had just won a big check at a roping and had several of his own bills to pay.  But he said ‘Jerry, I’m gonna run by the church and give them half of my winnings.’ Anytime, day or night, he is always there to help people and every kid that ever wanted to learn to rope is always welcome at his place.” 

When it comes to kids and grownups, perhaps nothing sums the esteem in which he’s held better than a letter he recently received from the parents of three young ropers he’s tutoring.  “For all the times you have shown our boys how to be cowboys we say ‘thank you.’  Thank you for your Godly example, your love and for the time you have taken to mentor our kids.  Christian example and cowboy are not always used in the same sentence.  You are special, Walter, and you will never know much you mean to us” – sincerely, the Daughterys, the Boedekers and the Bursons. 

Walter Arnold near his home on the Texas Caprock