(Times photo - Paul Natonabah)
Teams struggle to bring down, saddle then ride wild horses in the final four wild horse race showdown at the Navajo Nation Fair rodeo last Sunday.
Each member of the team had a job.
The robust Tohono O'odham held tightly onto the rope as the 1,500-pound wild horse tugged and pulled fiercely to break away.
The strapping San Carlos Apache grabbed hold of the head, drawing it close to the arena dirt.
The right-kind-of-swift Diné quickly saddled and jumped atop the wild horse, racing it around the barrel placed at the opposite end of the arena.
The mugger, Felix Cruz of Florence Village, Ariz., the shank man, Jimmy Smith of San Carlos, Ariz., and the rider, Hernald John of Rough Rock, Ariz., brought the three tribes together to win the Wild Horse Race finals Sunday at Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena.
Each took home $1,000 and a trophy buckle.
"We put a lot effort into it," said John, who raced to hug his mother and aunt after being announced the winner. "My dad and uncle tried this the last few years and never won so I needed to try."
Like many who rodeo full-time, John, who was new to the team and rode with a torn liver and lung after being stepped on by a bull on Labor Day weekend, said he rode because he "needed money."
And the first thing he had to do with that money was get some grub.
His teammates, who won their last wild horse race in 2005 at the Navajo Nation Fair, said all they needed was someone who could ride.
"'Cause those Navajo boys can ride," Smith said of his reason for recruiting John, typically a bull rider. "That's all we needed."
With two kids in college, Smith said his prize money is already spoken for.
Smith, 44, whose left hand was bleeding from a rope burn, said of their effort, "The main thing is that we didn't give up. We hung on and tried, tried, tried."
About 10 minutes after the race, Smith's long-time partner Cruz was still out of breath.
"Man, those horses were strong," he said with a laugh, still trying to catch his breath. "It was huge, big, strong - all at the same time."
Smith and Cruz have traveled to Window Rock's wild horse race for the past five years, two of which they won.
A member from another team made his way through the crowd behind the bucking chutes to congratulate the 42-yeard-old Cruz.
Cruz replied, laughing, "Man, there is no doubt that luck was with me."
Since it was first introduced to the Navajo Nation Fair rodeo in 1999, the Wild Horse Race has grown into one of the most exciting and edge-of-your-seat events and has attracted contestants from all over the United States.
A total of 27 teams and 30 horses were entered, said Dave James, coordinator of the race.
"They are the gladiators of rodeo and it's good to see new teams in the final," he said.
E-mail this story