Eight seconds is a sliver of time, the blink of an eye…unless you’re a cowboy like Lynn Smith riding a wild bronco in the bareback competition.
With only a single handhold, a bareback rider is without saddle or stirrups to grasp while the bucking horse repeatedly throws the cowboy into the air and crashes down onto its back. This brutal whiplash can pull up to 46 Gs of acceleration for the entire ride (while a 200mph IndyCar crash can be 50 Gs). It brings new meaning to the phrase, “Hanging on for dear life.”
Yet this is an adventure that some cowboys can’t seem to get enough of. As a rodeo legend and Idaho Falls native, Lynn competed in all of the classic rodeo events in his heyday—bull riding, steer wrestling, and team roping—though his favorite of all was bareback riding.
“I loved the thrill of it,” Lynn said. “It’s an unforgettable adrenaline rush from that first kick out of the gate.”
Rodeos have been as integral to Lynn’s life as cowboy boots are to a rancher. He entered as a 13-year-old in cattle roping events, had career highlights competing bareback in the PRCA Wilderness Circuit, and has spent 30 years as a rodeo judge.
Lynn is the classic cowboy—dressed in jeans, boots, and Resistol hat—and he easily looks the part of a rodeo legend. But where you imagine finding gruffness and swagger, Lynn is completely good-natured, sociable, and kind. He says that so many years of rodeo have softened his temperament.
“I think my life in rodeo has humbled me,” he said. “I have more patience and I’ve learned how to be diplomatic and respectful. It’s been good for me. I mean, it’s even easier to get along with my wife, too!”
Because Lynn’s entire family was involved in the rodeo life, it just came naturally to him. From his siblings to his uncles and father, pretty much everyone competed in rodeo. Both his dad and his brother were bareback riders in National Finals Rodeos. His western upbringing herding sheep on his dad’s ranch in Iona and his mom’s encouragement to never shrink from something tough (she was a former Army sergeant, after all) kept Lynn in the arena and ready for more.
“I started riding calves when I was young. And I think I rode my first bull when I was 13. I competed all through high school and then into college in all the events—bareback, bull-riding, team and steer-roping. I went from the amateur rodeos and up to the professional circuit,” Lynn said of his career.
And if Lynn wasn’t in the rodeo, he was playing sports. “I played a lot of football, basketball and ran track,” Lynn said. “I was always involved in something. I just never wanted to sit down.”
“I left college early and decided to make a living in rodeo. And I’ve gotten to do a lot of things that other people never get to do. I’ve traveled to judge major rodeos all over the United States, Canada and Mexico. I’m a social person and I love to visit with people, so the camaraderie I get to enjoy has always been a big benefit,” Lynn said.
Fearless in the Face of Injury
If there’s one thing that goes hand in hand with cowboys and rodeos, it’s unfortunately injuries. Yet not even serious ones could stop Lynn from competing.
“Injuries never scared me off. I just got back on the horse and kept going,” he said. Across the years, Lynn has experienced plenty of bruises, a broken nose, and separated ribs, but his most serious injury was when a bronco fell over on him and ripped apart his shoulder.
“My worst injury was in the War Bonnet Roundup when I was second in the world for the rookie standings. My horse was bucking really hard and lost his footing. The horse tipped over on me and landed on my shoulder. It knocked me out and I don’t remember much of it,” he said.
Once Lynn came to, he had been pulled behind the chutes and was examined by a doctor. Lynn brushed off the dirt and said he was getting ready for his re-ride since he hadn’t finished the initial one. The doctor looked at him and said, “I don’t think you’re going anywhere but to a hospital.”
Disregarding that medical advice, Lynn held his arm in a sling and watched the remainder of the rodeo. He was taken for X-rays, yet still spent the next day hauling horses to Boise for his dad. The hospital later tracked him down and insisted he show up for his scheduled surgery where his shoulder was pinned back together with screws and his rodeo career was on hold for the next 6 months.
“It’s just a cowboy mentality,” Lynn laughed. “Nothing’s ever too tough. And I was never afraid of anything, you know.” It ended up being a car accident, not a bucking bronco that finally convinced him to quit. “When I had metal plates in my neck and three fusions, I decided it was time to give up riding rodeo,” he said.
From Competitor to Judge
Although he imagined that his rodeo career had ended when he walked away from his final competition, Lynn was surprised when his brother Skeeter asked him to judge a high school rodeo. He’d already spent years refereeing state basketball tournaments and loved the freedom of a job outside the office. “I always have to be out doing something, whether it’s fishing or golf, or judging at a rodeo,” he said.
Lynn wasn’t fond of rodeo judges, though, since he felt they showed favoritism towards certain riders. But it seemed like a way to make extra money in the summer and stay connected to the rodeo life he lived for. He was still refereeing sports and worked hard to be unprejudiced to both the athletes and the coaches.
“The biggest change in my career is when I decided to be a judge and make a difference in rodeo by being completely fair. Everything is black and white with me and my belief is that integrity and honesty are the number one thing,” he said.
And of course, his favorite event to judge is the bareback competition. “I like all the events, but the fact that I competed so long in bareback riding and I know what it’s like as a competitor makes it my favorite. Getting to judge bareback in the national finals is a big high for me. It is such a compliment that I could go to that level in judging and officiate. It feels like my career has come full circle,” he explained.
Now, instead of holding on for dear life to a bronco’s leather rigging, Lynn spends the critical eight seconds of a cowboy’s ride searching for the criteria to fairly judge the rider.
Bareback competitions have two judges, each scoring the rider 1-25 points and the animal 1-25 points. Scores are tallied with a perfect score being 100. His wisdom in judging comes from years of being a competitor himself.
“When you’ve done the event before, you can recognize what causes a bull or a bronco to be harder to ride than another animal. You know what to look for, whether that’s the power of the animal, their speed or movement, or how they change direction.”
Weighing so many different criteria in fractions of a second while marking a rider’s skills is a difficult ability itself, and thankfully, one that comes naturally to Lynn. “When I’m around other judges, they’re always picking my mind and asking for advice. I try to help them out because they didn’t compete enough to know some of these subtleties that we look for.”
War Bonnet Roundup
Though Lynn has judged both top rodeos in the national circuit and small-town rodeos, his preferred rodeo of all is his hometown one: The War Bonnet Roundup.
“At this stage in my career, I enjoy the smaller rodeos the best. They’re just more personal and I get to see so many people that I know. It’s a great atmosphere to be in. I love Mackay’s rodeo; Salmon is one of my favorite places to go; Blackfoot’s got a great little rodeo. But there’s nothing as wonderful as coming home to the War Bonnet Roundup,” Lynn said.
Idaho’s oldest professional rodeo, the War Bonnet Round Up began in 1911 and is held every year during the first weekend in August. At the Sandy Downs Arena, the War Bonnet’s cultural highlight is when the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall showcase traditional dances in the opening ceremonies.
“I think people want to be part of this Western heritage nowadays. This is such a positive place we live in and I wouldn’t change it for nothing,” he said.
Last year, Lynn was honored by the War Bonnet Round Up Advisory Committee as a Legend—someone who has profoundly shaped the community’s history with their contributions and dedication. It’s difficult to imagine this rodeo without him.
“A life in rodeo has been very good to me. I’ve made a great living, and shoot, I’ve enjoyed it, too,” he said. “The travel part of it has just been outstanding. Judging at the professional level I get to see the best of the best. It’s pretty cool to see the cowboys and cowgirls that are so talented.”
Sometimes Lynn considers retiring from being a judge, but the thrill of the rodeo is still too compelling to let go of. So, for now, he’s staying put. He said, “My favorite moment of the rodeo is when that first horse starts bucking. There’s so much excitement. Right there I feel on edge and completely aware of everything around me. I just settle in and think, ‘Here we go!’”
