Chris and Russell interview NRCHA Hall of Famer and Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion, Kenny Pugh, Sr.

Born in 1938, Kenny Pugh grew up in LeGrande, California. His family had a ranch in the mountains, in Squaw Valley, and he had some ranching relatives. At thirteen, he began going to Idaho to work with a relative, and when he was fifteen he never went home. He began cowboying, mainly in the high country, where at times, it could get as cold as forty below. He moved back to California, working on a large ranch for Jack Reynolds. “I cowboyed and broke colts,” Kenny explained. “In the winter, we did a lot of leather work. At the time, I was only interested in rodeos.” In 1961, Jack took Kenny to the fair to watch the stock horse classes. While watching the class, he decided that he could do it. Kenny met a young trainer at that show. Greg Ward and Kenny became friends, oftentimes traveling to shows and sharing rooms. “I’d pick Greg’s brain quite a bit,” said Kenny. Kenny worked on that ranch for five years, but when many people started bringing horses by to be trained, he decided it was time to try to make it on his own. Later on, in the 1970s, Kenny had a mare named Minnie Gal, whom he won a lot with. She later produced Kenny’s Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion, Sanpeppy Smoke. Kenny had many other Snaffle Bit finalists, Top Ten finishes, and a Reserve Championship in 1979.

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