One of rodeo’s greatest bucking horses is being remembered by the Calgary Stampede. Grated Coconut passed away at the age of 27 at the Stampede’s own Alberta ranch in early January. “His personality was unbelievable. He was such an athlete and so quiet. He loved to be around people,” said Ken (Goose) Rehill, Stampede Livestock Specialist. “I could walk up and he’d come to the fence to be scratched and talked to. You could do anything with him, lead him anywhere.”
According to the Calgary Herald, the striking dark bay stallion made his Canadian and National Finals Rodeo debut in 2002. The horse continued his career, racking up six world and Canadian bareback championships. The Stampede newsletter called Grated Coconut “arguably the most successful bucking horse in the history of professional rodeo to date.”
Prorodeo.com reported, “Out of his 114 total rodeo outings, 37 cowboys hit the dirt, 25 finished in first place, and 29 finished in the money. If a cowboy was lucky enough to stay aboard for eight seconds, he usually cashed in.”