Ep. 107: Horsemanship, Rodeo, and Legacy with NFR Saddle Bronc Rider Mitch Pollock

Episode Notes

What does it mean to build a life with horses – both inside the rodeo arena and at home?

On this episode of Beyond the Barn, host Katy Starr chats with Mitch Pollock, NFR saddle bronc rider, rancher, and Backyard Bash producer, for an honest conversation about horsemanship, mindset, and the values that shape life beyond competition, including:

• How his very first saddle bronc ride landed him on the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) rodeo team
• Why mindset and horsemanship matter just as much as physical ability
• The hard truth about rodeo careers that most riders don’t want to talk about and how he’s planning ahead

Whether you’re a rodeo fan, horse owner, or someone who values the Western way of life, this episode offers meaningful insight into what it looks like to live with purpose.

🎧 Listen now on the Beyond the Barn podcast

Have a topic idea or feedback to share? We want to connect with you! Email podcast@standlee.com

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Connect with Mitch on:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• The Western Grind podcast
• The Western Grind podcast on Instagram

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*Views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Standlee Premium Products, LLC.*

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Read full episode transcript

Katy Starr (00:01):

Hi, I'm Katy Starr and you're listening to Beyond the Barn. Join me on this journey as we bust equine and livestock nutrition myths and sit down with some of the most intriguing experts from across the country. We'll also take you behind the scenes of how premium western quality forage is grown and brought to your favorite farm and ranch retail store. I'm so glad you're here. Welcome back to another episode of Beyond the Barn. Today's guest is an NFR, saddle Bronc Rider, Rancher, and the producer of Backyard Bronc Bash. But more than that, he's a horseman who's made his own path in the western world. Mitch Pollock joins us to talk about the ride, the lifestyle, the mindset, and the family values that shape everything he does. Mitch, thank you so much for joining us on The Beyond the Barn podcast today.

 

Mitch Pollock (00:52):

Well, thank you very much for having me. I'm very excited to be here.

 

Katy Starr (00:56):

Why don't you just tell us a little bit about where you grew up and your background with horses?

 

Mitch Pollock (01:00):

So, I grew up in Winnemucca, Nevada, which is Northern Nevada, and both sides of my family come from ranching families. My mom's side big ranch in McDermott, which is right on the border of Oregon and Nevada. So, every weekend we were out there riding horses, moving cows. They even had some sheep. They had a farm as well. So, they grew their own alfalfa to feed the cows and the horses through the winter. I've always been around agriculture, so when I moved up here to Twin Falls, I was right at home. And I've been riding horses my entire life. I junior rodeoed until seventh grade and then I had to make a decision because with all the sports and rodeo it was pretty difficult to get from practice to rodeo practice. And so, our parents made us decide. So, we put rodeo on the back burner and I actually didn't think I would ever rodeo again. And then when I was 20 years old in my baseball career, came to an end and I walked right across the CSI parking lot and went into the expo center and asked Cody Demers and Steve Bernie if I could get on a saddle bronc. And they kind of looked at me like, who is this kid? He was on the baseball field and now he wants to get on bucking horses. But it was the best decision I ever made and I honestly think it was meant to be. It was. It was a calling for sure.

 

Katy Starr (02:16):

Yeah. Well, and you had, I mean except for your junior rodeo experience, you virtually had no experience doing saddle bronc when you approached them to see if you could do saddle bronc. Right?

 

Mitch Pollock (02:25):

My first saddle bronc course was I was almost 21 and I went back home because they wanted to see a video of me and I told them that I'd never been on one. So, they said, how about you go home. So, I went home that week, got a saddle fixed up, and my uncle Ken, he is a very, very good saddle maker and he had an old saddle that Joe Marvel and some of the old school bronc riders used to use back in the day. And we fixed it up and I got on my first one and I had watched videos of how it was supposed to be done from Cody Wright and Billy Etbauer and all the greats. And I went out and I rode my first one and I thought it was just, that's how it was supposed to be. And all the kids said, holy cow Mitch, that's really good . And so, I sent that video back to Steve and Cody and they called me that next week and said, I think we can find a spot for you.

 

Katy Starr (03:18):

Wow. That's amazing. And CSI has a good rodeo program. So, you did pretty good there.

 

Mitch Pollock (03:24):

Yes. At that time there was a lot of bronc riders and I just happened to luck out that one of them had failed some classes, so it opened a spot. So, when I went in there, I went in there without a scholarship or anything. I just pretty much walked onto the team and worked my butt off for them. And two semesters later they gave me a full ride scholarship.

 

Katy Starr (03:44):

That is really amazing. That's kind of like a Cinderella story there especially. Did you have an injury with baseball? Is that what kind of ended it for you?

 

Mitch Pollock (03:53):

Yeah, so my freshman year of college, I was in Pendleton, Oregon playing at the JUCO (junior college) up there. And after the fall season, my shoulder started to hurt and come springtime, we got it looked at and I had a torn labrum and I couldn't do anything. The shoulder was pretty much shot, so I had surgery on it and at that point I felt like I could be at a better program as well. So, I transferred schools at the end of that semester and that's when I transferred to CSI. And I walked onto the baseball team and I caught a lot of bullpens for a year and a half and I just, I wasn't happy and I figured I've got to do something, and I was hanging out with the rodeo kids like Spencer Wright, Noah Larsen, and Mason Clements and all of those guys were going to school at the same time. So, I hung out with them all the time and I just would watch videos and I was like, ah, I want to ride bucking horses. Like that sounds so cool. So, I had to make a tough decision, and I didn't want to make that decision, but it just felt it was the right decision to make.

 

Katy Starr (04:52):

Yeah. And it worked out. So, . Yes, . That's awesome. Do you happen to have a standout memory for you as a kid with horses, something that you'll never forget?

 

Mitch Pollock (05:03):

Yeah, just going out to McDermott and branding calves and being with all my family because ranching and farming, they're so family oriented. And I just loved every summer we'd get out of school and that first week of summer we'd all, we'd go up there and take care of all the calves and brand them and get them ready to turn out on the big open allotments up there, the high desert in Nevada. So, that's what I remember is just the ranch.

 

Katy Starr (05:31):

That's awesome. Yeah, that's the one thing I think I really appreciate about the Western lifestyle, ranching, rodeo. Like it is very family oriented. I mean, family's included in a lot of aspects of that. And so, it's a good place to be.

 

Mitch Pollock (05:46):

Yeah. There's no other way a ranch or a farm can be successful without the help from the entire family. That's why I can't wait to have some more kids to start helping Jordan and myself, you know, moving water and helping with the cows, open gates, especially when I'm gone. Open gates. I can't wait to have a gate opener.

 

Katy Starr (06:04):

Yep. Yep. That's awesome. So, if you could go back and talk to yourself on the day that you switched from baseball to bronc riding. Because that was, I mean, you said that you weren't really happy in the place that you were at with how things were going, but what would you tell your younger self if you could go back to that time?

 

Mitch Pollock (06:23):

I don't think I would change anything, but I would tell myself, if you're going to do it, and I had this mindset, if you're going to do it, you're going to give a hundred percent and you're not going to back down from anything. If this is what you truly want to do, you're going to put forth the best effort you can and you're going to be the best. And at that time, I was just starting out right. But my mindset was I'm going to be the best saddle bronc rider in the world. And that was my mindset. Am I a long ways from that? Yes. But it helped me progress so fast.

 

Katy Starr (06:51):

Yeah. Well, and it's such a mental game too, right? The fact that you went into it knowing like, I'm going to be the best. If you go into it saying, oh, I'm not good at this, you're not going to get better, you're not going to grow. So, that mental aspect is crucial.

 

Mitch Pollock (07:06):

That's what I based my entire career on in how successful I'm going to be is how strong my mind is. If I have a strong mind I can get through anything. Because rodeo, there's a lot of ups and downs in rodeo most of the time. Even if you're riding well and say you're 84, 85 points, you might not bring home a check. So, that can be really hard on the mind. You just have to know that you are doing the right things, control what you can control, and at the end of the day, good things will still happen.

 

Katy Starr (07:35):

Yeah, for sure. What would you say is starting out fresh, like taking yourself back to that time, what would you say is probably one of the most common mistakes that you see new saddle bronc riders make?

 

Mitch Pollock (07:49):

They don't get on the right bucking stock and they don't surround themselves around the people that actually know what is going on and how to ride saddle bronc horses. I surrounded myself with really good people. One, when I got on my first horse, Joe Marvel was there and other kids that actually knew what was going on, and they put me on a really good horse. It's not like they put me on some man killer out there and tried to buck me off the very first one. And that transitioned over to when I came to college, Cody knew where my level was at and my skillset. So, he progressed me at the speed and rate that he thought was most fitting for me. And that's why I started riding bucking horses in 2014. By 2019 I had made the finals. That's five years. So, that to me is so huge. And when I do my schools and I help these young kids out, I always tell them, you have to surround yourself around people that actually know what's going on and make sure you're getting on bucking horses that match your skillset.

 

Katy Starr (08:52):

Well, and I think that, I imagine that that probably helps you with your confidence level too, because it's not setting you up for failure.

 

Mitch Pollock (09:01):

Confidence is huge with riding bucking horses.

 

Katy Starr (09:04):

Yeah, it takes failures to move forward and everything, but like not setting you up to fail, like putting you in the right spot at the right time to help you grow, but like giving you the right amount of confidence to push forward.

 

Mitch Pollock (09:17):

And even if that horse just kind of lopes off or crow hops or is not bucking, but that it doesn't feel like that when you're on top of it and things are happening really fast. So, for a young kid to be able to just ride that horse, it builds their confidence even though that it's not doing a whole lot, it still helps them out mentally.

 

Katy Starr (09:37):

Yeah, for sure. That's awesome. So, we've talked about this a little bit with the mental aspect of it, but what does it look like kind of getting your mind right before you get in the chute ready to nod your head and everything? And how does your relationship with a horse kind of factor into all of that?

 

Mitch Pollock (09:53):

That's a great question. And it's different for every bronc rider, but for me, we know what horse we're getting on. So, some people like to study their horse, some people don't really care what the horse is. I'm a person that likes to watch a video of the horse, kind of have an idea because most of these horses have a consistent trip. They're going to do the same thing pretty much every single time. So, I watch that and I watch good videos. And so, I'm putting in my head a good bronc ride. And then I just replay that all the time. And so, then the next day coming into the rodeo, I've already rode that horse in my head a million times. I get behind the bucking chutes and everything is pretty calm, really. I get ready and I'm just thinking about the simple things.

 

Mitch Pollock (10:38):

I pick one basic thing that I really want to work on on that ride, and that's usually the start or the mark out. If I get a good strong mark out, then everything else becomes pretty easy. So, I am a person that gets pretty amped up and I get excited. So, I really try and control everything and keep everything at a level that doesn't get my heart racing too fast, and then I try too hard or anything like that. So, I try to stay pretty calm. But it is hard when you get to those bigger rodeos, like the finals like Houston, San Antonio. Because the atmosphere, that's what's so special about those places, right? The energy, like you can literally feel the energy coming from 17,000 people and it goes right into you. And it is so hard to control. But I think that's why we are some of the best at what we do is because we're able to still take in that energy but also reign it down when it is time to do our job and crawl over those bucking chutes.

 

Katy Starr (11:35):

Yeah, for sure. That's awesome. So, in saddle bronc riding, both you and the horse are athletes that are working together. How do you kind of view the role of the horse in that ride and what kind of respect, you talked about your preparation ahead of time, but awareness, do you kind of bring into that partnership?

 

Mitch Pollock (11:56):

So, that horse can feel your energy? I don't care what anybody says, that horse can feel your energy. So, when that horse runs in, and it's probably already nervous and amped up too, it's, I mean, there's fireworks going off and loud music, and so, that horse is nervous. I try and treat that horse what runs in, I pet that thing. I want that horse to feel my energy. And I am not kidding you. I truly believe this. When I crawl over and I sit in my saddle, that horse can feel that energy run right through my butt into its back. And if I'm nervous up there and I'm jerking around and doing this, that horse is going to be like, wait, what's going on here? Why is this guy acting like this? So, whenever I get crawl over the bucking chutes and I get my stirrups and I, I just like to take a deep breath, relax and let it run all the way through down to my feet so that horse can feel like, Hey, this guy knows what he's doing.

 

Mitch Pollock (12:49):

And sometimes it's hard to do that because there are younger bucking horses that have never been in certain situations like that. So, yes, you're nervous, but you have to figure out how to control that to help that horse. And I'd like to say that I'm pretty good at getting on younger horses and controlling what they do in the box. Sometimes you just run into a bad one that it's going to be hard to get out on. But yeah, energy is huge. Energy is huge with those horses. They feel what you do, they feel what you're thinking and they perform off your energy.

 

Katy Starr (13:19):

Yeah. Well, and I imagine it's like that almost any given Sunday mentality, right? Because you never really know day to day what a horse is going to kind of give you. And the more aspects of that, I feel like that you can, I don't know if you want to say control or just put together, it allows you to minimize the chance of things going just south really bad. So, yeah.

 

Mitch Pollock (13:46):

At the end of the day, they are horses. They are a wild animal. It's not like our program horses that we handle all the time. Yes, these horses are being handled and loaded on trailers and stuff, but different handling, right? They're bred to buck these bloodlines run hot and that's what they're bred to do. So, here's a prime example is I had the bucking horse of the year in Caldwell this last year. She's been going for six years now. She's done it a million times. She had a bad day in the bucking chutes and we've never seen it. It was a freak deal. She ended up, when the gate opened, she didn't turn out the right way, she just sat right on her butt and tipped over backwards and she didn't know what to do and came right over the top of me. I mean, it's a freak deal.

 

Mitch Pollock (14:35):

And you can't be mad at that animal because it's just like us. We have bad days too. Yeah, right. And that animal, same thing. They can perform 15 times that year as a bucking horse 15 times. They have one bad trip. We can't crucify them for it, you know? We can't be mad. It's the same thing. You know, I get on a hundred bucking horses a year, man, there might be 15, 20 horses where I don't do very good at all. And that's like my sponsors and stuff could be mad at me for not doing good. So, I try and treat it like that.

 

Katy Starr (15:05):

Yeah, and I think that's so good for the horse too. Yes. So, let's shift gears just a little bit. Let's talk about your Backyard Bronc Bash, because that quite literally started in your backyard and this year you celebrated your sixth year, it's grown. So, what inspired you to create your own event and what does it mean for you to bring people together in such a homegrown community focused way?

 

Mitch Pollock (15:31):

So, in 2020 when COVID hit, we weren't able to do anything. The bucking horses weren't able to go and buck, we couldn't do anything. No rodeos, I was lost. Everybody else was lost. And so, July came around, well it was before July, but we had set like, hey, how about the first part of July? I put on a bronc riding right in my backyard. We'll get all my buddies, we'll get these bucking horses and we'll put on a little bronc riding here. And I figured family friends and stuff they would come and watch. But I had no idea that at that first one. And I lived in town right on the city limits. So, I was in the back of a cul-de-sac and I had five acres and I built this arena. I had no idea what it was going to turn out to be. And when people started rolling in, do we have room for all these people to come?

 

Mitch Pollock (16:22):

And so, there was like 500 people that showed up to the very first one. And someone had said to me, Mitch, you're going to have to move because I think you have something here. This is outstanding. And some of the people from the Twin Falls County Fair were saying, this is absolutely amazing. So, it just, I happened to luck out in two weeks later, the place that I'm at now came up for sale and my wife was working nights at the hospital. So, she came home and got home at like six. And I said, Hey, I'm going to go look at that place. So, she jumped in bed, she was sleeping. I come out here and I look at this place and I see the arena lights. There was no arena. There was some panels up and stuff like that, but they had lights. And I looked at that and I just created a vision in my head and I said, this is the place.

 

Mitch Pollock (17:09):

This is where the Backyard Bronc Bash is going to move to. So, I put in an offer without my wife knowing until she woke up and I said, Hey, I put an offer in on that place. And she all. She said, well is the kitchen nice? And I said, don't worry sweetheart. We can remodel. We can remodel. Yeah. And six years later we're finally able to remodel the kitchen. So, nice. She was happy about that. . Yeah. So, the backyard Bronc Bash moved and I had to go from having the arena already built to moving the bucking chutes, replanning, recreating a new arena. So, that first year that it was here at the new place, it was pretty hectic. I was nervous, I was rodeoing because now rodeo started. So, I'm building an arena, putting on the Backyard, Bronc Bash, trying to make the finals. It was just a lot.

 

Mitch Pollock (17:56):

Thank goodness I have a good support system. And we were able to get through it. We got the arena built. And then every year I just started adding on a little more and a little more. And, and now I have sponsor seating, I have Conexes that are VIP bars and sponsor bars. I've put in a little step down grass venue for the fans for seating. I bring in bleachers. It's just turned into something so special and everybody said, oh, you should move it so you can have more people show up. And to be honest, I don't want any more people to show up because the people that show up are exactly what you said. They are agricultural people that homegrown, they follow rodeo, they follow the Western lifestyle. They know all the bronc riders. You know, I have 15-1800 people here that love, love bronc riding. I don't need 5,000 people here. I am happy where I'm at. We are still growing, we're still getting better every year. But the number of people and who's coming here, it's perfect. And you can't move this event because it won't have the same feeling.

 

Katy Starr (19:01):

Yeah for sure.

 

Mitch Pollock (19:01):

It's not every day you come down a driveway and you come around the house and then when you come around the house, you see this big arena down in this little bowl and it just opens up into something so special. It's not your average fairgrounds. So, it's gotta stay here. And my goal is for 10 years, when we hit that 10 year mark, we'll assess everything and see where we want to go from there. At that time, you know, I plan on having a few more kids I don't want to take away from them. So, we'll just see at that time where we're at with the Backyard Bronc Bash. But for six years we have been successful and I plan for another four years to be just as successful, if not even more.

 

Katy Starr (19:39):

That is really awesome. So, the Backyard Bronc Bash though, it's not just about the ride though, something that's really cool about what you do, the payout kind of reflects that. So, can you share a little bit about what makes the payout unique and what inspired that idea?

 

Mitch Pollock (19:55):

Yeah, so the payout, when we first started, it was just $10,000 added and that was really good six years ago. The next year I wanted to be different in somehow I know the Ccwboys love the money that we come and ride for and yes, that's how we pay our bills. But I was trying to implement something different. What will grab the great bronc riders and bring them here to my place. And one of my great sponsors, Johnny Filippini down in Nevada, he said, Hey, how about we give away some bread heifers? And I started thinking, I said, you know what, that is actually a great idea because that bronc rider can take them heifers, he can get the calves, raise them calves, sell the calves, make some more money. So, every year he's actually making money from the Backyard Bronc Bash, he can start saving some replacement heifers, build a nice little herd. And you know, now you look at calf prices and what the cattle market has done that Kade Bruno's won 30 heifers from this deal. So, we joke about it, we say that's the retirement fund for Kade Bruno right here.

 

Katy Starr (20:54):

, you set him up. .

 

Mitch Pollock (20:56):

Yeah. So, there was one other place that tried to give away the cattle. It didn't work. But it's worked for five years here. And I think that's so special that Jordan and myself and my sponsors that put together these heifers, we are giving a bronc rider a chance to set him up for after his career. That is the biggest thing with rodeo because yes, rodeo is paying great. I see in the future we're going to make more and more money. Every year we are thankful for our sponsors, but when we're done rodeoing, we don't have our sponsors anymore unless we are doing social media stuff and certain things like that. Right. But most of us, when we're done riding broncs, you either, hopefully you set yourself up right, with the money you won or you're, you're going to go back and get a job. And to tell you the honest truth, I don't want to do that. So, I've been trying to set myself up, right? So, I said, let's do the same thing for these bronc riders. So, when they are done riding broncs, they have a nice little herd to build on and it's been super successful.

 

Katy Starr (21:52):

Yeah. Well and you think even 10 years down the road, 15 years down the road, what is social media going to look like? Right? What's working for you now? Yes, things change, right? And I think the people that really make it out all right are the ones that are good at pivoting and navigating through those changes.

 

Mitch Pollock (22:11):

Have to be flexible.

 

Mitch Pollock (22:13):

Yeah, especially with AI right now, right? Yeah. I think AI is great but there's pros and cons to it too. To be honest, pretty soon we might not need people to do certain things, right? With what I'm seeing with AI, it is absolutely insane that we're able to see this actually happen. And who knows what, like you said, 10 years social media is going to be like, you might not need someone to run a social media page. I mean right now you really don't. You could put something on AI and have an AI creator and they have everything done for the full week. So, you have to be flexible and you have to be looking forward the whole time. And that's what I'm doing with my bronc riding with what I'm doing for the cowboys that come I'm, I'm looking forward and seeing how I can help them in the future.

 

Katy Starr (22:57):

And because we're on an ag podcast, I have to say AI, we're speaking of artificial intelligence, not artificial insemination. Just for clarification. Yes.

 

Mitch Pollock (23:06):

I took that AI class, you know, 10 years ago and that AI is much different than this AI.

 

Katy Starr (23:11):

Yeah. I think that's one of the funniest things about, because I work with our local cattle association and everything too. And like thinking about those things is now we're speaking in terms of AI for artificial intelligence. I'm like, I've got to remember what are we talking about here? Because sometimes it might confuse folks in the industry. So, yeah.

 

Mitch Pollock (23:28):

You go talk to a 60, 70-year-old rancher, he's going to look at you like, what are we doing here.

 

Katy Starr (23:33):

whatcha talking about? And so, another thing that you do that I think is really awesome is you give out some Backyard Bronc Bash scholarships. Can you share a little bit more about those and why is that important to you to do.

 

Mitch Pollock (23:47):

So? My wife and myself, we went to the College of Southern Idaho and we rodeoed for that program. They gave me a chance and I told Jordan once we were able to find the sponsors and have that money revenue sitting there, I want to be able to give kids a chance and help them get through school. And whether it be a thousand dollars or $1,500 or whatever it is, I know that especially a ranching kid, I actually changed up my scholarship this year a little bit. I usually just give it to two college kids that rodeo. We gave one scholarship to a rodeo athlete and then we went to the younger generation, a high school senior that is in FFA and had to show an animal at the fair. And then they also had to write an essay. And after I read the essays, there were two that were really, really close and I didn't want to decide it was a tough decision. So, instead of, you know, just picking one, I ended up picking both those, those two girls.

 

Katy Starr (24:44):

Oh, awesome.

 

Mitch Pollock (24:45):

And so, we gave a thousand dollars scholarship and a $500 scholarship and every year I'd want to get more money involved so we can give those kids a scholarship and and help them in their future.

 

Katy Starr (24:56):

Such a great way to give back.

 

Mitch Pollock (24:57):

Because agriculture, it's relying on our younger generation. Right. And it's kind of scary to see, especially on the ranching side of things. If you look at the percentage of ranchers that are in their thirties, it's low. There are not very many, most of our ranchers in in the country right now are in their sixties and seventies. That is hard on a body. Right. So, what is going to happen to these ranches? And same with the farming, the farming is generationally passed down. Correct. Well a lot of these kids, they might be not wanting to farm, they might sell the farm, they might, you know, sell it to a developer. And I don't want to see that. I want to see these farms thrive. And I think it's very important that we keep our kids the younger generation involved.

 

Katy Starr (25:41):

Yeah, I love that. And that's so important. You think about the trickle down effect of that. Like we're just talking about our lifestyle and what we know. Right. But at some point, if we don't replenish those farmers and ranchers, that is going to affect everyone, everyone that eats.

 

Mitch Pollock (26:00):

Yes. We have to make it intriguing. We have to make it fun. We have to show these kids that what we are doing in the farming and ranching industry, we are supplying for the country. We are the backbone. And I want them to be a part of that. I want them to be like, yeah, I was growing sugar beets, I was, you know, growing hay for, for these cows and the ranchers. And I think it's very important that, that we keep our younger generation involved and make it fun and, and make it, you know, interesting for them.

 

Katy Starr (26:31):

That's so good. So, let's talk a little bit about your lifestyle outside of the rodeo arena. What does that look like for you and your family and what you guys have going on with the horses that you have and animals, livestock.

 

Mitch Pollock (26:47):

So, we stay pretty busy outside of the rodeo arena and along with ranching, I do have a small herd of cows going right now. So, I need ranch horses. So, we have four or five ranch horses that I use and we're able to brand and go move cows on. And then also my wife, she was a barrel racer and she was also a roper in school. So, she had a really nice barrel horse in college. And so, we started, we bred her and then all of a sudden we started saving these good mares. And her and her cousin have a really, really good broodmare program. And Jordan, my wife's side of it, she got a couple Goodbye Lane fillies. So, I honestly think the brood mare program is huge. I like to keep her on good proven mares. The stud is important, but with me, I think you could take a mediocre stud and put that on an exceptional mare and you're going to have something very special.

 

Mitch Pollock (27:42):

So, we try and keep around really, really good mares around here. So, we have barrel horses. And now finally my wife let me breed one of the cow horses and we're getting into the cow side of things because the barrel horses, they are high strung and I'm the one that starts them as two year olds. So, I like doing it. But I asked her, I said, I just want to get on the cow side of things too. So, we're lucky to get a little stud colt this year. So, I'm, I'm excited about that. But yeah, we have 14 horses along with the broodmare program, the barrel horses, the ranch horses. I started to buy some bucking horses because I need bucking horses to stay sharp. I need to practice, I have this arena here. I want to be able to help kids if they're struggling, they can come right to my place and we can get them on good bucking horses. So, I have a really, really good 8-year-old mare that I absolutely love. I've bred her, her bloodlines are phenomenal. And then I ended up purchasing a couple more mares that are proven. So, we have seven bucking horses. Great bloodlines. And I'm excited to see where that little herd, but we have a little bit of everything.

 

Katy Starr (28:50):

Oh yeah, for sure. And you have, I mean, really quite a diversified stock there with your horses in the western world anyway. It's just kind of, you know, trying out a bunch of different areas there, which is really cool. I guess that keeps things interesting for you guys and always a little bit different for you.

 

Mitch Pollock (29:07):

Barrel horses have really caught my interest just because they are bred a lot different. I mean they're, a lot of the bloodlines are coming off the track, you know, for speed and stuff like that. Some of the barrel horses do have some cow bred into 'em. And like I said, some barrel horses, they don't even want to run barrel horses. They're bred like that. But they make great head horses. They're big and strong and they're fast so they can run to a cow if you need them to. I enjoy it. I like to see the progress over the years. And when we started raising our own horses, I just loved, I mean, it takes a long time to make a good horse, but when you start from scratch and you have this little filly, and then, okay, at two years old, you start her and then, all right, 3, 4, 5.

 

Mitch Pollock (29:50):

It takes years and years and years to make a good horse. Yeah. Two of my best pickup horses that I have, they weren't even pickup horses to start with. One was just a ranch horse and then one was an ex calf horse that his mind was blown up and, and I took him in and tried fixing him and he loves going out in the mountains and pounding rocks and he is a horse that can just go, go, go, go, go. So, I started picking up on him and you know, pick up, horses are another breed of horse that they have to be able to sit and stand still and watch a horse buck across the arena. And then you have to rate to that horse. You have to be able to have someone jumping on the back of you. There's just a lot going on with a pickup horse. So, I have two really good pickup horses that weren't pickup horses to start with. And so, yeah, we're, we're doing a little bit of everything here.

 

Katy Starr (30:37):

That's so cool. So, if your daughter and you know, future kids grow up remembering one thing about you and how you lived your life with horses, what do you hope that is?

 

Mitch Pollock (30:52):

That these horses were number one first. You know, I take great care of them and if I take great care of them, they're going to take care of me. And I want them to treat their animals as they grow up just the same. I want them to take care of their horses like that. I want them to take care of the cows like that. And if you do that, you're also going to take care of the people around you well too. I just want them to know that that hard work does pay off. Sometimes you don't see it in a week, sometimes you don't see it in a month and, and it might be five years down the road, but you got to just stay on the mindset that you believe in and you'll be successful.

 

Katy Starr (31:23):

Yeah, that's great. Always putting the horse first and their needs and what's best for them.

 

Mitch Pollock (31:29):

What a lot of people don't understand, especially in the rodeo world and the, that industry, we get a lot of, you know, backlash for a lot of things that that we do. But little do they know that most of the time we're up at six in the morning and before we eat or anything, we're making sure, you know, the bucking horses, when they're at rodeos, they're getting grain, they're getting quality feed, we're making sure they have water. And then we come in if we have to tend to them and take care of them and if they're hurt, you know, there's a lot of things that go into raising horses and if we don't take care of 'em, we're nothing. Right. And people don't understand that.

 

Katy Starr (32:05):

They see eight seconds of whatever they want to make their assumptions off of and they never see. It's almost like social media, right? Like we see what people post, but we never really see what's behind what everything that comes with it. When you think about, you know, anybody who's like, really, you look at somebody who's very successful, right? We're like, oh, must be nice, right? Or they have this, they have that, but it's like you don't see the grind, you don't see the effort, you don't see the dedication, everything that comes with all of that.

 

Mitch Pollock (32:32):

So, yeah, the hardships, right? They don't see you struggle for a year. They just see the bright lights, they see the success, they see the dollar signs, they see all of that. And those people to me are people that are just jealous. But I wish they could just see that before we got to where we're at, there was a struggle and it was tough. Yeah. And in the rodeo industry, people just see us loading these horses on trucks and stuff like that. So, they think that they just ride in a truck. We use them, show them off, or however people want to assume that we use these animals, but they don't see when, when they do get off the trucks, they're getting, you know, Beamer treatment done to them. We run them into the bucking shoots. If their backs are sore, they'll put the Beamer on them and use magna waves and all.

 

Mitch Pollock (33:17):

There's all sorts of technologies, treatment that we're using treat for horses. They have ran some bucking horses in the pools before and when they're not at home and they need to stay in shape. Yeah. People just don't understand the effort that these contractors put forth to make these animals. And they are athletes. They're athletes. So, you know, we look at our professional athletes, we have to be tip top shape. We have to eat well. Bucking horses are the same. They have to eat well, they have to have, if they're lacking something, we have to be able to get them that. And the hard thing is they can't tell us that. We can say, man, I don't feel good. I think I'm missing something. So, we go to a doctor and then they tell us. Horses don't talk. So, we really have to pay attention and see what we can, can do and provide for them to make them feel better.

 

Katy Starr (34:02):

Right. That's absolutely true. So, Mitch, if we followed you around on a normal day at home with your family and horses and livestock, what would we see? What's like a day in the life for you guys?

 

Mitch Pollock (34:14):

Get up, have some coffee, kind of just make sure what we're going to do for the day is planned out. It never goes to plan but the time that's working.

 

Katy Starr (34:22):

With livestock for you .

 

Mitch Pollock (34:24):

Yep. In the fall months we're moving cows around and checking those cows and you know, checking heifers and stuff like that. In the summertime it's really busy. That's when we're moving our water because we do grow hay and stuff here. So, we're changing water, we're making sure that all the hay's doing good. Then I'm either off to a rodeo coming back, my wife is changing water, we're taking care of the horses here. If we have to go ride the desert, we'll go ride the desert. We stay busy. And along with that, now I do coach at the College of Southern Idaho on the rodeo team. So we'll do all that. And then Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, I go in and, and help the kids at the school as well.

 

Katy Starr (35:03):

Awesome. And so, looking ahead, what are your hopes for the role horses will play in your family's future? And that can be with rodeo, ranching, or even just giving your kids a strong foundation.

 

Mitch Pollock (35:19):

Whatever it may be. You know, I am setting my kids up to hopefully want to rodeo, want to ranch, want to take over the family operation someday, but they might not want anything to do with it. But I hope they want something to do with a horse because I, I think a horse is the backbone of our country, right? Yeah. They really are. And I see kids that have struggled mentally before and they come and they look at a horse and they change. They really do. So, like I said, I'm setting my kids up to be involved with horses all the time. And I hope they love it and I hope they take care of 'em. I know they will, especially if they're living with me. . Yeah. But when they go out on their own and they start their own family and stuff, I just want them to teach their kids the same way.

 

Katy Starr (36:02):

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's so good. Is there a moment that a horse humbled you so hard that you still think about it today.

 

Mitch Pollock (36:10):

In the rodeo world, yes, there's been a lot of bucking horses that have done that to me. But for the better, I was kind of on a hot streak and I didn't think I was, you know, stoppable. I thought I could do anything. And there was a really good horse that bucked me off and I shouldn't have been bucked off. But when he came back to the bucking chutes, he kind of just like looked at me and I thought, you know what that horse is saying, you can be humbled really fast in this sport, so don't ever get out of your lanes. Yeah. Stay true to who you are. And I always think that now, like he, he didn't say it, but I'm thinking that's what he wanted to tell me.

 

Katy Starr (36:45):

his eyes were telling you that. . Yes. Yeah. Oh, okay. That's good. I mean, you've worked with a lot of different types of horses, right? But what would you say is the most important thing that horses have taught you in your life so far?

 

Mitch Pollock (36:59):

Patience. And for me, patience is, is very hard because I'm running around. I, I don't have a lot of time in the day, especially when we're farming, right? We got to do this, we gotta do that, then we have to go check cows and then we have to get these horses rode and, and so, there's not enough hours in the day, but when training a horse, when dealing with livestock, if you are patient, you will actually speed up the process, the ram and jam and this and that. It just doesn't work. It blows their minds up. It blows our minds up. You have to be patient. And I know it's very difficult to do, but patience is key to being successful in the horse industry.

 

Katy Starr (37:36):

That's so good. And what would you say is the best piece of life advice you've ever gotten from like an older cowboy and how has it held up for you?

 

Mitch Pollock (37:48):

The best piece of advice is from Kelly Wardell and Kelly Wardell is an icon in the rodeo world. He's an Idaho cowboy. He is just absolutely amazing individual who has gone through so much in life and he has taught me just to live life to the fullest every single day. Do what's right. And if you do what's right, people will see that and you'll gain so much more respect. That's the western way of life, if you look at it like that, you know that that is what a cowboy does. They're a caretaker and they treat people right. And that's what I want to do. And, and that's the best piece of advice that I've received from, from anybody.

 

Katy Starr (38:26):

Yeah, that's some good wisdom there. Who in your life would you say has probably been your greatest inspiration?

 

Mitch Pollock (38:34):

Kelly Wardell, just because he was 52 when he got on his last bucking horse. He has seen me since I first started riding bucking horses. So, he's seen where I started and where I'm at right now. And through the tough times of winning and losing, he's always there on the phone for me. He's not afraid to tell me if I'm screwing up, I'm screwing up. And he's not afraid to tell me that. And I think that's really important. He's not going to sit there and lie to me. And I think that's why I'm so successful too. I'm, I'm okay with constructive criticism, but Kelly Wardell is just, he's like a second father to me. He is a superhero to me. I don't know what I do because there's some drives where you get done with a rodeo and you're pretty disappointed with how it went. And you either rode good and you didn't win anything or you, you rode bad and you're disappointed with yourself. I'm able to call Kelly and he's able to say the right things and he's helped me out tremendously in my 10 year career.

 

Katy Starr (39:29):

That's awesome. It's always good to have someone like that in your corner. It kind of like encourages you, especially through those hard times.

 

Mitch Pollock (39:36):

Yeah, and I have my parents and my dad and my mom that I call every single day when I'm rodeoing and they're there for me. It's different though when you have someone else besides your mom and dad. I mean, they mean the world to me and, and my dad is my hero. But having someone else there too, it's special. And not everybody has that. I'm lucky that I have that and it's just not Kelly Wardell, there's Cody DeMers and there's all sorts of people that I'm lucky enough to have in my life that I know when times are tough that I can get through it.

 

Katy Starr (40:04):

Yeah. Well and then hopefully you are also, especially you know, your time coaching at CSI and everything, you'll be able to be that person for someone in the, you know, in here in the near future.

 

Mitch Pollock (40:17):

As well. Yeah, that was one of my goals is when I took, and I didn't know I was going to be taking that position, it was actually Kelly Wardell's position, he was the assistant coach and he told me he wanted to step down a little bit, enjoy life, he's getting older and he said, I want to go and be able to do things and, and when you're coaching you, you're dedicating your time to those kids and helping them out. And so, he said, you know, in August he was like, Mitch, I think you'd be really good at this. I'm going to be stepping down. I'll still be around if you guys need me. And I said, I'd love to. And so, one of my goals was to just be the best coach as possible and be there for those kids to show them I'm relevant to those kids.

 

Mitch Pollock (40:55):

They see me in the professional sport of rodeo. Yeah. And they see, see my success. But I want them to see that along with that success, I'm working really hard every day and that's what it takes to be successful at that level. And I hope all those kids want to, you know, someday be at that level. And I'm just like them. I'm no different from them. I came in there at 20 years old, never been on a bucking horse, but I worked my butt off and now I'm at this level so it can be done.

 

Katy Starr (41:24):

That's awesome. And so, you can take this for the kids you're coaching and whoever else, but what advice would you give to anyone listening that does have big dreams of, you know, becoming a saddle bronc rider, or even being involved in rodeo? What kind of advice would you give them?

 

Mitch Pollock (41:43):

You know, it's just not rodeo advice, it's everything that goes into the arena and the rodeo lifestyle is going to help you in life in general, right? So, every day I wake up and I'm thankful that I'm able to do what I love. And if you're thankful for what you're doing, you'll be a lot happier during the day. So, right there, you're going to win the day just being thankful. And then it's not going to be easy. Anything great in this life will not come easy. So, you have to work your butt off every day. You have to grind, you have to be able to handle the highs, and you have to be able to handle the lows. And when there are highs, you know, enjoy 'em, but know what it's like to be at a low as well. And I think that's why winning is so special is because there's that feeling. There's that feeling of I know what it's like to lose. I know what it's like to be in a tough spot. So, that's why when you do win there, it's just so special. And so, don't ever forget those feelings.

 

Katy Starr (42:41):

That's great. I love that. Okay, so I have to ask you, what is your favorite Standlee product?

 

Mitch Pollock (42:49):

So, the gastric support for the barrel horses that, or any horse that has ulcers or you know, is having some stomach issues. The gastric support has helped a few of our horses out tremendously. You could see them benefit from it after a week. It's like you see that they're more comfortable, especially when you ride them. Like there's one barrel horse that if she's not with someone, one of her buddies, she gets a little, you know, nervous and anxious and that's not good for ulcers, so, so that gastric support helps with that tremendously. Awesome.

 

Katy Starr (43:22):

Yeah, that's good product. All right. So, Mitch, how can our listeners stay connected with you after this episode?

 

Mitch Pollock (43:30):

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, all the social media pages. And I also have my own podcast through Taylor and myself host the Western Grind Podcast. So, there's three or four different avenues you can follow. If you follow my Instagram page, you'll see, you know me rodeoing a lot of videos of me at rodeos throughout the year and riding bucking horses. But you'll also see what I do in some of my free time and, and when we practice here at the house, I like to post on on stuff like that. Yeah, Facebook, I still use Facebook quite a bit, but I'm more of a Instagram person for social media.

 

Katy Starr (44:03):

We'll be sure to link all of those in our show notes, so it'll be easy for listeners to find listeners, thank you so much for tuning in today. If you have any topic ideas or anything that you want to hear more about or if you want to hear from certain people, reach out to us at podcast@standlee.com. We love to hear from you guys and get your feedback. And Mitch, thanks so much for being on today. I think we gotta talk about a lot of really cool things about your family and lifestyle and kind of how horses make you guys who you are. And it's been such a good conversation today.

 

Mitch Pollock (44:37):

Yeah, thank you for having me. And to Standlee and the whole Standlee team, I appreciate you guys so much for, you know, being a sponsor of the Backyard Bronc Bash, a sponsor of my, my rodeo career. Standlee has been huge in my success and I've been a part of the team for around six years, seven years now. So, to the Standlee team, thank you very much.

 

Katy Starr (44:59):

Oh absolutely. We're so happy to have you part of our family, Mitch, and we'll talk to you later. Thanks for listening to the Beyond the Barn podcast by Standlee Forage. We'd love for you to share our podcast with your favorite people and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite listening platform. Until next time, keep your cinch tight and don't forget to turn off the water.