As a boy growing up in Bearcreek, Montana, Bill Smith idolized the famous rodeo cowboys who, in their fancy shirts and fast cars, gave him a glimpse of what life could be like beyond the coal mines. With nothing but “want to” he broke in his boots at the nightly rodeo in Cody, Wyoming. Over the next twenty tears he broke more than a few bones and burned through a marriage to rise through the ranks–earning thirteen trips to the national finals and becoming one of the greatest saddle bronc riders of all time.

When he was in his thirties and facing retirement, Bill met Carole O’Rourke, a schoolteacher and cowgirl on the national rodeo circuit. Together they bought a piece of land and started a business raising ranch horses. Despite having searched most of his life for a horse that bucked, Bill developed a gentle hand and sharp eye, and the Smith’s Circle 7 brand soon marked the hip of some of the finest horses in the country.

“Despite the title, don’t expect just another rodeo story from this read. (Kahn) draws us into the meaning of life from a fresh perspective.”

BIG SKY JOURNAL