Stevi Hillman, 8x NFR Qualifier, and his horse “Truck” make Buffalo Bill Rodeo a stop every year

Texas Barrel Racing Horse and Barrel Racer Excels at Buffalo Bill Rodeo – Story by Ruth Nicolaus

A special barrel racing horse is a winner in North Platte.

Truck is a barrel racing horse owned and cared for by Stevi Hillman, of Weatherford, Texas, and in five of the six years the seventeen-year-old bay gelding came to the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte, he won money.

In fact, the duo set the arena record in 2017, with a time of 17.17 seconds, the first of their two top finishes. Their second first place came in 2022, with a time of 17.44 seconds.

Truck and Hillman finished in second place in 2021 (17.46 seconds); achieved eleventh place in 2020 (17.66 seconds) and in 2016 finished in sixth place (17.71 seconds).

The horse loves running in barrels, and especially running in large outdoor enclosures, Hillman said.

And he’s always ready to rodeo, especially in the spring.

The Buffalo Bill Rodeo is the unofficial kickoff to the busy summer rodeo race, and Truck knows it well.

“I think part of it is the first time we’ve gotten in a trailer and gone for the summer, and he’s excited and fresh and happy and ready to go,” Hillman said. “I definitely think that’s part of it.”

He’s got quite a personality, Hillman said.

“He’s hilarious and he’s very needy. He loves to be pampered. Hillman’s stepmother, Ceri Artzer, treats him with a machine that applies electrotherapy, electrical pulses that stimulate muscles and tissues.

“He absolutely eats it,” she said. “He knows when she comes for him what’s going to happen.”

He also doesn’t like to share attention.

“He doesn’t like to see anyone else getting petted or getting cookies,” Hillman laughed. “He gets depressed when I’m at home and riding other horses. He is funny.

Hillman qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo eight times, but only raced a truck there one year.

He doesn’t like smaller arenas with long aisles, like those at Thomas and Mack Arena, home of the national finals.

When Truck is in an alley, he’s ready to run, and she had to hold him back at Thomas and Mack’s house.

“It’s hard for him and he’s stressed in that alley, so I didn’t take him back after that.

“He is a horse that runs fast and advances well, who prefers space to run. Once we learned that about him, we stopped taking him to small arenas.

Hillman will have three other horses in her trailer when she comes to the Buffalo Bill Rodeo.

Her second horse, Bridget, will be with her. Bridget was her reserve horse in the 2023 National Finals Rodeo. She will also have two young five-year-old mares that need seasoning.

She and her husband, Ty, raise and train barrel horses. Their stud, TSH Pendleton, is the foundation of their program.

Hillman enjoys participating in the Buffalo Bill Rodeo.

“I like the setup and the committee is really nice. You can also put pens. It’s good to start the summer season this way, when the committees are nice and have good ground. It refreshes us and makes us feel good to leave.

The truck’s registered name is Cuatro Fame; his father is Dash Ta Fame, a famous barrel racing stud; his dam dates back to Streakin Six, another famous barrel racing horse.

Truck is Hillman’s “golden child,” she said. “He’s my good old faithful, my reliable. I know what he’s going to do every race.

Hillman and Truck competed on Thursday, June 13. Although this year was not as lucky as previous years, we can hope that they return around the same time next year.

This year’s rodeo will take place June 12-15 at the Wild West Rodeo Arena. Show time is 8 p.m. every night.

Listen to our interview with Stevi here:

Watch our interview with Stevi here: