If you look as this cover photo of the June 2008 Western Horseman close enough, you will see that Billy Etbauer’s gold buckle shines. It’s attached to the first Guymon Pioneer Days championship belt he earned in 2002. Even now, 24 years after he won one, the five-time world champion saddle bronc rider still wears one of his Guymon belts every day. It’s part of who he is.
(PHOTO BY DARRELL DODDS, COURTESY OF WESTERN HORSEMAN)

 

GUYMON, Okla. – On the cover of the June 2008 issue of Western Horseman, five-time world champion Billy Etbauer sits astride a buckskin stallion his family owned.

The image is a perfect contrast of the denim Etbauer was known to wear and horse’s golden hide. As if it were meant to accentuate the colors, Etbauer’s blue is highlighted by one of his five world championship gold buckles. It’s affixed by his 2002 Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo title belt, one of two he earned in a distinguished career that included 21 consecutive qualifications to the National Finals Rodeo.

“I love that belt,” said Etbauer, still one of the most recognized bronc riders in ProRodeo history alongside his brothers, Dan and Robert, and their late traveling partner and friend, Craig Latham. “It’s the whole scenario, with Guymon being kind of the hometown rodeo. If you’re fortunate enough to win one, it’s pretty special. You pick your size, and it comes with super nice conchos on it to boot.”

The belts are not only stylish but also practical. Many rodeos offer buckles to their victors, but Pioneer Days gives winners something on which to showcase those prizes. Each belt features conchos that reflect the event, the year and the rodeo, so it’s a wearable trophy that can last the test of time. Take retired bareback rider Mark Gomes, the 1998 world champion who won his Guymon crown in 2001.

“I’ve had that thing 25 years, and I still wear it,” said Gomes, who also helped produce Pioneer Days Rodeo over the years. “That’s my dress belt. I’m honored to wear it. At the time, that was one of the nicest prizes going. Everybody had a buckle, but nobody had anything to hang it on.”

A new round of titlists is just around the corner with this year’s Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 1; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. The cherished belts are created annually by Dan Wheelock with Anchor Heart Rawhide & Leather in Gruver.

“Back in the day, there wasn’t many rodeos that gave a prize at all,” said Bret Franks, a three-time NFR qualifier originally from Guymon. “I always thought that belt deal was just very prestigious. If you looked around in my day, all of your peers might have a Salinas buckle on or an NFR buckle on, but they had that Guymon belt on, too.”

Franks earned his in 1997, the same year qualified to the NFR for the first time. He followed that up with two more trips to Las Vegas in 1998 and 2000. He had that Pioneer Days belt on when he arrived.

“I wanted one pretty bad,” he said. “That belt reflected a lot of meaningful stuff. That was the first time I ever got on Bobby Joe Skoal. That’s the greatest horse during my time rodeoing, and so to do it at my hometown rodeo. A lot of people still wear theirs.”

While most trophies fit nicely in a case, the Guymon keepsake fits perfectly through the loops on the waistband of jeans. It serves as a regular reminder of cherished memories.

“That particular year at that rodeo was when I had Sheep Tick,” Gomes said of the Harry Vold Rodeo Co. horse that flipped on him 10 months before inside the bucking chutes at Cheyenne, Wyoming, causing Gomes’ pelvis to break in three spots. “That was a pivotal moment in my career to face that demon.

“That was a very personal, special win. I’m a huge fan of Guymon and always have been. That belt will always be special to me.”

While Gomes uses his on special occasions, that’s not always the case for cowboys.

“When I wean them from being my good belt, then I just turn them into work belts,” said Etbauer, who won his second Guymon title in 2008. “I haven’t had another belt on in forever. Since I got my first Guymon belt, I’ve never put another belt on.”

It’s a note to the durability and craftmanship of the leather, but it’s also a sign of how honored many of ProRodeo’s top contestants are to have them. There might come a time when the leather and silver conchos need to be redone, because regular wear will do that to just about any material.

“They’re going to wear out when you’re wearing them every day,” Franks said. “I’m going to have mine redone. Ken Stonecipher wants to take my conchos and have Montana Silversmiths redo them, because they’re kind of shoddy looking. I don’t know if I want that. I like having them looking old.”

Franks earned his belt 29 years ago. He’s raised two children since then and has a couple of grandsons. He’ll likely still be wearing that Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo belt for years to come.