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The history of the Prunty horses is a
long and diverse one, spanning a century and four generations
of the Prunty family. The Prunty ranch, located ninety miles north of
Elko, Nevada, is nestled against the foothills of the rugged Jarbidge
Wilderness Area. The ranch stands as a timeless monument to a bygone era,
years of hard labor, and determination to leave a legacy to future
generations.
 The
Prunty ranch has been in the family since the late 1800s, when Earl Q.
Prunty settled at the base of Copper Mountain, along the banks of the
Bruneau River, near the old mining town of Charleston. Earl came to the
area with his father, Pinkard, who was seeking his fortune in gold. While
Pinkard gathered and sold mustangs to raise money for his mining venture,
Earl came to love horses and the ranching way of life.
Earl
developed a productive ranch from the rocky sagebrush landscape, and
raised a family. He produced a few local rodeos in the 1930’s and, during
the depression, sold horses to south-eastern states for work horses. He
also marketed horses to the cavalry remount program.
 Just
as they are now, the horses were born and raised on the wide open
sagebrush sea, in an area roughly 35 miles north of the ranch. The horses
were, and are even today, products of quality bloodlines and their
extremely unique environment. The horses possess a unique blend of
hardiness and natural ability that makes them ideal for almost any purpose
Throughout the years, this has been the type of horse that
the Pruntys have continued to raise. Between 1948 and 1968, Earl’s sons,
Frank “Shorty” and Harold “Corky”, selected the roughest of the bunch and
hit the rodeo trail with a string of bucking horses that is remembered
even today. The bucking horses Cornflakes and Broken Blossom are probably
the most famous, but some of the other great ones were: Royal Taboo,
Hereford, Country Cousin, Lookout, Goldrush, Roller, Pathfinder, and
Bandoleer. From the local amateur rodeos of northern Nevada to the
National Finals Rodeo, the Diamond A Rodeo Company made its mark in the
rodeo history books.
Since that time, the Pruntys have
focused their efforts on breeding and raising great riding horses; horses
that could easily carry a rider fifty miles a day through rough country,
and still get in the ground and work a cow. By breeding the hearty desert
mares to registered quarter horse and paint stallions over the last 35
years, the horses have been refined to include the best traits of both
worlds. The Prunty Ranch currently offers a selection of grade horses, as
well as high quality registered AQHA and APHA horses.
Undoubtedly the most unique thing about our horses is the way
they are raised, on the open range, the way horses have evolved naturally
across the ages. However, our horses are not mustangs.
Our horses
spend five months out of the year at the home ranch in Charleston, from
late May to early November, and the remainder of the year on open range.
All of the foals are born out in the open, without assistance, with the
majority being born in April and May.
From birth, the foals
travel at their mothers’ sides, roaming the vast sagebrush plateau
with the foraging herd. It is from this that they begin to learn how to
carry themselves in extremely rough, rocky country, and by moving
constantly with the stud bunch, they develop physically, mentally, and
naturally.
In November, if the foals are aged enough, they are weaned
from their mothers before the horses return to the desert. The foals are
kept at the ranch and halter broken over the winter.
It is a
forty mile trot from the ranch to the gateway to winter pasture, and
over the years, horses that couldn’t easily travel that distance in a day
have been culled, in a process much like natural selection. Breeding these
mares to registered stallions has served to infuse new blood into the
program, developing “hybrid vigor,” and to refine conformations while
still retaining the qualities of the original desert horses.
While continually maintaining the heart and stamina
of their ancestors, the horses have excelled in many areas, from endurance
and trail riding to working cow horse classes and rodeo. On the right is a
picture of Shorty Prunty with his horse Canary, in 1946. Canary came from
the Diamond A Desert, and won the snaffle bit competition at the Elko
County Fair.
Another excellent example, and perhaps a trademark of
the all-around capabilities of our horses is this buckskin gelding
named Snip, who was sired by a Jet Deck appendix stallion. Snip competed
successfully in barrel racing, pole bending, and team roping at his peak.
Now happily retired, in past years he was also a mainstay for the horse
gathering in the spring, putting long miles in day after day, and still
having
enough “go” to make the thirty mile trot home.
Area ranches
have purchased a number of Prunty Horses. Others have been shown
successfully in the highly competitive Elko County Fair, carried children
in parades and various competitions, been used extensively in the branding
pen, become surefooted trail horses, and last but not least, become
steadfast companions.
Consider the potential of these horses as
mounts for yourself, for your ranch hands, or for your guest ranch
business. Take a tour through our Photo Gallery and
Where Are They Now page,
and see what these horses can do for you. |
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