J.B. Mauney rose to become a rodeo legend, but his career took a dramatic turn
The black bull looms in the upper pasture of J.B. Mauney’s ranch, a stark contrast against the green ryegrass horizon. Its dark silhouette dominates a hill, overseeing the tin-roofed hay sheds and iron chutes where Mauney diligently works. Amidst the symphony of creaking gates, persistent wind, and animal sounds, Mauney curses quietly as he fills buckets with feed. The bull observes as Mauney climbs the hill and enters the pasture to fill a trough, eliciting a muttered, almost affectionate, comment from Mauney.
Less than six months ago, a similar scene unfolded. During an event in Lewiston, Idaho, a bull named Arctic Assassin sent Mauney flying, abruptly ending his storied rodeo career. After surgery and recovery, Mauney now spends his days adjusting to retirement on his ranch, Bucktown XV, with his wife Samantha and their 5-year-old son Jagger. He credits them for convincing him to stop, calling it a “forced retirement.”
Samantha, a former barrel racer, playfully chases after Jagger, who sheds his shoes and clothes like a bird losing feathers, while she picks them up. “He’s the boss,” she says, dressed in loose jeans, a sweatshirt, and Converse sneakers, with minimal jewelry save for some earrings and a diamond ring, a story J.B. likes to tell.
J.B. Mauney rose to become a rodeo legend
He recalls picking out the ring at a mall jewelry store, admiring the stone, only to be stunned by the price. Playfully, he joked about finding the motor on the diamond to drive it out of the store, much to the amusement of the saleswoman.
