Rodeo Icon Kaycee Fields Bids Farewell to Legendary Bucking Horse in Heartfelt Tribute

The Stampede Ranch of Calgary Stampede Rodeo has been home to some of the most renowned bucking horses in the industry. A comfortable herd of over 500 rough stock horses currently make up the ranch in Alberta. However, among the names, new and veteran, the ranch stood to incur a great loss on Thursday, for itself and the rodeo industry as a whole.

On the 18th of January, the Calgary Stampede Rodeo announced that the legendary bucking horse, Grated Coconut, had taken his final bow. Throughout his career, industry greats rode to victory atop him, garnering 90-point rides. Former rodeo cowman, Kaycee Feild, one of the famed riders aboard the champion horse stood to extend his farewell over the demise.

A farewell from the rodeo fame

Kaycee Feild recently took to his Instagram to respond to the news announcement by Calgary Stampede. “RIP #TheStud,” he wrote sharing a post by the rodeo giant, PRCA. Reminiscing the 6 times Bareback Horse of the Year, the organization announced under the post, “Calgary Stampede’s Hall of Fame horse Grated Coconut passes away.” The post also welcomed a reaction from Field calling the horse his ‘friend’.

“He was truly unbelievable. I had that horse in 2009 at the Calgary Stampede and the first jump out I got jerked down and ended up slapping him,” Kaycee told PRCA. “I had a lot of respect for him, he was the real deal… I’ve never been on a horse quite like that.” According to Stampede Ranch, the rodeo legend passed away peacefully at the ranch, marking 27 remarkable years of his life.

Grated Coconut’s journey for the books

“I don’t think we will ever really know the value that he brought to the ranch,” is what ranch manager, Tyler Kraft recalled after the demise. Born in 1997, the horse went on to become a 6-time PRCA World Champion. Canadian Championships or international, the bucking hose graced the arenas gloriously through years of his presence. To add to the stance, by the time Grated Coconut took his final breath, he stood to be one of the most decorated horses in the rodeo industry.

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Though the 27-year-old was retired back in 2010, his accolades extended beyond. Following his triumph on rodeo grounds, Grated Coconut earned the honor of being inducted into three halls of fame. PRCA, CPRA, and Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame held the athlete’s status in the industry. While the champion might have taken his pass to the next world, his legacy lives on the Stampede Ranch. For one final console, as the ranch adds, “The idea is not to live forever, but to create something that will.”

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