MOTHER'S DAY FEATURE:
"MUM'S" THE WORD ON STAMPEDE'S STAR-STUDDED STOCK, BUT NOT THE SILENT TYPE
May 8, 2009

tock contractor Keith Marrington’s got a lovely bunch of Coconuts down at the Calgary Stampede’s stretch of land near Hanna, Alta.

Stampede Ranch’s “Born to Buck” breeding program, which was established in 1961 in an effort to ensure the production of quality bucking stock, and rarely do they come along as high quality as Grated Coconut.

“He’s won every award there is and he’s enjoying life and he’s healthy and he’s just getting better with age,” Marrington praised of the 1,600-pound stallion.

Grated Coconut was born the colt of two bareback bucking stars in their own rights: Harvey Northcott’s two-time Canadian champion Wyatt Earp, and the Calgary Stampede’s sorrel mare Coconut Roll, who has been selected for both the CFR and NFR consecutively over the last seven years.

They’re also the proud parents of Grated Coconut’s sister, Kauai Coconut, an eight-year-old chestnut mare who’s been making a statement herself lately. She was selected for the 2008 CFR and Marrington is confident she has all the makings of a champion.

“I think she’s going to be, down the road in the next year or two, she’s going to be a superstar, also. We just haven’t given her the opportunities that we’ve given her big brother. I mean, she’s certainly taken second fiddle to him now, but I think she’s going to surprise a few people here down the road,” Marrington said.

“We know she’s got the genetics behind her and she’s a proven bucker,” he continued. “We just decided to breed her to grow her up a bit and raise a couple colts.”

Kauai Coconut is about to become a mother for the third time, “Any day now,” Marrington gleamed. “She’s going to have a baby by an NFR superstar. She was bred to Lunatic Fringe from Burch [Rodeo Company] boys in Wyoming.”

In fact, “She might have foaled already,” Marrington added.

Marrington said Kauai Coconut’s foal will be weaned by September or October, and Kauai will be a bucking horse again.

And if stardom runs in the family, his expectations for the up-and-comer could prove correct.

“There’s a distinct visual similarity between Kauai Coconut and Coconut Roll. She is just a clone of her mother,” Marrington said. “But she’s a little ranker. [Coconut Roll] is pretty user-friendly. The guys certainly like to draw her. She doesn’t yank them around, but Kauai is a littler harder to ride; that’s probably a Wyatt Earp trait.”

According to Marrington, mama and daughter might have a lot in common, but Kauai Coconut’s full brother Grated Coconut has a personality all his own.

“He’s got a little attitude – there’s no question about that – he’s very curious, and I think he’s a little more sensitive to the human being,” Marrington explained, adding “and he’s halter broken. You can go up and you can talk to him and you can pat him. The other two are more… let’s just say: not as domestic. They’re a little more free spirited.”

So really, the Coconuts are just like any other family. And mama probably couldn’t be more pleased with the accomplishments of her kids.

“She’d be very proud of her kids, extremely,” Marrington smiled. “Like any mother, she’s got to be proud of her offspring, and I think she’d be extremely proud of them, especially with the accomplishments of Grated Coconut.”

And we can expect to see all three of them in action at some point during the 2009 season.