Fay Haynes inducted into Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame
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PABLO – There’s only a few horses grazing in her Pablo pasture, but inside longtime rodeo star Fay Haynes’ home, there’s hundreds. Horses adorn TV trays, mugs, salt and pepper shakers, paintings, photographs, and perch on the pinnacle of trophies. Ribbons line the walls of her indoor arena, where locals gather to practice roping twice a week. Haynes, 85, recently garnered one more award for her mantle. On May 27, Haynes was inducted into the 2011 Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame, and was honored with a Living Award. She was the only nominee for district 10, which includes Lake, Flathead, Lincoln and Sanders counties.
When asked about her successes, Haynes always credits the horse.
“We did so much with horses over the years,” she said. “That was our life.”
Haynes has said she can’t imagine a day when she can no longer ride.
“I will ride as long as I can still get on my horse,” she chuckled.
Although a recent medical scare has rendered her left arm nearly useless, Haynes continues to ride. She climbs a small ladder to mount her well-broke mare who “stands like a rock” as she slides into the saddle. Horses have been Hayne’s life since the tender age of 5, when her dad first led her around on an old gray mare named Dolly while he mended fences.
“I didn’t have brains enough to fear a horse, I just trusted them. And they trusted in return – well, not that I never got bucked off,” Haynes said.
Her persistent riding took her to the winner’s circle in countless barrel racing and pole bending contests. Her first and her favorite horse, Jule Bar, set American Quarter horse records. He won numerous awards, and even took the Best All-Around at Spokane’s Inland Empire rodeo.
Three generations of horses had racing instincts as Haynes won awards on barrels and pole bending with Jule Bar, his son Jumpy Jule, and his grandson Breeze. She still holds Jumpy Jule close to her heart.
“It makes me cry to think of him,” Haynes said as she wiped tears from her eyes. “Jumpy Jule was such a willing horse. He was always in control. We did everything with Jumpy.”
And while her trophy case is gradually being depleted as she gives away the awards, Haynes is still gaining accolades for her contributions to the equestrian world.
Haynes met her husband, Bill, at a rodeo in Polson. The bull and saddlebronc rider was judging that day, and the two married and bought their 3,000-acre Big Bend ranch in the Little Bitterroot, where they raised cattle and bought and sold both Arabian and Quarter horses.
“My family raised Arabian horses growing up, and my husband was a Quarter horse man,” Haynes said. “We had to choose one, so we switched to Quarter horses.”
The couple rotated two-hour shifts throughout the frigid winter nights of calving season. When the alarm woke her at 2 a.m., she’d head to the corral where all the cows circled the newest calf, warming the newborn with their body heat. Freezing cold but determined, Haynes would place the calf on a sled and pull it out of the crowd, and the mother would break away from the group and follow Haynes to the warm shelter of the barn.
Every year, Fay and Bill saddled up and rode a barge across Flathead Lake to round up stallions on Wildhorse Island so Doc Burnett could geld them.
To manage the growing herd, one time she helped roundup 49 of the 94 horses on the island and transport them on a flat barge across the choppy water to Elmo. Fay recalled her husband keeping a pocketknife razor sharp, so he could cut the horses loose in the event the barge started to sink. Luckily the barge stayed above water. Once they reached Elmo, the healthy stock was carted to Missoula and sold.
In 1973, the couple bought acreage west of Pablo and built their home together. Bill passed away just two years later, and Haynes never remarried.
Through the years Fay has taught numerous young girls to barrel race, and trained their horses as well. Several have gone on to win substantial awards. And the ropers still come to her home to practice twice a week.
Haynes never considered a different lifestyle, she said, although the community has changed dramatically in her time.
Following her induction to Montana’s Cowboy Hall of Fame, Haynes reflected on her life and accomplishments.
“It’s been a long ride, but this was what I was meant to do,” she said.
