Star Plauditt known as “Red,” first belonged to the Combs brothers, Benny and Willard. He was hauled professionally in bulldogging for three years before he competed on the barrel racing circuit. In the early 1960’s, Sherry Price Johnson needed a new horse and the first rodeo of the season was only six weeks away. Sherry trained Red and took him to the Denver Rodeo winning first or second in every go-around until they hit a barrel in the finals. Benny and Red did claim a bulldogging win at Denver. Sherry and Red went on to win every major rodeo except for Denver.
During the eight years that Red both bulldogged and barrel raced with Sherry and Benny, Benny mounted more than 60 top-doggers. One year at Cheyenne, five different riders rode Red in the steer wrestling finals within one hour, and between the two sections of the doggin’ events, Sherry ran barrels on him. Four of the six riders finished in the money. In 1962, Red set a record that in 53 years has not been equaled. Winning dual World Championships…Tom Nesmith and Red won the Steer Wrestling Championship and Sherry and Red won the Barrel Racing Championship. Red was an amazing athlete with a willing heart.
At Denver in 1968, the reins came over Red’s head at the second barrel. They fell over his right ear for a few strides toward that barrel, and then dangled toward the ground. Sherry could not retrieve the reins so she just kept on riding, whipping her awesome horse as he turned the third barrel. They won the go-around, and the crowd went wild.
As Red got older, Sherry allowed Becky to run barrels on Red. He took care of her, and they won quite a few rodeos together. Red Star Plauditt was laid to rest in Bryan, Texas. He truly was “a horse like no other!”
