When asked in an interview what he most liked about rodeo, three-time world champion saddle-bronc rider Cody Bill Smith said simply, Horses that buck. Smith redefined the image of America s iconic cowboy. Determined as a boy to escape a miner s life in Montana, he fantasized a life in rodeo and went on to earn thirteen trips to the national finals, becoming one of the greatest of all riders.

This biography puts readers in the saddle to experience the life of a champion rider in his quest for the gold buckle. Drawing on interviews with Smith and his family and friends, Margot Kahn recreates...