Bernis Johnson, a seven-time qualifier for the Public Finals Rodeo, and the proprietor of five-time Sans protection Pony of the Year Sippin’ Velvet, died on Oct. 27 in Cleburne, Texas. He was 90.
“My father you could call him a homestead kid, however my uncles and aunties would constantly say he was a cattle rustler all along,” said David Johnson, Bernis’ child. “One of my uncles said one time when Bernis was a youngster, anything with four legs he was continuously riding. It didn’t make any difference on the off chance that it was ponies, cows, or hoards. At the point when my father was riding there were no schools and you nearly must be self-trained. You were learning on the bend. He just had an inherent capacity (to ride) and he never needed to consider it. He was simply destined to be a rancher. It was something the Ruler put in him that he didn’t need to attempt to be a cattle rustler. He just was a rancher.”
Johnson was brought into the world in Cleburne, Sept. 19, 1932, and at 15 years old, joined the Rodeo Cowpokes Affiliation. He was a three-occasion candidate contending in bull riding, sans protection riding, and seat bronc riding. His persistence in the field permitted him to fit the bill for the NFR in 1959 (without any protection riding), 1961(bull riding), 1962 (sans protection riding, bull riding); 1963 (without any protection riding), 1964 (bull riding) and 1966 (sans protection riding).
Subsequent to partaking in a cutthroat vocation in ProRodeo as a competitor, Johnson began what might turn into an extremely effective endeavor as a stock project worker. He began the B-J Rodeo Organization and in 1977 he bought Hoss Inman’s Flying I Buck Stock Organization and began acquainting perceived roughstock with the game of rodeo.
Johnson’s most striking was B-J’s Sippin’ Velvet, sired by an immediate relative of Man-O-War. Sippin’ Velvet was a five-time Sans protection Pony of the Year in 1978, 1983-84, 1986-87. Sippin’ Velvet additionally was the top sans protection pony of the NFR in 1978-79, 1982, 1986, and 1989. Sippin’ Velvet was accepted into the ProRodeo Lobby of Distinction in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2000.
“Bernis’ history justifies itself with his capacity to raise and prepare kicking ponies and rodeo bulls, period,” said CK Reid, who was employed as a specialty act by Johnson when he was 15 and is a companion of the Johnson family. “Bernis had a Divine being given ability to have the option to detect the right creature and train that creature. At a certain point, it is extremely protected to say Bernis had the most productive arrangement of kicking ponies and kicking bulls in ProRodeo.”
With the acquisition of Hoss Inman’s Flying I Kicking Stock, Bernis additionally delivered PRCA rodeos and was associated with the reclamation of taking the game of rodeo back to the Stronghold Worth (Texas) Stockyards.
“There was a timeframe when my father was changing from challenging to contracting,” David said. “He didn’t go from RCA cowpoke to RCA project worker. He needed to begin with little school rodeos and open rodeos and start to develop. Back in those days where we resided bulls were ample. We had a field down at our place and father would buck and carry bulls up with potential and afterward he would take those bulls and exchange them for kicking ponies which were ample in the North. My father was a broker, and he could detect great bulls and great ponies.
“There were individuals who were extremely, kind to my father in those early days like the Beutler siblings.
Bernis was accepted into the Texas Cowpoke Corridor of Acclaim in 2005.
“I see (ProRodeo Lobby of Famer) Larry Mahan occasionally I generally let him know I’m David Johnson one of Bernis Johnson’s children and I simply need to say ‘Howdy’ to you. He generally says exactly the same thing each time I have approached him the last four or multiple times. He said everyone approaches me and says ‘Hello Mr. Mahan you were my legend growing up. No one at any point asked who my legend was. He said my legend was Bernis Johnson.
“Then there was some other time with (the late) Harry Vold. Harry didn’t talk much yet anything he said a lot. At the point when I was conversing with him in Cheyenne (Wyo.), he asked me how my father was doing and he said, ‘Your father was an Amazing rancher’.”
Johnson was gone before in death by his significant other Frances. He is made due by children, Bernie J., and David, and little girls, Lesa, and Donna.
Administrations are forthcoming.