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Johnny Urrutia

Class of 2017

​Johnny was ranch raised in Shoshone.  He was enamored as a young boy with the cowboy lifestyle of his uncle Buddy Peak, previously honored into the hall of fame. To Johnny, nothing seemed more glamorous than the buckles and cheers that Buddy accrued on the circuit.

Johnny grew up riding steers and rode his first bull at 17. He was hooked to the rush it brought, but had to wait for his rodeo life to unfold after his college years when he received a track scholarship and got his Bachelor of Science in Secondary Math Education.

In 1978 he was the rough stock rookie of the year in the Idaho Cowboys Association. Meanwhile, he was teaching, raising a family and riding bulls every available weekend. He filled his PRCA PERMIT IN 1983 and gave up a secure career in education to live life on the PRCA circuit instead. On the road, he won enough to survive, but couldn't seem to stay healthy.

While taking time to recover from injuries, Dodge Truck Rodeo hired him as a National Representative, where he established the national Dodge Truck Rodeo Band to entertain rodeo fans through the U.S. and Canada. He sang for Dodge for 16 years, in which time he wrote and performed the theme songs at the Miss Rodeo America pageant in Las Vegas many times, while building relationships with rodeo athletes and fans across the country and still stays in touch today with many. Finally, he returned back home to Idaho, where he started Idaho Horse Therapy and Idaho Re-Boot Camp, combining his love of horses and Western philosophy with his desire and talent to help others, serving teens at risk and all populations suffering from PTSD.

Johnny will tell you that it nearly took a life time to discover his passion for helping people and is eternally grateful for the people and experiences that Rodeo brought him along the way.

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