- Reporter Angela Mouly
Late Rodeo Clown Rode A Bison
This signed photograph was received at Lea Park Rodeo, depicting a Buddy Heaton performance in the USA.
Photo submitted
Buddy Heaton, American rodeo clown and horse trainer, performed at the Lea Park Rodeo riding a bison in 1959 or 1960 according to Derwent’s Emil Musijowski.
The special act was performed in combination with high profile rodeos across North America.
“It was pretty interesting! People never saw bison in those days other than at Elk Island Park, but now people in the area raise them,” said Musijowski.
Heaton was born in 1929, performed for over 30 years beginning at age 15, and passed away in 2011.
According to www.pressreader.com, Heaton even rode his bison in John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural parade. The site states that he never had Secret Service clearance for that appearance, but was invited back to perform for JFK not once but twice; and also for General Omar Bradley, Winston Churchill, and Queen Elizabeth II.