Photo courtesy www.theonearmbandit.net

The most popular act in Sisters Rodeo history is back to celebrate the rodeo’s 75th anniversary. The One Arm Bandit is bringing his Black Mouth Cur Hounds, horse or mule, and buffalo to town.

John Payne, the One Arm Bandit, has won the national Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association Specialty Act of the Year 12 times. There is just nothing else like this performance, an unbelievable display of communication between a man and his animals. Wherever he performs, he steals the show.

Whip in hand, dogs at his bidding, he herds buffalo from horseback onto the back of a truck and even on the roof of a stock trailer.

He will also take his act to the Sisters Rodeo Parade, sometimes in a breathtaking performance with his horse on the roof of a moving stock trailer.

Payne was born on an Oklahoma ranch. The cowboy has spent his entire life on a horse with dogs at his side. He partners with his dad and four brothers as ranchers in his home state, but his showmanship keeps him on the road most of the year.

When hired to herd some intractable bulls, Payne and his Cur dogs earned the respect of the ranch owner. The bulls were penned in a short while, and the result was the beginning of Payne’s career in the rodeo arena.

Many years ago, Payne made the one-time mistake of trying to be an electrician on a power pole where he grabbed a line, believing the power was off. He sustained 7,200 volts for 10 seconds.

While the voltage was destroying his leg, he was unable to let go, held to a wire 25 feet high by sheer electrical power. When his hand was burned loose, he fell to sure death.

He was revived with CPR, licked his wounds for two months and went back to ranching. Through this shocking experience, Payne became “The One Arm Bandit.”

The One Arm Bandit and Company has now taken their legendary act throughout the U.S., Canada and even Dubai. This act has been seen at some of the top horse shows and rodeos in the nation, always stunning an appreciative crowd. His son and daughter are now carrying on the tradition.

Payne believes anything can be accomplished through sheer nerve, determination and the drive to excel in one’s field.

— Courtesy of Bonnie Malone, Sisters Rodeo