The Buffalo Whisperer

By Sherron Bridges

RC Bridges of Quinlan is ''The Buffalo Whisperer''.

RC Bridges has done many things in his life.  He dropped out of school at an early age.  RC did not let being young stop him.  As a boy, he got his 1st job at the Mesquite Rodeo.  Owners Neal Gay and Jim Shoulders sent him to the Andersons S&J Ranch in Plano to get some experience.  RC with his eagerness to learn, absorbed all the skills needed to be a cowboy.  RC has done just about everything, from being a rodeo clown, to bull riding, to saddle bronc riding, to training horses.  RC has taken all the knocks that came with it.  He has broken most of his bones, had his teeth kicked in and his neck has been broken twice. 

Later on RC worked for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, where he patrolled the Texas waters in the Gulf of Mexico from Sabine Pass to Port O'Conner.  Then he moved on to become a horseshoeing instructor at 3 different colleges.  He has spread his wisdom by giving clinics all over the world including Germany and Holland.  As a competitor, RC has won two World Championships for cutting in the American Buckskin Association. 

RC started using buffalo for cutting in Area Championships.  This idea caught on and in 1996 RC hosted the worlds first ever "Buffalo Cutting Contest'' at the Horseman's Club in Greenville.  Doug Jordan of Lone Oak, took home the prize.  RC didn't enter this event because he believes a man should not enter his own contest. 

On June 9th, 2001 RC had a fairy tale wedding with his bride Sherron Gleason Bridges of Lake Tawakoni at their home in Quinlan.  Sherron arrived with her parents Sherry and Richard Butler in a horse drawn carriage.  Dressed in western ware, RC waited for his bride with 2 cutting horses.  After the ceremony, the newlyweds rode off together.

In August 2004, RC lost his left eye.  Parasites got into his eye while swimming and he was declared legally blind.  He was able to regain sight in his eye with a cornea replacement and a few other surgeries.  With glasses he can see even better.

Nothing stops this cowboy of 58 years.  You might ask what keeps this cowboy going.  In his words, "God, my wife and my kids."  With his high tolerance for pain and attitude of no excuses, RC continues to look for new and different experiences.  RC is high on life.

RC bounced back and in 2005 started raising a 2 month old baby buffalo bull.  RC started bringing the buffalo in the house.  He loved the house so much, RC gave this 1300 pound baby a room of his own.  RC and his son Lloyd halter broke the buffalo bull.  They were kicked and pushed around by this baby that had the strength of a grown bull.  Ever since this buffalo came into the Bridges lives, things have been as wild as the old west.  RC's daughter Taylor named the baby buffalo Wildthing.  With so much energy and personality, Wildthing thinks the bottle is great, likes to play with a basketball and loves to take baths.  RC was finally able to tame this baby enough to buddy up to him.  He has even taught him how to dance.  Here in Quinlan and in New Mexico, RC is known as ''Dances with Buffalo''. 

Wildthing likes to stay close to the family, mostly to RC.  He will stay in his room for hours at a time leaving only long enough to potty.  Like RC, Wildthing has a lust for learning and RC has quite a bit more to teach this young buffalo.  While RC is loping his horse down in the round pen to get ready for cutting, he leaves Wildthing's gate open.  Wildthing will volunteer himself to cut and when he's done he'll go back to his pen.  When RC is working on the outside plumbing, Wildthing will stay by his side walking everywhere with RC.  When RC sits on the couch by the window, Wildthing lay's next to him under the window outside. 

RC and wife Sherron have come to love Wildthing so much they decided to include him in their 5th anniversary celebration.  In June 2006, the Bridges renewed their vows with Wildthing as the best man holding the rings on his horns.  Sherron wore a lace wedding dress and high top cowboy boots with spurs that jingle, a cowboy hat and long veil.  Her father Kenneth Crenshaw carried a family heirloom shotgun and wore overalls.  Sherron and Kenneth walked hand and hand through family and friends to meet up with RC and best man Wildthing.

RC came up with many new things to teach his best friend  Wildthing.  RC has taught Wildthing to pull a chariot and how to pull a plow.  His son Will has learned to ski behind Wildthing and his daughter Taylor has learned to drive  the sleigh.  RC has even taught Sherron how to drive Wildthing with a bridle, bit and reins. 

Sherron, a photographer, has taken many videos and photos of Wildthing doing some of the crazy things that RC has taught him.  Sherron sent in videos to CMT's Country Fried Home Videos, one of them was RC and Wildthing pulling a chariot.  The host Bill Engvall called RC the day he got the video and wanted RC to quickly sign the contract so he could air the video.  Bill was so excited about RC and Wildthing he named RC ''The Buffalo Tamer''.  You can find the video in Episode 2 of Season 2 on CMT.com. 

Wildthing is very well published.  He has 10 contracts with Animal Planet, 2 contracts with Americas Funniest Home Videos, a story written about him in the National Cutting Horse Chatter, a story in the Greenville Herald Banner and other magazine articles on the way.  In March of 2007, Animal Planet aired a piece with Wildthing and a blue healer dog named Miss Lisa playing a game of tag.

With all the fuss about Wildthing, RC, Will and Taylor have made it to the media as well in the book "Ripley's Believe It Or NOT!" and in "Guinness World Records Attractions".  RC will be known as the worlds first "Buffalo Dancer" for teaching a buffalo how to dance and pull a plow and chariot.  Will will be known as the worlds first "Buffalo Skier" and Taylor will be known as  "Little Girl Goes For A Buffalo Sleigh Ride", named by Animal Planet.  WFAA Channel 8's "Why Guy" has been out to the Bridges Ranch to do a story on Wildthing.

The Bridges family had a birthday party for Wildthing when he turned 2 years old.  They held it in his room which was draped in ribbons and made a cake of feed and icing shaped like a buffalo patty, topped with a number 2 candle.

This nosey buffalo with personality still has 800 lbs. to go until he is fully grown.  Healthy buffalo usually live for about 40 years.  The Bridges would be lost if anything ever happened to Wildthing, and Wildthing would be lost if anything happened to RC. 

Here is a link to a story about Wildthing in the Corsicana Daily Sun.

If you want to learn more about Wildthing you can call 903-356-4166 or you can visit the website www.bisonsaddles.zoomshare.com or email them at bisonsaddles@peoplepc.com.

RC & Wildthing	Pulling the Plow	On the Plow	Bucking the Chariot
RC on the Charriot	Taylor on the Sleigh	Will Skiing	Article
Wildthing is the Best Man	2nd Birthday	His Own Room	Sherron Manning the Reins
Wildthing in the House	Training the Cutting Horse	RC & Wildthing	Buffalo Wrestling
Driving Wildthing	Sherron & Wildthing	Family Photo	The Why Guy
Sitting in his room	Lloyd & Wildthing	Unloading Wildthing	First Snow