Once upon a time, movies about the Old West were Americans’ favorite genre of film. There were good guys and bad guys and it was easy to tell them apart. One typical plot line told the story of a rough Texas cowboy. The reliable ranch hand eventually seeks new adventures, so he joins a cattle drive heading north. Later, he joins a new crew wrangling cattle somewhere in Colorado. But the circumstances of life eventually leave the cowboy downtrodden and destitute. All is not lost! The Texas cowboy is redeemed by a golden girl he meets by chance. The beautiful lass not only knows her way around a horse, but she and her kindly parents welcome him to the prairies of Dakota. The cowboy and the golden girl raise their children and care for their livestock, always struggling against the harsh elements of the Dakota seasons. But love conquers all and the movie closes with their children riding painted ponies in the tall grass as the couple watches the burnt orange sun set in the west. Sound too good to be true? Well, to be honest, it’s actually a pretty good synopsis of the lives of Tom and Jennifer Martinez, who live on the northern edge of Hutchinson County. Jennifer grew up on the Ethan area farm of her parents, LeRoy and Susan Adams. She and her two sisters helped with the dairy cows, beef cows, registered Spotted pigs, and even sheep for a time. “I milked cows until I was a junior in high school. I think that’s something every kid should have to do for at least one summer because I think it teaches responsibility and time management,” Jennifer said.
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Magda and Cash Martinez.
But much of the their lives revolved around horses. Jennifer and her two sisters showed horses for many years and LeRoy raised and sold registered American Paint horse seedstock. Jennifer’s mom and sisters would travel to registered American Paint horse shows to earn points which increased the value of the stock LeRoy was selling. “After high school, I didn’t show horses as much. I kind of switched to the rodeo side. I did a lot of rodeo pageants.” Her crowns included Irene Rodeo Queen, Miss Corn Palace Rodeo, and Miss Dakotah Stampede. Today she actively volunteers on the Miss South Dakota Rodeo committee. Jen and Tom’s commitment to the world of horses goes further. Jen was part of group that took over the hippology, quiz bowl and horse judging at the Sioux Empire Horse Expo when those competitions were floundering. Another threat to youth horse events occurred when restructuring of the Extension Service left the state with fewer educators to provide training and clinics. Interest waned quickly. Jennifer and her colleagues first re-built a core group of volunteers for the Sioux Empire Horse Expo Youth Day. They were fortunate to receive lots of assistance from McCrossan’s Boys Ranch and other horse producers in southeastern South Dakota. November 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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