If you’ve seen John Douch win on a black or sorrel horse this summer and assumed it was Tomcat or Bo, look again.
The Huntsville, Texas, native has quietly deepened his string in 2026, adding two veteran mares to a trailer already anchored by his NFR mounts, Tomcat and Bo. Both new horses are older, both are solid, and both have done exactly what Douch bought them to do: stay out of his way and let him rope.
“I’m a big guy, so I like to have three or four different horses to depend on,” Douch said. “I don’t like to just wear them out. There’s so many rodeos in the summertime and I like to have different horses for every setup.”
The sorrel mare: “Fancy”
The sorrel mare Douch has ridden the most this summer is Statesmans Fancy, the 17-year-old he calls “Fancy.”
“I’ve had her since last year,” Douch said. “I bought her for a practice and jackpot horse and then she just got better and better, or maybe I just started roping better off of her. I’ve been winning a lot off of her this year.”
He hauled her to Pendleton last year, rode her at Filer, Idaho, and a couple of other rodeos, rode her through the winter jackpots, then cracked her out this summer.
Douch has ridden Fancy at Cheyenne, won Sheridan on her, placed second at Eugene, placed second at Molalla and won third—plus the second round—at Dodge City. He also rode her at Preston, Idaho, in a fast setup.
“I’ve rode in every setup and it really doesn’t matter, she’s good everywhere,” Douch said. “And I like to ride her because she’s so easy. All I do is just jump on and rope. I don’t have to worry about too much stuff.”
That’s the it-factor, and it’s the whole reason Douch keeps buying older horses.
“The older horses have been through it and they’ve been rodeoed on, and most of them is pretty solid,” Douch said. “I don’t like to worry about riding younger horses that I have to tune up every day.”
The black mare: “Kate”
Then there’s the black mare, the record-setter. Her registered name is Marthas Poco, aka “Kate,” an 18-year-old mare. Kate was trained by Roping.com coach, Blane Cox, and Douch says it shows.
“Blane Cox, he trained her and he did a very good job,” Douch said. “I’ve won around $20,000 on her and I’ve only rode her at about seven or eight rodeos.”
He set the arena record on her at Elko, placed on her at Pleasant Grove, and picked up a check at Reno. Where Fancy is more of a go-anywhere mare, Kate has a sweet spot.
“She’s a good horse, but the kind of horse that’s better on a faster setup and good calves that you can go fast on,” Douch said.
Fourth Quarter String
Douch is reshuffling his four head as the summer run rolls on. Tomcat—Douch’s 11-year-old black gelding (Peponchek Royalspade)— is headed home for a break. Bo (Kid Lena Boon), the veteran who carried him at the 2025 NFR and horse he rode most of the winter, is coming back out fresh.
“I’m leaving Tomcat at home for the rest of the year,” Douch said. “I’m taking the black and sorrel mares back out, and bringing Bo back.”