The nine-time NFR bucking horse passed away in January, but his offspring are already carrying his name and his talent into the big shows.
When the talented Straight Jacket passed away in January 2026, the rodeo world lost more than a bucking horse. They lost a foundation sire, a proven champion, and a cornerstone of one of the sport’s most respected programs.
The 16 year old PRCA bucking horse from J Bar J Pro Rodeo suffered a broken leg and was treated at Washington State University, but he could not overcome the injury. After a storied career, J15 Straight Jacket was laid to rest on the ranch in Circle, Montana. Sparky and Marleen Dreesen mourned the loss of a horse that had become far more than just a number in the program.
In a social media post, the Dreesens shared, “He was heart, grit, and a partner in showcasing the very best of rodeo.”
That description fits just perfectly for the talented horse.
Straight Jacket made nine trips to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Five of those in bareback riding and four in saddle bronc. His distinctive bald face and classic bucking style made him instantly recognizable, and he was respected the moment he left the chute.
But what makes Straight Jacket’s story even more significant is what is happening now. His offspring are not just carrying on his name, they are winning with it at the highest level.
At the 2025 NFR, an impressive eight of Straight Jacket’s colts were selected to buck at the Thomas & Mack Center. Eight. That kind of representation at rodeo’s biggest stage is not luck or coincidence, it is the result of intentional breeding and bloodlines built to last.
Straight Jacket was sired by Night Jacket, a legendary bucking horse inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2023 after seven consecutive bareback selections at the NFR from 2000 to 2007. Straight Jacket was one of 265 Night Jacket colts to have been selected to buck in Las Vegas. This is a staggering statistic that speaks to the strength of that line from the beginning. Out of Kattle Bells, he carried genetics that were proven before he ever stepped into the arena at all.
One of his standout offspring, Shady Jacket, has already made major noise. At the 2025 NFR, Shady Jacket helped saddle bronc rider Stetson Wright to an 89.75 point ride and a share of the Round 10 victory. Then on Feb. 7 at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, Shady Jacket was half of Darcy Radel’s 91 point ride to split the final round win inside Dickies Arena.
That 91 point ride in Fort Worth was memorable. It was one of the top rides of the entire rodeo, and it came just weeks after Straight Jacket’s passing. Seeing his bloodline still dominating in major arenas made it clear that this legacy is not slowing down.
At the 2020 NFR that was held in Arlington, Texas Straight Jacket was placed in the TV pen (rounds 5 and 10) of the saddle bronc. He also had a daughter paced in the same pen for the bareback riding. The TV pen is reserved for the flashiest, best horses out there. Historically, these horses were chosen this way because only Round 10 was televised. Not only did Straight Jacket make that cut, but since then several of his songs and daughters have too.
Straight Jacket had become a major part of J Bar J’s breeding program, just like his sire before him and because of amazing modern technology, his influence will continue for generations.
The stock contracting firm reported that they have collected hundreds of straws from Straight Jacket during his lifetime. According to Sparky Dreesen, the breeding approach moving forward will be intentional and selective.
“We know the crosses that work, and we're probably not going to be trying any new crosses with him,” Dreesen said to the PRCA. “We'll see how that works a few years down the road.”
J Bar J plans to utilize intracytoplasmic sperm injection technology they say. It allows programs to preserve and strategically use elite genetics long after a horse is gone.
The goal is not just to replicate talent though, it is to build generations of bucking horses that carry the consistency, power and style that J Bar J has been known for. Maybe they will carry Straight Jacket’s personality, too.
He gave everything to the sport of rodeo and left a mark that goes far beyond the arena, living on in the memories of those who were lucky enough to climb into the chute on top of him.
Now, his offspring is doing it for him.
From Las Vegas to Fort Worth and beyond, the Straight Jacket name is still being called, and judging by what we have already seen, it will be for years to come.