One-Arm Bandit returns to Sisters with dazzling show

The loud speakers thump with the song “Bad To The Bone” as a black and red Dodge Dually pulling a 30-foot aluminum fifth-wheel horse trailer drives out into the Sisters Rodeo arena.

A lanky cowboy clad in bandit-black and red parks the rig on the south side of the arena. He jumps out of the truck cracking a 20-foot bullwhip with his left — his only — arm.

His tall, black-and-red- leather-clad frame ambles to the north end of the arena. An assistant opens the side door of the trailer releasing a saddled palomino mustang. The horse picks up a lope and circles around the horse trailer, then gallops to the cowboy and stops. The wild looking black bandit mounts his horse and picks up the gallop, all the while wielding and cracking the bullwhip around the horse’s head and body.

It’s John H. Payne, the One-Arm Bandit, one of the premier intermission entertainment acts in professional rodeo.

The bridleless horse nonchalantly gallops around the arena, then suddenly jumps onto the flat bed of the truck, and trots up a steep ramp to the roof of the horse trailer! The bandit rides his mount expertly back down the ramp and off the flat bed. One of the north gates opens and two enormous woolly bison trot into the arena. They enjoy a few rolls in the dirt before they get to work.

As Wild West music echoes through the grand stands the bandit drubs the dirt with the bullwhip and drives the buffalo into a huge lope. The monstrous animals thunder around the trailer and nimbly leap up onto the flat bed of the truck, then climb up the ramp to the roof of the trailer, followed by the mustang carrying Payne.

The whole team stands on the roof of the horse trailer for a few moments soaking up the wild applause.

If that’s not enough, the Bandit stands up on his horse’s saddle and gains even more applause. He drops back down in his saddle, then down the ramp he goes with the buffalo following in the mustang’s wake. After the bison are driven back through the north gate, the bandit turns and rides like the wind back up the ramp to the top of the trailer.

He puts his trusty mount into a tight reining spin. The crowd sucks in their breath as the truck is suddenly driven forward. The horse steps neatly out of his spin and walks forward as the trailer moves forward simultaneously. The effect is dizzying, and nerve-wracking, but the exhibition is performed flawlessly with timed precision and incredible skill.

It’s easy to see that John Payne is a true horseman in every sense. He was born on a horse and raised on a huge ranch in Sidler, Oklahoma. His grandpa, Captain David L. Payne, acquired 20,000 acres in Sidler during the land Rushes of Oklahoma. Later, Captain Payne was known as “The Father of Oklahoma.”

Payne’s family still run cattle in the ways of the old tradition on the vast ranch lands that they still own today. His life on the ranch taught him plenty about getting tough and working hard.

“If you didn’t catch on, get real tough and think quickly…. you died, simple as that!” says Payne. “I learned how to train horses, rope and ride like the cowboys of generations past. I still work the ranch when I’m not doing rodeo exhibitions.”

On June 12, 1973, powerline worker John Payne was “killed” by 7,200 volts of electricity. He was revived through CPR. Although he regained his life, he lost his entire right arm.

Overcoming the injury, Payne has been “shocking” the world with his incredible rodeo act ever since.

Payne is not just a rodeo entertainer, but the real McCoy; a true cowboy of the Old West with a drive to succeed at whatever he attempts. His act has become legendary throughout the world, winning him the PRCA specialty act award for eight years in a row, 1989-1996.

Payne has since imparted his wisdom and horsemanship to his two children. The family tradition has been carried on by John’s son Lynn and daughter Amanda. Now they too travel around the U.S. to the nation’s top rodeos performing the same act.

After not seeing Payne’s act for a few years, the Sisters Rodeo Association was thrilled to have him back this year. On Sunday the crowd showed it’s appreciation for his talent by a rewarding him with a roaring ovation.