Boots On, Saddle Up

Ranch owner Roudy Roudebush made Carol’s dream of riding horseback in a parade come true.

Roudy Roudebush was introduced to the Barnett family when they were purchasing land in Colorado in the early 1990s through his connection with the Katzmann family. 

From there, he would develop a relationship with the Barnetts, taking them on summertime horseback rides through the Colorado countryside. He would eventually meet Carol Jenkins Barnett on his ranch, Telluride Horseback Adventures. 

Roudebush didn’t know about Barnett’s elite social status until several years of knowing her when they started talking about their respective businesses. He admits he was naive to people’s social status and was around a lot of wealthy and influential clients. 

“I’m not really always impressed with wealthy influential people,” Roudebush said. “Carol always had a positive attitude, always up for a good time, always planning things that would be fun.” 

Barnett and her family would visit Colorado three or four, sometimes as many as six times a year, and would almost always stop by to spend time with Roudebush. They would enjoy lunch-and-rides through the Colorado countryside, even when the weather wasn’t ideal. 

“She was never demanding, always having fun in the moment in what we were doing, even through a lightning storm,” said Roudebush. “She always enjoyed whatever we could pull off given the circumstances we had in that instant.”

Roudebush heard through the grapevine that it was Barnett’s lifelong dream to ride horseback in a parade, and he made that dream come true in Telluride, home to a glamorous Fourth of July parade and celebration. 

Barnett would wear a red cowboy hat, with sparkling outfits and cowboy boots as she rode through Telluride’s streets living out her dream. She rode alongside Roudebush and his daughters during the parade, a spot he reserved especially for her. 

“I have dealt with some 100,000 customers...She was extremely special among those people”

Almost every year, Barnett rode a brown American quarter horse named Willy that Roudebush got from an author in the Navajo Reservation in a feedlot. Willy passed away seven years ago. 

The Fourth of July parade is a Telluride tradition that’s been celebrated since the 1890s that everyone in town participates in. Alongside the parade are firemen contests and drill mining contests, which gave firemen and  miners a break from the drudgery of hard rock mining. 

Telluride is a secluded town, and Roudebush attributes the parade’s distinctiveness to the small town’s traditions and close-knit community. 

Roudebush has ridden his horses in the parade since the 1970s. 

There was a point where Roudebush had eight broken ribs and a collapsed lung. He said Barnett offered to put him on salary to cover the medical charges. He politely declined, but he never forgot her generous offer.

“I have dealt with some 100,000 customers in my exposure doing this job,” Roudebush said. “She was extremely special among those 100,000 people.” 

After the parade, Barnett would enjoy a glass of white wine and they would talk at the barn and catch up, always asking Roudebush about his life and how his daughters were doing. She made an impact on Roudebush and everyone she interacted with even if their interactions were brief. 

“I know it wasn’t just me she was good to in Telluride,” Roudebush said. “We were always happy to see her come in the door. I think that applies not just to me.”

Three to four years ago was the last time Roudebush saw Barnett when he brought her family maple syrup made from his younger brother. It was like every time they visited, they had idle conversation and he asked if they were skiing along with questions about their holidays. 

“Any good qualities that I have are the result of hanging around horses, and I think she knew that. She was always doing the next right thing and always asking, ‘What’s the next right thing to do?” 

Roudebush attributes his relationship with horses keeping him out of trouble and getting him to the state of mind he’s currently in, working on his ranch thinking fondly of the experiences he’s gone through that landed him in Telluride back in 1973. 

“She was good for my ego, I hope I was good for hers,” Roudebush said. 

To this day, he still has a photo of Barnett in his barn to preserve the memory of their friendship.