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No bull: Ives trades bulls for horsesBy Dan Johnson

William Ives' second wind as a jockey has been smoothas a gentle breeze.At age 47, Ives made a comeback in 2008 after being

away from the sport for 17 years.

The result is at age 50, he has had more success thanever. While he mostly rode in the Washington fair circuitearly in his career, he is now competing on some of thetop quarter horse circuits in the nation and making a mark.He shared the 2010 Prairie Meadows riding title with

Stormy Smith, with each winning 28 races. And in July inOklahoma, he won the richest race of his career, taking the$385,000 Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Futurity on FindMe A Hero."It's way beyond anything I dreamed," Ives said. "I rode

the bush tracks in the Northwest and I really thought thatwas success in riding. Coming here to Prairie Meadows

and Oklahoma, it really opened my eyes with how far youcan go in racing."Growing up in Omak, Wash., Ives did plenty of riding,

but not always on horses. He competed in rodeo eventsand rode in the Professional Bull Riding circuit from1978-86."My dad and my uncles were cowboys," Ives said. "They

were always telling me I was going to be a championcowboy. My dad taught me to do all the events. Bullriding stuck with me. It was more of an adrenaline rushand it was more fitted to a guy my size. The bull riders canbe smaller and still be very competitive."

William Ives made a comeback at age 47 after beingaway from racing for 17 years. He tied for the 2010riding title at Prairie Meadows.

Between bull rides, he was racing horses at small tracksthroughout Washington."For years I alternated between rodeo and racing," Ives

said. "I'd go back and forth. It wasn't until I was about 22when I started riding full-time.

Jack Coady/Coady Photography

William Ives rides Stone E Motion to victory in the 2010Covered Bridges Stakes in the track-record time of44.799 seconds for 870 yards.

"The horses are a lot funner. The bulls are trying to buckyou off and they will come back to get you. Their job is tohurt you. If I started all over, I'd stick with the horsesThere's a lot of fame in the PBR now, but I see themgetting whomped and I don't think so."But by 1991, Ives wasn't riding either horses or bulls. He

had three sons ages 4 to 10, and soon added a daughterHe gave up traveling the horse and bull circuits so hecould be at home with his family."The nearest racetrack was four hours away," Ives said

"I had kids and they were all growing up. I stopped racingand just stayed home and worked construction and

logging. I started my own horse training and horseshowing business. I did that for 17 years. There weretimes I look back and think I could have (ridden), but mykids were a priority."I wouldn't have it any other way. My boys, my daughter

and I rode horses every day. We hunted and fished. Somedays, we'd just go hiking in the mountains. We had a lot ofgreat quality time like that."Then in 2008, he went to the track to see a friend, trainer

Don Abrahamson. Abrahamson and others told Ives heshould ride again. The next weekend, he showed up at SunDowns in Kennewick, Wash., with his riding tack.

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From there, he journeyed East, riding in Idaho,Wyoming, and then Arapahoe Park in suburban Denver.At Arapahoe, someone suggested he try Prairie Meadows.Ives arrived in the middle of the 2009 quarter horse meet,

but won 12 races to finish sixth in the rider standings.Then in 2010, he shared the title with Smith. One of hisvictories was the Covered Bridges Stakes, in which StoneE Motion set a track record for 870 yards.

His success has continues this year, with seven wins inthe first five racing days."It's been super," Ives said of Prairie Meadows. "It's a

beautiful facility and the fans are really cool. There'salways fans out there, and I like that. It makes the racing alot more excitement. When you hear them cheering, it stirsyou up and makes it a lot more exciting.It's a top-notch facility. I've raced from British Columbia

to Miami and this rates right at the top."

Around the track

Blending hoops with horsesIowa mens basketball coach Fran McCaffery finally got

to see Tom Lepics other occupation on Aug. 26.McCaffery spent more than an hour meeting fans andsigning autographs at Prairie Meadows. He came at therequest of Lepic, who is president of the Iowa QuarterHorse Racing Association. A former Iowa wrestler, Lepicis an Iowa City realtor who sold McCaffery his house

when the coach was hired at Iowa.McCaffery said his grandmother frequented Liberty BellParkin Philadelphia, but hes only been to the track a fewtimes."I'm not much of a gambler, but I enjoy going once in awhile, McCaffery said. Tom's a good friend, so it's good

to spend some time with him.

Iowa mens basketball coach Fran McCaffery met withfans and signed autographs during an Aug. 26appearance at Prairie Meadows

Leggett channeling his drive into a new direction

Jack Coady/Coady Photography

Tad Leggett speaks at theIQHRA awardsbanquet.

Former jockey Tad Leggett is making baby steps as he recovers from a broken neckthat not only ended his riding career, but threatened to take his life.

Right now, those baby steps largely come with assistance. He uses a walker withassistance and he can ride his horse when his sons help him get in the saddle.

That's already a major leap from Leggett's condition when he was injured in a spillfollowing a June 30, 2010 race at Fair Meadows in Oklahoma. He required ninehours of surgery and was listed in critical condition initially.

"I've accomplished things already some of the doctors thought I wouldn't," Leggett,46, said. "One doctor in ICU told my wife that I'd never come off a ventilatormaybe. And I'm breathing on my own, thank God.

"I can walk on a walker for a little bit with assistance," Leggett said. "My upperbody is real strong. My legs are getting stronger. If I have something to hold on to, Ican stand up on my own."

Leggett won more races, 429, than any other quarter horse rider at Prairie Meadowsand won 1,432 races overall in his career. He returned to the track last weekend tobe honored at the Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association's annual banquet.

He said he doesn't remember the first 30 days after he was injured. And he creditshis faith and his wife, Tina, with helping him persist.

It's been tough," he said. "I thank the Lord Jesus and I have a good family. I'd be barefoot without my wife. My wife's anRN and she's sat through it all."

Tina Leggett said her husband has showed strength all through the recovery process.

"He's very strong person and he's not a person who will ever give up," she said. "He doesn't feel sorry for himself. He'svery strong-minded and he's handled it like a champ