Popping Latches and Pulling Gates Lead to Cowboy’s Recognition as a Chickasaw Warrior

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By Chickasaw Nation Media

July 29, 2025

Cowboy and former Marine Richard Adcock recently shared his Chickasaw heritage and veteran status at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. During the organization’s Military Appreciation night, Adcock rode into the rodeo arena wearing his Chickasaw Warrior Society Pendleton “Grateful Nation” vest.

“A photo of me in my Chickasaw warrior vest was taken during the Fort Worth Stockyards Military Appreciation night. Working with this rodeo for nearly 20 years, it’s always an honor to ride during the rodeo’s Grand Entry with my vest on.”

The Chickasaw Warrior Society Pendleton “Grateful Nation” vest holds deep symbolism for those who wear it. According to the Chickasaw Warrior Society, the red color symbolizes the blood and sacrifice made by veterans. The stars separate the colors of past wars and conflicts where Chickasaw veterans fought.

As well as being a Chickasaw warrior, Adcock celebrates his family’s rich western heritage and cowboy traditions as owner of R/A Rodeo Help Company. With a mixture of Chickasaw and Mexican heritage, Adcock’s ancestors have worked with cattle and horses for generations.

“Working and competing with this group of people is like working with family,” Adcock said. “I have been at the Fort Worth Stock Show since 2007. I worked my way into the arena. For the last 12 years I have been entrusted with opening the bucking chutes.”

Along with Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo events, R/A Rodeo Help Company works numerous other livestock and rodeo competitions. Adcock has traveled to locations across the country at the request of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) stock contractors.

PRCA is the largest and oldest sanctioning rodeo in the world, with events in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. At its peak, the R/A Rodeo Help Company averaged working more than 30 weekends per year for PRCA.

Adcock’s career highlight occurred when PRCA awarded the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo the title of Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year in 2022. The award is given to rodeo organizers who perform at the peak of excellence. Other winners of this award include the famed San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, Rodeo Houston and Rodeo Rapid City.

As a former bullfighter, safety is always at the forefront of Adcock’s mind. The animals Adcock works with are often aggressive and weigh thousands of pounds. Adcock must ensure that his team, rodeo competitors and livestock – worth tens of thousands of dollars – do not get injured.

“Me and my partners’ jobs are to watch the riders as they are inside (the chute) while sitting on top of the animal,” Adcock said. “When the rider signals, we make sure to open the gate correctly, letting them out. Popping latches and pulling gates is what we call it.”

With more than 35 years of experience in the rodeo and livestock industry, Adcock started his career at 10 years old, helping load animals into “chutes.” Chutes are small pens where bulls, steers, horses or calves are held safely in position before being released into the rodeo arena.

“We are watching everything from horses acting up to animals trying to lay down. We make sure everything is safe when they come out of the chute, trying to make sure the animal or the rider doesn’t get injured upon release,” Adcock said.

Adcock took part in three of the most dangerous categories within a rodeo during his competitive career, including bull riding, steer wrestling and bareback riding.

“My uncle got me into rodeos,” Adcock said. “He was a bullfighter. I decided to start competing when I was a sophomore in high school.

“I think I was best at bull riding,” Adcock said. “Out of the three, I was most consistent with bull riding. It was my best category.”

A Chickasaw Warrior

Adcock is also a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist. He was 23 years old when he enlisted. He spent most of his 12-year military career in Texas, with a deployment to Iraq in 2008.

The Marines taught Adcock how to work on diesel engines, a job he continues to perform when not working livestock or rodeo events. He separated as a noncommissioned officer with the rank of sergeant.

“I would recommend service any day of the week to young people,” Adcock said. “When I joined the Marine Corps, I needed a new outlook, a new start. The Marines helped clear my head and get refocused. It was everything for me.”

Adcock was told of the Chickasaw Veterans Lodge while in Ada visiting the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center. He made the short walk to the lodge, where he learned of the Chickasaw Warrior Society.

“The (Veterans) Lodge is unreal. It makes me wish I lived in Oklahoma,” Adcock said. “It caught me off guard. The amount of effort the tribe put behind it. Our lodge is well made. It is well presented. It is set up to show that we are veterans and what we have done.”

Adcock said he receives his Chickasaw heritage from his mother. After Removal from the Chickasaws’ historic Homeland, his elders settled in a community near Durant, Oklahoma. Adcock’s family relocated to his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, generations ago.

Also proud of his Mexican American heritage, he identifies as Chickasaw, Hispanic and Texan.

“I didn’t learn about my Chickasaw heritage until I was a teenager,” Adcock said. “That explains why we have so much family in Oklahoma.

“What the tribe does for everybody, not just us, but for everybody, is unreal. When I must use a hospital, I drive to Ada.”

Adcock is a proud father of four. His oldest daughter is Larissa, followed by Sydney, Corbin and Annabelle.

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