Cowboy Joe V is more than a pretty good horse.
He’s the fifth Shetland pony to carry on the long live mascot tradition at University of Wyoming Cowboy football games. And he’s adorable.
Not much taller than waist high, the white and brown pony is in his 12th season at War Memorial stadium.
“Cowboy Joe is such an important mascot for UW and UW Football because of the spirit of the West that he represents,” Alexa Rigsby, head handler, told WyoFile in an email.
When the home team scores, Cowboy Joe and his handlers run — yes run! — across the end zone.
Like other Shetlands, Cowboy Joe is friendly, very smart and occasionally stubborn.
“I can tell you with certainty that he knows exactly what his job is at each event,” Rigsby said. “He gets very excited when we do parades and football games but is generally very calm at smaller events when we are greeting small groups of people.”
Wyoming Cowboys’ live mascot “Cowboy Joe” and handlers Alexa Rigsby (left) and McKinley Muhlbauer (right) during the November 2023 Border War game against the Colorado State Rams at War Memorial Stadium. (Troy Babbitt/UW Media-Athletics)
His pedigree traces back to Laramie County’s Farthing Ranch, which has donated each of the five ponies to have represented UW.
“The story goes that during one tough winter, they found an orphaned foal standing next to its mother that had passed away in a blizzard, but the foal somehow survived the storm,” Rigsby said. “That event deemed the wild Shetlands to be ‘tough as a cowboy,’ and Cowboy Joe V continues to carry on that legacy.”
Rigsby’s favorite part of the pony’s personality is his ability to read a room.
“When we ask him to lower his head for toddlers to pet him, he puts his nose on the ground and stands like a statue for as long as he needs to,” Rigsby said. “He also gets very alert when the crowd cheers and during certain songs, as if he’s asking his handlers if he’s going to run soon!”
Cowboy Joe also makes appearances on campus and in parades. Fans can catch him this weekend when the Cowboys face longtime rival Brigham Young University. Kick off is at 7 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.
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