Heart B Lonesome Rebel

Jim Brumfield and Heart B Lonesome Rebel compete at Bishop Mule Days Photo by Porch Pig Productions

by Anna Arnold

Bishop Mule Days was postponed until next year due to the virus. Heart B Lonesome Rebel, trained and ridden by Jim Brumfield and owned by Cheryl Panovich, would have been inducted into the 2020 Mule Days Hall of Fame this year. Since we didn’t get to have that event, I wanted to highlight Jim and Rebel this month.

Cheryl Panovich and Jim Brumfield, owners of Tres Picos Ranch in San Juan Bautista, Calif., were searching for a show quality mule that could do it all. Specializing in cow events, athletic ability and quick speed where essential. Cheryl saw a weanling photo of Rebel on the Heart B Ranch website and felt her heartstrings pulled. Tom and Bonnie Lee, owners of Heart B Ranch in Emmett, Idaho, are known for raising top performance mules, including Rebel’s well-known, full-blooded siblings Heart B Dyna, owned by Laura Hermanson, and Heart B Tuxedo, who was owned by Audra Goldsmith. Cheryl made the trip to Idaho to view the young mule and immediately knew he was “The One!” and purchased him from the Lee’s in 2005.

Cheryl worked hard the first couple of years to earn his trust, spending long months ponying him over trails and at the beach. She says the training journey wasn’t always short and sweet, it required a lot of patience, and sometimes she had to be as “stubborn as a mule” to get things done. His show career started as a halter mule when he was too young to ride. Cheryl showed Rebel in halter and in-hand trail, which he loved, from 2006 to 2010 winning many blue ribbons.

Competing in Bridleless Western Pleasure at Bishop Mule Days Photo by Scarlett Schwarz

Jim started his training as a saddle mule as a four-year-old and soon learned Rebel was not going to be easy. “Rebel is a super athlete, but also very sensitive,” said Jim, “which made for a challenge.” He wasn’t an easy mule to train but it turns out, Rebel was definitely worth the time.

Jim trained Rebel in the old Californio method, where a young horse or mule is graduated from a snaffle bit to a hackamore to the two rein and finally straight up in the spade bit. In his first two years showing in the AMA green mule division, it became obvious that Rebel was something special, he was nearly unbeatable in the cow working and cutting events and was also a tough competitor in the reining and trail classes. Jim and Cheryl began to toy with the idea of this special mule competing against horses and decided to show Rebel for the first time against horses, entering him in the Two Rein Stock Horse class at San Benito County Rodeo.

San Benito County has a long California stock horse tradition and there were a dozen good quarter horses entered in the 2012 Two Rein Stock Horse class, ridden by some of the area’s top trainers. No mule had ever competed in this event and when Jim and Rebel showed up, there were more than a few snickers. In the preliminaries, Rebel placed in the top four and qualified for the finals in the main show, eventually placing third overall.  Since then Rebel has won more than a few buckles showing against horses and easily holds his own.

Rebel now regularly puts in a full day’s work on the ranch, gathering cattle in rough country or dragging calves to the fire. Jim also uses Rebel as his main ranch rodeo mount. Horse folks sometimes snicker when they see Rebel’s long ears enter the arena or hear him let out a loud bray, but most nod in appreciation when they see this colorful paint mule go to work.

Rebel’s skills at cow working and cutting events has proven his worth and he is a tough competitor in reining and trail classes as well. Now, with so many awards and buckles to Rebel’s name, Jim says, “If he does not place high in a class, its typically me who made the mistake!”

The highlights of Rebel’s career are multiple World Titles at Bishop Mule Days in the Cow Working and Ranch division and many other accomplishments while competing against horses in stock horse and cutting contests, winning more than a few buckles.

Jim and Rebel compete on a trail course at Tucker Slender’s

Bishop Mule Days Awards include:

2013 World Champion Cow Working Mule

2014 Reserve Champion Cow Working Mule & Reining Champion

2015 Reserve Champion Cow Working Mule

2016 World Champion Cow Working Mule

(Missed 2017 as Jim had emergency quadruple bypass surgery Memorial Day Weekend)

2018 Dual World Champion – Cow Working Mule & Ranch Mule

2019 Champion Cow Working Mule & Reserve Champion Ranch Mule

Rebel has also won multiple times in Cutting, Cow Working, Reining, Gambler’s Choice, Trail, Using Ranch Mule, Halter & In Hand Trail. He is a top competitor and has consistently placed in Bridle Trail, Western Riding, Bridleless Western Pleasure, Steer Stopping & Team Roping.

AMA Awards include:

2011 Green Working Western Champion

Every Year - Top 10 Roping

2013 Reserve Bridled Working Western Performance Mule

2014 Bridled Working Western Performance Mule  

2015 Bridled Working Western Performance Mule

2016 Bridled Working Western Performance Mule and roping and sorting Champion

2018 Ranch Mule Reserve Champion

Highlights in competitions against horses include:

2012 San Benito County Stock Horse Show & Rodeo – 3rd overall in Two Rein Stock Horse class, competing against a dozen horses

2012 Champion Ranch Horse 19th Hole Ranch Rodeo, competing against 20 horses

2014 Gabilan Cutters Reserve High Point Cutter, “2000 Any Horse, Any Rider” division

2014 Santa Cruz County Fair Open Stock Horse Champion

2015 Gabilan Cutters Champion High Point Cutter, “2000 Any Horse, Any Rider” division

2015 Santa Cruz County Fair Open Stock Horse Champion

2015 Carmel Valley Ranch Roundup – won Ranch Trail Class (20 plus horses)

2015 Carmel Valley Ranch Roundup, Reserve Champion Ranch Horse (20 plus horses)

2018 San Benito County Horse Show & Rodeo - made the Open Stock Horse Finals

2019 San Benito County Horse Show & Rodeo - made the Open Stock Horse Finals

With all of Rebel's accomplishments, he was selected to be inducted into the 2020 Mule Days Hall of Fame. With this year’s show canceled he'll have to wait until 2021 to receive his honors.

All the hard work and patience worked out well for all of them. Both Cheryl and Jim say Rebel has become one of the most talented mules they’ve ever seen or had the pleasure to work with. Cheryl hands credit to Jim for his hard work and perseverance in every area of Rebel’s training, commenting on how they’ve grown and work so well together. They’re looking forward to many more successful years competing.

Jim and Rebel work at a branding Photo by Scarlett Schwarz