A rare, all-white buffalo named Mo will appear at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Saturday.
Mo, the PlainsCapital Bank’s living mascot, will greet visitors from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday on Rip Johnson Drive across from the Richardson Bass Building. Handler Bree Worthington Clay will be on hand to answer questions.
“It’s not that often that you see a live buffalo on display, especially a white one, which is very rare,” said Mark Warren, PlainsCapital’s Fort Worth region chairman.
Short for Momentum, Mo represents the bank’s strength, stability and growth, Warren said.
The 14-year-old white bison is the second Mo since PlainsCapital founder Alan White spotted a buffalo head in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and made the animal his company’s mascot. The first Mo, now 24 and retired, is a traditional brown buffalo who stands 6-foot-3-inches tall and weighs 2,000 pounds.
White buffalo hold sacred significance in many Native American nations, including the Lakota who view them as symbols of hope. These animals often draw hundreds for celebration, such as in 2024 when various nations commemorated the birth of a white bison in Yellowstone National Park.
Clay, the trainer, has worked with both Mos since they were calves, bottle feeding each.
She started buffalo handling following a six-month stint trick riding in a Wild West show in Las Vegas. A friend of her father’s brought her the original Mo when the calf was 3 days old, she said.
Clay trained the first Mo to be ridden and even jump through a ring of fire during professional rodeo performances. The elder buffalo worked for about 10 years before the current Mo took over mascot duties.
Each buffalo has their quirks, Clay said. The younger Mo loves attention and crowds, while the original bonded primarily with her.
“This white one loves all the people and loves all the attention,” Clay said.
He dislikes baths more than his predecessor, which can pose a problem as Clay prepares the bovine for appearances, which includes trimming hooves and conditioning his horns.
“I really wish it was the opposite, but it’s not,” Clay said. “So the white one gets less baths than what my brown one did, but he does still get bathed.”
Mo has attended the Fort Worth Stock Show as part of PlainsCapital’s sponsorship of Bulls Night Out, which the bank has supported for more than 15 years. Mo also appears at branch grand openings, customer events and gatherings across Texas. “It really draws families in and draws the kids in,” Warren said.
Nicole Williams Quezada is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.williams@fortworthreport.org.
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Great Job Nicole Williams Quezada & the Team @ Fort Worth Report for sharing this story.
