10/28/2026
JANN JOHNSON PARKER — A TOUGH WOMAN IN A COWBOY'S WORLD: Let's face it. The horse business has traditionally been a man's world. A world of tough cowboys, hard bargaining, long hours, big decisions and people who expect you to know what you're talking about. Well, meet Jann Johnson Parker. And don't underestimate this lady!
Jann grew up in North Dakota, got her first horse when she was 12 years old, and has been involved with horses ever since.
She eventually made her way to Billings, Montana, where she spent 16 years working with the Northern Rodeo Association. Then she met a cowboy named Bill Parker. Together, they built Billings Livestock Horse Sales into one of America's premier horse markets.
And we're not talking about selling a few horses,
By the time Jann received the Billings Chamber's Agricultural Excellence Award in 2023, the operation had conducted more than 280 sales involving over 180,000 horses.
But in 2016, Jann faced perhaps the greatest challenge of her professional life. Her husband and business partner, Bill, passed away. Suddenly, the woman who had helped build the business was responsible for carrying it forward. And that's exactly what she has done.
She has continued building the reputation of Billings as a destination for horse buyers and sellers from across America and Canada.
Now, here's something else you should know. Jann isn't simply a businesswoman who happens to sell horses. She's a horsewoman herself, with a background in competitive cutting and a lifetime devoted to the Western way of life.
She knows horses. She knows cowboys. She knows the marketplace. And she understands that in the horse business, your reputation may be the most valuable thing you own.
And she has proven that great horsemanship, good judgment and determination is a winning formula.
In the horse industry, she didn't ask for a place a the table, she has helped build the table.
SOURCE: WILD RIDES/SPECIAL COWBOY MOMENTS INTERVIEW/EPISODE
