january 2012
$2.50 Volume 35, issue 1
inspired by people and horses
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Schlosser capps off career with ‘Cowboy of the Year’ honours I did it my way Personal profile By Amie Peck
N
anton native Blake Schlosser is what cowboys call a “good hand.” He can do it all — he is an excellent roper, a talented pick-up man and an accomplished horseman. He has worked as a stunt man in movies including The Assassination of Jesse James, Shanghai Noon and The Virginian. He raises cattle on the family farm with wife Monica, son Stran and daughter Reata. They also run their own horse breeding operation with 10 colts on the ground each year. His lengthy career as a respected pick-up man all over western Canada culminated with the highest award in 2011 — PCRA Cowboy of the Year. His career in rodeo began in the early 80s at a Bucking Horse School and Sale held by Tom Bews. It was there that Wayne Vold, stock contractor to the Nanton Nite Rodeo, spotted him and asked him to work as a pick-up man. He was soon doing the “main run” of rodeos with Vold Contracting that included stops in Stavely, Rocky Mountain House, Innisfail, Wainwright, Ponoka, Strathmore and Okotoks to name a few. Schlosser estimates he has worked at an average of 20 rodeos a year for the past decade. He has worked the ranch rodeo finals in Edmonton, and had the honour of being selected for the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) for the first time in 1989. Since then, Schlosser has worked at the CFR seven times over his career, including 2011. He says it’s
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photo courtesy northlands
Blake Schlosser, with daughter Reata at his side, proudly holds his Jay Contway bronze award after being named 2011 PCRA Cowboy of the Year.
always an honour to be selected as a pick-up man for the CFR because you are chosen by the competitors who trust you with their safety in the arena. Schlosser has always been aware that part of his success in the rodeo arena is due to his horses, most of which he has started and trained himself. “A good pick-up horse has to have lots of speed,” he explains. “They also need a big heart and not be scared of much. I like them to be pretty well broke, and for that we use them all on the ranch. Usually to get them ready for working in the arena I will tie a couple of them from saddle horn to saddle horn. That way they get used to all the bumping and jostling that they will encounter with the rough stock.” Over the years, Schlosser has learned countless things from his horses, but one lesson stands out most. “You have to let the horses figure it out for themselves,” he says. Not all of the horses he trains will end up as pickup horses. “Some of them don’t work out. Sure, you can get the job done, but they didn’t enjoy it. I want a horse that likes the job — it makes it easier on me.” Although working rodeos means a lot of travel and being away from home, Schlosser says the best part of being a pick-up man is the opportunity to meet a lot of different people. “You also get an adrenaline rush every performance,” he says. “That can get quite addictive.” It’s not all fun and games working at the rodeos though. “The worst part about being a pick-up man is all the rainy rodeos and working in the mud,” laughs Schlosser. “I’ve been pulled off a few times in conditions like that and it ain’t fun!” As a pick-up man you have a front-row seat for some pretty Schlosser
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