Canadian Cowboy Country Aug/Sep 2019

Canada’s Favourite Fiddler: the Legendary Al Cherny

Vaya Con Dios The Canadian Supreme

ING AS Y T LE A I N : E AT TR BOYS IVE C W R CO TO D Y WA

Scott Hardy’s Stunning Silver

Amberley Snyder Exceptional Rodeo Competitor and Motivational Speaker

Beyond Whisky

Legacy of the Whoop-Up Trail

PM# 40070720

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 • $5.95

Spur Lacasse

Healed Up & Red Deer Bound

Weaning Colts, Weaning Bison

CSR PERFORMANCE HORSE S ALE 2019 * Prospects offered at Copper Spring Ranch

August 10 in Bozeman, Montana

SHAKE UR GROOVETHANG 2017 Filly by Prime Talent (sire of 2018 RAM NCFR Champion) × French Gold Charm (Futurity Money Earner; $15,000 LTE). She is beautiful, has controllable speed and great work ethic. Future Fortunes, PESI and Pink Buckle enrolled. Consigned by Copper Spring Ranch

CANYON FULL OF CASH 2017 Gelding by Firewater Canyon × Allies Cashin In ($22,656 EquiStat barrel earn­ ings). FWC’s three 4 year olds have earned $7000 at some very tough venues, Ft Smith and BFA. Future Fortunes, PESI, Pink Buckle enrolled. Consigned by Copper Spring Ranch

DUDES SPRING FLING 2017 Stallion by A Streak Of Fling

ORION GUY 2017 Gelding by A Smooth Guy ($536,000+ barrel earners) out of an own daughter of Ronas Ryon (si 105 with $1,777,967 LTE and progeny earnings of $8,948,653). PIF Future Fortunes, Pink Buckle Enrolled. Very forward moving, balanced and strong. Consigned by Mill Iron Livestock

COATS FABONTHEROCKS 2016 Filly by Frenchmans Fabulous ($2.2 Milion Barrel Earners) out of Firewater­ ontherocks mare; her dam is also dam of Daisy Duke Dash ($35,000 LTE). She is a big mover with a lot of drive. PIF Future Fortunes. Consigned by Sue Smith and Rhonda Coats

TFOUR LOVE TA FIRE 2017 Stallion by Fire Water Flit × Gateway Ta Love by Dash Ta Fame. Gateway is dam of TKW Bullys Famous Fox, 2 × NFR Qualifier, 2 × Pendleton Rodeo Champion, LTE $400,000+. This colt has the conformation and ability to be a champion. Consigned by Four Taylors Ranch

W

(progeny earnings $3.782 million) × Dasher Dude, who with Britany Diaz amassed $570,000 barrel earnings from the NFR, Pro Rodeos, Canadian Finals, Calgary, Cloverdale Invitational and ERA. Consigned by Isaac & Britany Diaz

e are honored to join some of the top breeders in the country to bring a select group of horses to the Copper Spring Ranch sale this year. Please look them over, ask questions and enjoy your time with us in Bozeman!

Copper Spring Ranch Sale Graduates will be eligible for the annual $5000 Sale Graduates Bonus added to our Open 2D Futurity, May 29–30, 2020.

FMI ON CSR SALE HORSES: LISAA@COPPERSPRINGRANCH.COM (406) 579-1540 OR VISIT COPPERSPRINGRANCH.COM 2

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

Canadian

Presented by:

Finals Rodeo

Tickets on sale now at cfrreddeer.ca CFR is so much more than just rodeo! We have tons of fun free stuff to do all week including our CFR Trade Show and Cabaret*, and the first Canadian Breakaway Roping Championship!

For more information about on-site events during CFR visit cfrreddeer.ca/events/on-site * A cover charge may be in effect during select Cabaret performances. Please visit cfrreddeer.ca/events/cfr-cabaret for details cowboycountrymagazine.com

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32 RANCHERS’ SPECIAL

WHAT WORKS FOR US

One of the Irish Creek Bison herds of Wood-Plain cross bison cows and their calves, sired by Plains bison bulls Photo courtesy Irish Creek Bison

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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 | VOLUME 23, NO. 2

22

Heart of the Horse

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THE WESTERNERS

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Niki Flundra’s equine extravaganza featuring top trainers, top money and highflying entertainment

Walk, Ride, Rodeo— Amberley Snyder

On the Cover

The rodeo competitor who went from the arena to a wheelchair — and back again

Amberley Snyder and her barrel horse, Power

TRADITIONAL COWBOY ARTS

Making a Master

Photo by Mallory Beinborn; Impulse Photography

Elevating the art of silversmithing from the stunning to the sublime

34 TRAILBLAZERS

Fiddler Al Cherny Canada’s favourite fiddler brought his esthetic mix of ethnic, classic and Western to living rooms across the nation

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Soundtrack of the Prairies

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Legacy of the Whoop-Up Trail

Exploring the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre

The notorious trail was the lifeblood of the future of the Canadian West

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Vaya Con Dios, Canadian Supreme For over 40 years, the iconic Canadian Supreme brought out the best of show in everyone

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COWBOY WAY

Going the Right Way, Part 3 of 6 Clinician Dylan Biggs teaches a radical approach to moving cattle — and it works

cowboycountrymagazine.com

DEPARTMENTS 7 My Point of View 9 In the Corral 13 Western Art Review 14 Spirit of the West 16 Wheel to Wheel 18 Some Days Are Diamond 20 Reflections 47 Pro Rodeo Canada Insider 59 Clownin’ Around 62 Cowboy Poetry 5

VISIT YOUR LOCAL

ALBERTA

DEALER

A WELL WORKED FIELD IS A THING OF BEAUTY. Kubota’s family of hay tools—more power, better design and outstanding efficiency just when you need it the most.

August/September 2019 Vol. 23, No. 2 Editor Terri Mason terri@cowboycountrymagazine.com Copy Editor Carmen D. Hrynchuk carmen@cowboycountrymagazine.com Art Director Zuzana Benesova zuzana@cowboycountrymagazine.com Graphic Designers Raymond Burch, raymond@tanneryoung.com Erin Murphy, ads@cowboycountrymagazine.com Publisher Rob Tanner rob@cowboycountrymagazine.com Sales Manager Kristine Wickheim kristine@cowboycountrymagazine.com Sales Representative Kathy Kelley kathy@tanneryoung.com Traffic Coordinator Cheryl Lindquist traffic@cowboycountrymagazine.com Subscription/Circulation Marie Tanner circ@tanneryoung.com Accounting Administrator Catherine Staszkiewicz admin@tanneryoung.com Customer Relations Manager Marie Tanner marie@tanneryoung.com

kubota.ca |

Columnists “Diamond” Doug Keith, Hugh McLennan, Billy Melville, Bryn Thiessen Contributors Dylan Biggs, Ken Favrholdt, Emily Kitching Contributing Artists/Photographers Mallory Beinborn, CrAsh Cooper, Billie Jean Duff, Zachary Cormier, Randy Lewis, Shellie Scott Tanner Young Publishing Group #1, 9301–50 Street, Edmonton AB T6B 2L5 Tel: 780-465-3362 Fax 780-448-0424 Toll Free: 1-800-943-7336 Website: cowboycountrymagazine.com E-mail: askus @ cowboycountrymagazine.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Call Marie at 1-800-943-7336 1 Year: $21.43 + tax | 2 Years: $35.71 + tax 3 Years: $48.77 + tax | Single Copy: $5.95 + tax

THE SPIRIT OF THE WEST radio program Celebrating

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Years

Canadian Cowboy Country magazine is published six times per year by Tanner Young Publishing Group PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40070720 ISSN 1701-1132 Please return undeliverable addresses to: Canadian Cowboy Country magazine #1, 9301–50 Street, Edmonton AB T6B 2L5 FREELANCE POLICY Canadian Cowboy Country welcomes freelance contributions, but will not be held responsible for unsolicited text or photographs.

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This magazine is a proud member of the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association, and Magazines Canada, abiding by the standards of the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors. Visit albertamagazines.com

FSC logo

Hear it on your favourite radio station or on demand at

Hugh-McLennan.com

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“This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.”

«Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.»

MY POINT OF VIEW

It Pays to Advertise

I

ILLUSTRATION BY LE STEVENS

wasn’t at this particular branding, but my good friend Blue Plaid told me all about it — and I just had to share it with you.

True story — the names have been changed to protect the innocent victim and the devious prankster.

Picture it; anywhere in cattle country. A branding; maybe 300 head. In the centre towards one end is the firepit, with three or four Nordforks staked out on each side. Out in front is the stack of discarded fence posts to feed the branding fire.

The rancher designated two full crews for the first set. He chose people to man the branding irons, vaccine guns, Nordforks and to affix CFIA tags and heel calves. The rancher then told his son, (let’s call him Young Bob), and his nephew, (let’s call him Young Jim), that they’d be castrating for the first half of the branding. Each crew only works their side of the fire, which saves footsteps and prevents mix-ups.

Young Bob had anticipated this scenario and came prepared. When his cousin Young Jim wasn’t looking, he placed a cardboard sign on the woodpile facing the ropers, where the ground crew couldn’t see it. The sign simply said, “Bull calves,” with an

arrow pointing to the right. Then Young Bob ambled over to claim the left side of the fire.

Those heelers were efficient, disciplined and obliging. Young Bob, with nothing but heifers on the ground, had his knife in his pocket and strolled around, visiting with everybody on his crew. Meanwhile, the sweat was dripping off Young Jim, who was doing his best to keep up with the steady flow of bull calves.

At the midway point, the rancher shut things down for a rest break and to change up the crew, so everyone had a chance to rope. That’s when Young Jim discovered the sign. He wore out several cuss words, then saw the humour and swore vengeance.

They’re young enough that there’s no doubt he will get even.

But it’s amazing what a sign in the right place can do, and Young Bob sure proved that it pays to advertise — especially out here in the still wild West of Canadian Cowboy Country.

Subscriber Tip Your mailing label on the magazine will tell you when your subscription expires. Right above your name is an issue date, which is the final issue of your subscription.

facebook.com/cowboycountrymag

— Terri Mason, Editor

XXX XXXXXX JUN/JUL’21 JOE SMITH RR 1 EDMONTON, AB T6B 2L5

@CowboyCntryMag

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CONTRIBUTORS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Russell Photo

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4

Dear Terri: I was interested to see Brian Dippie mentioned in Canadian Cowboy, as he was my history professor at the University of Victoria.

His speciality was the history of the West, and he wrote a huge coffee-table book on Russell. He is also an authority on Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

— Daryl Drew, Cobble Hill, B.C. Hi Daryl: Brian Dippie is certainly a prolific writer! I counted 15 books on Russell, Custer, Remington, Western art and cowboy stories with his name on the jacket.

We certainly appreciated his largesse in sharing that amazing photograph that we used on the cover. I just hope that the mystery of the missing Russell masterpiece is solved…

— Terri … and then I received this email the very next day…

1 Dylan Biggs Training Cattle: Part 3 of 6, Going the Right Way, page 44 For over 20 years, Dylan has travelled extensively across North America sharing his knowledge of low stress cattle handling with producers through livestock handling demonstrations. Dylan, his wife Colleen and children run TK Ranches near Hanna, Alta.

2 Ken Favrholdt Trailblazers: Al Cherny, page 34 Ken Favrholdt is a rare breed of historical geographer who combines several interests in his research and writing, including Indigenous Peoples, the fur trade, early settlement and ranching, historic trails and maps of the Canadian West.

3 “Diamond” Doug Keith Some Days Are Diamond: page 18 Doug is a poet, storyteller, Leanin’ Tree cowboy cartoonist, Western painter and preacher. He offers his unique take on everyday cowboy life through poem, story and art. Doug has been featured in several documentaries.

Mystery Solved!

Dear Terri: I received my copy of the June/July issue of Canadian Cowboy yesterday, for which, thanks. The cover is very striking.

You may have heard that when it comes to [C.M. Russell’s missing painting] Blacktail Deer––Buffalo Days, we can happily say, “Mystery solved!”

Advance publicity for the Return to Calgary exhibition in Great Falls scared it up in a private collection in Sheridan, Wyoming, and the painting has been added to the show.

Donna and I and our two grandsons were on hand for the opening in Great Falls, and a spectacular exhibition it is.

The Stampede’s complementary exhibition of high-quality giclée prints of all 24 of the oil paintings shown in Calgary in 1919 will also be a real crowd-pleaser, I think.

Again, thanks for the magazine.

— Brian Dippie, Victoria, B.C.

IMAGE: COURTESY C.M. RUSSELL MUSEUM, GREAT FALLS, MT

4 Emily Kitching Making a Master: Silversmith, page 29 In 2001, Emily Kitching started her own horse magazine, Eclectic Horseman. Her goal is to become the best horsewoman she can be and to help horses get a better deal by educating horse owners around the world.

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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

IN THE CORRAL NEWS, VIEWS & HAPPENINGS FROM ACROSS THE CANADIAN WEST

Lakota Bird on her horse, Dynamite, winning the Florence LaDue Ladies Breakaway Roping

PHOTO BY SHELLIE SCOTT

Lakota Bird Makes History!

Ranch-raised cowgirl Lakota Bird of Nanton, Alta., will go down in history as the first woman to win the All-Around Cowboy title and silver buckle in a Canadian professional rodeo.

Bird entered both the Ladies Barrel Racing and the inaugural Florence LaDue Ladies Breakaway Roping.

“It’s the first time a woman has been eligible,” said Bird. “Guy Weadick Days is the very first pro rodeo in Canada that had breakaway roping. Because of that, there

cowboycountrymagazine.com

were two women’s events, and anyone who competed in two events was eligible to win the All-Around buckle.”

While she didn’t place in the money in the barrel racing, the ranch cowgirl cleaned up in the Breakaway — pocketing over $3,500 from the back of her horse, Dynamite.

Chairman of Guy Weadick Days, Don O’Brien, says this was the Year of the Cowgirl.

“It came to us through the idea of celebrating Florence LaDue and all that she had done with her husband, Guy Weadick.”

Florence “Flores” LaDue (1883–1951) was married to rider and roper Guy Weadick, and together, the talented couple helped create the Calgary Stampede.

Bird and 39 other qualified women ropers will be competing for all the glory when Ladies Breakaway Roping is featured for the first time at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer, October 29–November 3.

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IN THE CORRAL

Breakaway!

Associate professor Changiz Taghibiglou (left) and Dr. Yanbo Zhang are researching new therapies for concussion in the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

Concussion Cure Concussion symptoms — such as loss of balance, hazy comprehension, sleep disturbance and inability to walk straight — can be reversed by a new type of magnetic stimulation, research at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) shows.

Magnetic stimulation using a laptop-style device for 20 minutes per day improved the ability of rodents with a concussion to walk in a straight line, navigate a maze, run on a wheel and perform cognitive tests.

“Concussion is a major health concern affecting all sections of society,” said Professor

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Changiz Taghibiglou, who led the research.

“The beauty of this therapy is not only that it is effective, but that it is non-invasive, easy to use and cost-effective.”

The USask team also found evidence that lowfrequency magnetic stimulation could potentially protect the brain from future degeneration, a risk following serious concussions.

Within four days of treatment, mice with repeated concussion had their ability to perform a variety of cognition and motor tests restored to almost normal levels. Their body clocks, which govern sleep patterns and can be thrown out of sync by concussion, were also restored to their normal function.

Mice with concussion that had not been treated were unable to perform the behavioural

and neurological tasks, which included running on a wheel without falling off.

Taghibiglou also found that certain proteins, which are important to protect the brain from various neurological conditions, were restored to their normal level by the lowfrequency magnetic stimulation. The proteins protect neurons and halt the progression of post-concussion inflammation and neurodegeneration.

Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of brain injuries, as their brains are still developing into their early 20s.

“Traumatic brain injury poses significant challenges to patients, families and health professionals,” said Dr. Yanbo Zhang professor of psychiatry in USask’s College of Medicine, and co-author of the paper.

“Patients can suffer long-lasting cognitive impairments, emotional and behavioural changes. Currently, we do not have effective treatment to improve the cognitive impairment.

Low-frequency magnetic stimulation provides a novel option for concussion treatment.”

For rodeo and equine-related athletes, the ramifications of this critical research will, literally, be life-changing.

As such, Taghibiglou said in an interview with Canadian Cowboy Country that “research from the ground-breaking team has found that if a person is treated anywhere from one day to oneweek post-concussion, they will be fine.”

The renowned medical team is looking for volunteers to continue its concussion research and is very interested in helping rodeo athletes.

For more info, contact Research Services at the University of Saskatchewan. research.usask.ca

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTO BY A. MCILRICK IMAGES; COURTESY USASK

The Canadian Finals Rodeo is thrilled to welcome the first Canadian Finals Breakaway to Red Deer for CFR 46. The two-day event is slated to be held in the Westerner Park Centrium, from Oct 31–Nov 1 during the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Top breakaway ropers from across Canada will compete for a historic cash payout and the title of first Canadian Open Breakaway Champion. Qualifiers will compete on day one in the Semi-Finals, and the finalists will move on to compete in an exciting elimination-style Finals on day two.

Until recently, women have had few opportunities to compete in Breakaway Roping past high school and college, but that is changing.

“Breakaway Roping is opening up new opportunities for female contestants in rodeo.

It is keeping women engaged with riding and roping. It is inspiring young women to dream about being champions,” remarked Margo FitzPatrick, co-creator of the Canadian Finals Breakaway (CFB).

“I can’t think of a better platform to showcase the tremendous female talent we have here in Canada.”

Contestants will be eligible to compete at the CFB by qualifying through sanctioned open Breakaway jackpots held across Canada.

For more, visit cfrreddeer.ca or canadianfinalsbreakaway.com.

EMPTY SADDLES

Parade Alumni

Jim Reinbold

1940–2019

Born in Provost, Alta., Jim married Fontella Schlosser and, eventually, they took the reins on the original Reinbold homestead at Bodo, Alta., raising black Angus cattle.

By 1959, Jim was competing in saddle bronc, bull riding and tie-down roping. In 1966, Jim won the S.A.R.C.A (now CCA) Saddle Bronc Riding Championship and was runner-up in the High Point.

In 1967 he won the Saddle Bronc Riding Champion and runner-up in the Bull Riding.

For 41 years Jim and Fontella travelled to the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma and Las Vegas, and every year since its inception in 1974, they attended the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton and Red Deer.

Joining the esteemed ranks of parade marshals, which includes such notables as Walt Disney, Prince Charles and Tom Glass, Canadian actress Amber Marshall was chosen to lead the Calgary Stampede parade this year.

Marshall, 31, is best known for starring as horse-whisperer Amy Fleming, whose family owns a ranch in the long-running CBC drama series Heartland, filmed just south of Calgary.

Marshall and her husband own their own ranch and are active in the rodeo world.

The Stampede celebrated women in Western culture this year, and president Dana Peers says that made Marshall a perfect choice. “Amber Marshall represents and promotes Western heritage and values both on and off the screen,” he said.

Marshall says she’s always looked up to women who lead a Western lifestyle because they are strong, independent and hard-working.

The parade kicked off the 10-day Calgary Stampede on July 5.

Terri and Randy Stokke of Willow Creek Ranch

EMPTY SADDLES

PHOTO BY LOREE FLECK; COURTESY DE JONG FAMILY; COURTESY SSGA

Heather Ann Desrosiers (Mountain Mumma) deJong 1951–2019

Heather was a historian who could weave the tales of the West into a fascinating and factual narrative that stitched together seemingly disparate events, and through these connections, she led her listeners to a deeper understanding of history.

Her interesting narratives made her welcome at cowboy gatherings far and wide.

After graduating college in Vermilion, Alta., Heather returned to Cranbrook, B.C., where she met her future husband, Western artist John de Jong. They married in 1974 and raised their five kids and an endless parade of animals on their outfit near Jaffray, B.C.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

Willow Creek Ranch Awarded The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Environmental Stewardship Award for 2019 was awarded to Randy and Terri Stokke of Willow Creek Ranch, near Consul, Sask.

The couple operate their ranch deep in southern Saskatchewan in the Palliser Triangle region, a semi-arid steppe within the Great Plains. They run 400 mother cows, yearlings and horses, and have 50 species of birds and other wildlife on their range, including nine at-risk species, two of which are the greater sage-grouse and the swift fox.

Randy was Chair of Sustainable Canada and spent the last five years educating people — most notably politicians — on

what ranchers do and how it affects species at risk.

It is widely known but rarely acknowledged that ranchers are the original environmentalists — fully resisting the currently acceptable practice of plowing under and destroying Canada’s fastest disappearing ecosystems, native grass.

“With many people and other groups like the Stock Growers, that message is starting to get out there that we are doing the right things,” said Randy. “Species at risk work together with livestock and, basically, they are there because of the ranching industry.”

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IN THE CORRAL

The graduates of the 2019 Kispiox Rough Stock School

School Daze In late May the good folks around Kispiox, B.C., held a very successful Rough Stock School.

“We had a fabulous turn-out, and we got another eight rough stock entries in our rodeo because of it,” says Joy Allen, president of the Kispiox Rodeo Club. “Logan Hodson did a topnotch job of instructing, and he had students wanting to get on more and more horses.”

The high-kicking rodeo stock was supplied

by C+ Rodeos (near Williams Lake), and Earl Call and Wade McNolty were the pick up men. To promote the classic rodeo sport and to attract newcomers to the sexiest sport on dirt, all of the tuition, plus accommodations and their meals, were generously provided by both the Kispiox Valley Rodeo Club and the Smithers Rodeo Club (yes, you read that right, a free rodeo school!).

The organizers extend their gracious thanks to both the CPRA and the BCRA for their support, and gave a shout-out to Gene Allen and Kaila and CEJ Mussell for pitching in and helping out when three-time Canadian Saddle Bronc Champion, Dustin Flundra, couldn’t make it due to a family emergency.

Kispiox, located a bit north of Hazelton in northern B.C., is perhaps most known to outsiders for its totem poles, some of which were the subjects of Emily Carr paintings. It is also known for the world-record-holding steelhead trout caught in the Skeena River and the whopping $10,000-added purse in the Kispiox Rodeo’s Saddle Bronc event.

As an added incentive, the CPRA donated a Permit Card to the “Most Promising Student” of the school, which allows the cowboy to enter

any CPRA rodeo that accepts permits (which is pretty much all of them). The 2019 Permit Card was awarded to Keifer Larson of Kispiox/ Hazelton area.

The BCRA-approved 72nd annual Kispiox Valley Rodeo ran June 1–2 in Kispiox, B.C. PostScript: I received a text from Joy Allen, and the committee was thrilled to report that the Kispiox Rodeo had over 50 entries in the rough stock events — the most in any BCRA rodeo in many years.

“The school really paid off,” she wrote, “as well as the $10K added to the bronc riding — which Dustin Flundra won. I also think it was fabulous that Logan Hodson, who instructed the school, won the Bareback and was second in the Saddle Bronc, plus won the All-Around Cowboy. His students were so impressed!”

Odense,

De

Where in the World 19

nmark

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is Canadian Cowboy?

Odense is one of Denmark’s oldest cities.

Archaeological excavations in the vicinity show proof of settlement for over 4,000 years. The name Odense means “Odin’s sanctuary,” as the area was known as a sanctuary for worshippers of the Nordic god, Odin.

“I recently returned from a trip to Denmark, and I had an issue of Canadian Cowboy with me, as I intended to take photos along the landmarks of my mom’s native country,” writes subscriber Karina Geleynse. “I only did it in Odense, Denmark — the country’s third-largest city and the main city of the island of Funen, located about 160 km southwest of Copenhagen.”

Odense is also the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark’s famous author, who has written many fairy tales such as The Little

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Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, The Tinderbox, Thumbelina and The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Andersen was born April 2, 1805, in the little house in the photo. He died at age 70, on August 4, 1875, in Copenhagen.

Tourism is an important source of income for the city, attracting local and international visitors, including former Calgary Stampede Princess (1995), Miss Ponoka Stampede (1998) and Miss Rodeo Canada 1999, Karina [Tees] Geleynse, of Flying G Ranch near Clive, Alta.

Karina [Tees] Geleynse at the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTO BY DANIELLE GERHARDI; COURTESY KARINA GELEYNSE

Odense, Denmark

WESTERN ART REVIEW | TERRI MASON PORCH READS

An Honest, Genial and Kindly People A portion of Fafard’s classic, Running Horses

Fafard’s New Running Horses

The National Gallery is home to some of the nation’s favourite works of Saskatchewan artist, Joe Fafard (1042–2019). Beloved by visitors, Fafard’s original Running Horses sculpture could not be displayed outside yearround due to weathering. It was Fafard himself who suggested that the steel set of horses be reproduced by using an aluminium structure and a modified coating procedure.

The Gallery worked with the artist to produce a new, all-weather version, using the original cut-out patterns and the same moulds for the grassinspired stands. The original set has also been refinished with the new coating procedure and remains available for indoor exhibitions, while the new Running Art Now Saskatchewan Fine Art Fair Horses is on permanent view outSep 19–22, 2019 side the Gallery, where visitors A celebration of Saskatchewan can see these iconic wild horses art from the province’s premiere run free throughout the year. commercial art galleries.

National Gallery of Canada 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ont. Permanent Exhibition gallery.ca

This softcover treasure is a reflection of the author’s long friendship with and sincere appreciation for the culture and lifestyle of the First Nations people in southern Saskatchewan.

The photographers are a “Who’s Who” list of crackerjack prairie shooters — from Fort Walsh studio photographer, George Anderston, to the pioneering and well-travelled Geraldine Moodie, to the many historically significant images from Frank Mills of Carlyle, Sask. Actually, all of the images are historically significant, as are the informative captions that provide an insight into a world long gone.

In many instances, the well-written pieces highlighted in this book are a treasure trove of facts and legends and provide insight into a culture that, in many areas, is experiencing a renaissance. This book is a joy to read, or even to just admire the century-old photos of a time we’ll never see again, all brought together by an author who so obviously loved this culture. Today, this book can be ordered from the late author’s daughter, Val Guillemin.

Canada-Saskatchewan Sound Stage 1831 College Avenue, Regina, Sask. artnow.ca

PHOTO COURTESY NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA

UPCOMING GALLERY SHOWS Caballeros y Vaqueros

Refocus Foothills

Sep 14–Jan 5, 2020 National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Kerr Gallery, 1700 Northeast 63rd St., Oklahoma City, OK nationalcowboymuseum.org

Jun 8–Aug 30 Western Art of Southern Alberta’s Cowboy Trail, Okotoks Art Gallery, 53 North Railway St., Okotoks, Alta. okotoks.ca

The regionally distinctive horse furniture emblematic of the North American West has its roots in a unique mixture of cultures and traditions that blended in Colonial Mexico.

Caballeros y Vaqueros traces the decorative traditions of our new world husbandry as they developed in Colonial Mexico from a fusion of Native American, European, African, and Islamic traditions.

Curated by Brian Rusted and Katherine Ylitalo, explore the work of generations of artists who lived along the Cowboy Trail in southern Alberta.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

An Honest, Genial and Kindly People: A private collection of First Nations photographs from the turn of the century in southern Saskatchewan, by Adrian K. Paton, forewords by Connie Big Eagle, Ocean Man Chief and Keith Thor Carlson, Professor of History, University of Saskatchewan. Softcover, 188 pages. $50 CAD. Distributed by Val Guillemin.

Visit adrianpaton.com

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SPIRIT OF THE WEST | HUGH MCLENNAN

Mike Miltmore, luthier of Riversong Guitars and Billie McLennan with Hugh’s custom-made instrument

The Heartfelt Gift

I

t’s the sound of a good cowboy singin’ and the words to the poems that he says. The coolness of the night air he’s breathin’ as he lays in his ol’ canvas bed...”

The words of Bryn Thiessen’s poem “Sunlight on Silver” often go through my mind, especially the part about a good cowboy singin’. For me, it takes the pure, warm sound of a well-made acoustic guitar to complete the picture.

The appeal of Western music from the days of Roy and Gene, right up to today’s artists like Ryan Fritz and Ed Peekeekoot and my little brother Jim, for me, comes from the sound of their guitar. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they all play instruments made by Riversong.

The sound for the Kamloops Cowboy Festival and the Mane Event Expo has always been done by Lee’s Music of Kamloops. That’s where the guitar connection comes. Mike Miltmore, owner of Lee’s Music, introduced the first edition of his now famous line of Riversong guitars at the 2012 Kamloops Cowboy Festival.

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My brother Jim received his custombuilt model just over a year ago, and I’ve been green with envy ever since.

In April, our Western Spirit Band was setting up in Red Deer’s Westerner Pavilion for our annual cruise reunion show. Mike agreed to supply the sound since he was doing it for the Mane Event anyway.

I thought I could see an even brighter sparkle in Billie’s eyes that evening.

We were visiting with all the folks when Mike approached the microphone asking for everyone’s attention. With his long black hair and ponytail, he said he felt “a little out of place in a room full of cowboy hats.”

“Wait a minute,” I thought. “I’m the emcee, you’re just the sound guy. What are you doing?”

But I figured if he wanted to give a little plug for Riversong Guitars, that was ok.

Cattle rancher and horse trainer Hugh McLennan and his wife, Billie, run their cattle in the beautiful rangeland outside of Kamloops, B.C. Hugh is the host of the multi-award-winning weekly radio program, Spirit of the West, heard across Canada and the U.S.

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTO BY MARK MCMILLAN

Billie’s Secret

Then he called me up to the stage, and he’s holding a brand new Riversong. He told the crowd that Billie approached him at the Kamloops Cowboy Festival and said it was time I had one. The two of them kept a clandestine conspiracy going on behind my back for six weeks — secret phone calls, deleted emails and the like.

The neck is inlayed with images of me on my beloved mare, Lucky. Our McLennan Ranch Spirit of the West logo (designed by Billie 27 years ago) is inlayed at the 12th fret, and there is a lock of Lucky’s tail hair braided across the inside of the sound hole.

The sound is magnificent — even when I play it.

One More Tale: Billie had hidden our electric branding iron in a burlap sack and snuck it into Mike’s factory when the guitar was almost finished. The idea was to have our brand on the front. Mike had never seen a branding iron before, so he tried branding an older guitar first. When the hot iron hit the wood, the guitar burst into flames, and the factory might have burned down if Mike hadn’t been fast with a water hose. c

As Alberta’s largest agricultural show, Farmfair has been helping you buy, sell and connect for over 45 years and will continue to be a part of your big deal. farmfairinternational.com cowboycountrymagazine.com

#FARMFAIR | Edmonton EXPO Centre 15

WHEEL TO WHEEL | BILLY MELVILLE

George Normand Wagon Trails to Glory

A

hero has been defined as “a person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal.” Quite often, we celebrate these incredible people by immortalizing them in songs or naming streets, structures and awards in their honour.

In 1994 chuckwagon racing lost one of these incredible people — chuckwagon driver George Normand. So beloved was George in the world of chuckwagon racing and in his hometown of Bonnyville, Alta., that his sudden death as the result of a racing accident at the Ponoka Stampede was felt well beyond the boundaries of the Lakeland. Rewind a few years before to when Mereline Griffith of the Bonnyville & District Museum decided to feature a display to honour Bonnyville’s rich chuckwagon racing history. The display had a number of artifacts from the “Bonnyville Bullet” himself — George Normand. As Merline recalls, “When I asked George what we should call the display, he suggested the name ‘Wagon Trails to Glory,’ and that’s what we called it.”

When George lost his life at Ponoka, Mereline was so moved that she wrote the words to a song by the same name, “Wagon Trails to Glory.” She thought about sending the song to Canadian country music legend Ian Tyson but thought she would ask permission from George’s family first.

“They were pretty clear that they wanted their friend (aspiring country singer) Billy Melville to do it,” said Griffith. The lyrics were sent to Melville who wrote the 16

George racing at High River in 1993 the week before his accident

music, and thanks to some financial assistance from George’s best friend, Buddy Bensmiller, “Wagon Trails to Glory” was recorded and released in 1995. Proceeds from the sale of the single were used to construct the George Normand Memorial — a sign at the gates of Bonnyville, depicting the legendary driver and his six World Chuckwagon Championships.

Twelve years later, Merline Griffith’s granddaughter, Tiffany Dowhan, was

starting out in the music business. The town of Bonnyville wanted to construct a racetrack and bring chuckwagon racing back to the community. They had numerous fundraising ideas in mind, and Merline thought that if her granddaughter Tiffany could record her song, it would be a nice contribution — after all, the original release was quite a success.

So with the backing of the fundraising committee, Tiffany Dowhan covered “Wagon Trails to Glory,” and like the original release, it was also a success. When the new track was christened in 2008, Billy Melville and Tiffany Dowhan sang the song as a duet in front of a capacity crowd in Bonnyville, just before the chuckwagon races, in memory of George Normand.

It’s been 25 years since that tragic night in Ponoka, but the memory of George Normand continues to live on. Forever immortalized in a song, a structure, and numerous awards that bear his name, George Normand was a true hero. C Billy Melville is an author, noted historian and chuckwagon colour commentator on Rural Radio (SiriusXM Ch 147) and CBC Sports. He is the grandson of Orville Strandquist.

George with the World Championship bronze with Wife Joey, Son BJ and Daughter Bobbi

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C I N C H J E A N S . C O M

cowboycountrymagazine.com

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Dating T

he White family ranch is nestled in the Porcupine Hills, off Highway 22. It’s a picturesque working cattle outfit with a postcard view. Now Double D, he had his eye on Sweet Jo, one of the singing White girls. Every time Double D got a peek at Sweet Jo, his heart would set to fluttering! He had it bad!

He finally mustered up the courage to ask her on a date, and he just about fell over when she said, “Sure.”

“In fact,” she said, “We could saddle up and ride into the hills for a picnic.” Oh man, that sounded good — a picnic set 18

against the eastern slopes of the Rockies, hosted by a beautiful and talented woman. Heaven.

Well that cowboy primped for his romantic rendezvous, all the while memorizing cute lines to impress her with. He

even went so far as to have a bath, and he usually saved that cleansing ritual for occasions such as weddings, pie-tastings and, for sure, the rodeo!

He arrived at the door with flowers, chocolates and shaking knees. Mrs. White gazed up from her gardening to see Sweet Jo greet him on the step.

“The picnic is all packed, I’ll ride Shadow, and you’ll be on the roan,” said Sweet Jo, with a subtle little smirk.

“You can use my dad’s saddle. He loved his Eamor and the rest of his tack.”

When Double D went to saddle up the red roan, that cayuse swung its rear and

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

ILLUSTRATION BY “DIAMOND” DOUG KEITH

SOME DAYS ARE DIAMOND | “DIAMOND” DOUG KEITH

brushed a kick by Double D’s hind end.

Double D, in response, threw the historic saddle at the horse. Sweet Jo’s mom, who had been watching from over the fence, inquired if he was hurt.

“Just my pride,” he thought, while tightening up the cinch. As he walked the horse to the driveway where Sweet Jo waited upon her chestnut mount, the roan gave a knowing neigh.

Double D stretched his boot to the saddle’s stirrup as the fender creaked from his weight. When his offside leg swung across, he noticed the pinned back ears on the roan. He knew then there was no turning back. Roany had been waiting for his backside to hit the saddle leather and was ready to explode. He then commenced to buck like he was from the Kesler string and had never been rode.

The horse dropped his head and sent his rump skyward, unleashing an earthshaking kick. It was then that Double D’s unmentionables were introduced to the saddle horn. *This next line has been censored for graphic content.* That red outlaw arced its back and took to the air with all four hooves together.

Double D grabbed the rein in vain to turn the beggar’s head. He had his spurs locked on hide and flesh as he slammed the seat with every jump. The cantle pounded his back in chiropractic precision as pain shot from his sacroiliac to his toes. The sadistic red beggar knew every trick to lose a rider.

He bucked so hard that once in awhile the strain caused him to break wind.

Double D did ride the White’s red roan to the buzzer, and while he sat mounted upon that puffing horse just dreaming of RubA535 and Preparation H he thought, Sweet Jo must feel awful about this wild ride. That is until he overheard her brother-in-law say, “Funny, Jo doesn’t usually put her dates on the roan until the fourth date!”c

Come feel the rush

Come and experience what 70KM per hour of horse power feels like!

Last Day of Thoroughbred Racing

August 26

First Day of Standardbred Racing

September 1

Century Mile Racetrack and Casino is located next to the Edmonton International Airport. www.centurymile.com

“Diamond” Doug Keith is a poet, storyteller, Leanin’ Tree cowboy cartoonist, Western painter and preacher. He offers his unique take on everyday cowboy life through poem, story and art. Doug has been featured in several documentaries.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

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PHOTO COURTESY ADOBE STOCK/ ALEXSHOT

REFLECTIONS | BRYN THIESSEN

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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

Why, Why, Why, Why, Why, Why? I’m sure we’ve all heard this phrase, probably uttered it, but as I’m writing these words as Father’s Day approaches, let me take you back 40 years to where this mental picture was painted.

The setting was the log house we’d completed the year before. We’d spent the first three years in the old Helmer Cabin, built in 1934. It had all the modern conveniences like power, phone and running water (off the roof when it rained) but only one bathroom, located 20 steps across the creek. As a result of this “convenience,” when plans were drawn for the new house, it included three bathrooms, one on each level. The only problem being that on the top storey, the dimensions drawn for the water closet didn’t take in the placement of the chimney. This resulted in a room about 36” x 30”. There was room for a toilet and a really small sink you couldn’t get by if you were larger than half of a politician’s ego.

My father, being a child of the ’30s, had done a lot of the construction, including the plumbing. As the rule goes, water runs downhill, and it did here as well. The problem was that the wax seal didn’t live up to its name. This was a source of irritation (and wet floors), so one Sunday morning found Clancy tackling this problem. It was then that I heard the words “why, why, why,” repeated in a sing-song fashion about 30 times. Upon investigation, I found my father sitting crosslegged on the floor, staring at the toilet as if it were an oracle of wisdom that could answer

his query. My resulting laughter was not appreciated, but by the time he got untangled from his lavatory lotus position, I’d retreated to the barn and maybe saved myself from an inversion immersion. (For the record, he did stop the leak. If he hadn’t, it might have stopped the fire that took the house 18 years later, but that’s a story for another column.)

If we step out into fresher air, we realize that although we can see farther, we can’t see the future, and not always the past. We live in a world where we put round pizzas in square boxes, then cut it in triangles, and expect the world to make sense. We read in Canadian Cowboy how to train your dog, horse, cattle, and get some success, but we still find ourselves asking, why? We stay awake at night and ponder questions like, “does a dyslexic atheist stay awake at night questioning the existence of Dog?” If we ride over to the range where that last word is spelled correctly, we still find the query, why? We know from scripture, 1 Corinthians 13:12: “...that now we see through a smoky haze, but one day we’ll see the Boss face-to-face and see clearly. We don’t know everything, all the reasons why, but on that day we will, just as God knows all of/about us.” (My words.)

Let me leave you in one of the promise pastures of the Bible: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”c

Bryn Thiessen is a rancher, poet, cowboy and preacher at Cowboy Trail Church in Cochrane. Bryn and his wife Bonny market grass-fattened beef from their Helmer Creek Ranch southwest of Sundre, Alta.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

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Heart of the Horse

Created by Alberta’s renowned horsewoman Niki Flundra, Heart of the Horse is a new equine show featuring the $10,000-added colt-starting exposition, charity fundraiser and artisan trade show, held September 20–22 at the Silver Slate Arena, located 18 km south of Nanton, Alta.

The Unbridled Niki Flundra great foundations, accessible education from some of the very best trainers and, most importantly, to be in the best interest of the horse,” she explains. “At the end of the day, we want horses that have been started and educated so they will be able to not only perform practical tasks but also be invaluable to the person lucky enough to own them.”

The multi-award-winning performer and horse trainer travels extensively throughout North America, performing her specialty act at the biggest equine and professional rodeos around the world. Niki has been featured multiple times in the spotlight at the Calgary Stampede, Canadian Finals Rodeo and every major rodeo in Canada. South of the Medicine Line and abroard, she and her Liberty horses have performed flawlessly at the National Finals Rodeo, Rodeo Houston, Fort Worth, Spirit of the Horse in Perth, Australia and many other notable events, including performing for The Canadian Prime Minister, the President of Mexico and the President of the United States of America.

An expert in pyrotechnics and special effects, the trained stuntwoman has an enviable list of credits, including appearing on the international television hit, Heartland, plus many, many feature-length movies. Niki also offers trick riding clinics and lessons, plus trains colts.

Niki is also earning her certification as a therapeutic riding instructor for children with special needs. She is married to threetime Canadian Saddle Bronc Champion, Dustin Flundra. The couple and their young family ranch deep in southern Alberta.

Niki will be performing her acclaimed Liberty Act with her amazing horses at The Heart of the Horse.

PHOTO COURTESY NIKI FLUNDRA

Niki Flundra, Canada’s internationally acclaimed horsewoman, makes riding in a pitch-black arena at breakneck speed with neither saddle nor bridle while carrying a firework-shooting flag look easy — and we all know it ain’t.

She has gracefully transformed herself from an award-winning high-speed trick rider to a rider who appears to communicate telepathically with her mount. In other words, this trainer’s life’s work has morphed from heart-in-your-throat to Heart of the Horse.

Inspired to new heights in training, Niki was soon performing in front of kings and presidents and fans around the world.

Niki’s brainchild, The Heart of the Horse, speaks directly to this horsewoman’s passion and training philosophy.

“The Finals will be focused on attempting / completing activities you would use in everyday ranching, cowboying and regular equestrian activities, not solely on getting your horse over or through obstacles,” explains Niki.

For transparency, the judging and awarded scores will be made public so that spectators can see exactly how things are scored and why.

“I want everything about Heart of the Horse to be about good horsemanship,

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Meet the Clinicians

PHOTO COURTESY DOUBLE DAN HORSEMANSHIP; BRZ PHOTOGRAPHY; THE HORSE RANCH

Dan James, Midway, Kentucky Born in Queensland, Australia, on a small cattle farm, this is where Dan’s lifelong passion for horses began.

Dan has learned from the best. Dan began travelling the world to gain a better understanding of horses and has worked starting colts in Hokkaido, Japan.

He also started over 300 horses a year at Washpool Lodge in Australia, rode cutting horses for trainer Punk Carter, learned Liberty training from world-renowned Heath Harris and managed horses on a cattle station in Western Australia.

Dan has successfully competed in dressage, show jumping, eventing, camp drafting, cutting, reining and coltstarting. He has won awards around the world and is a two-time International World Champion Colt Starter, a multipletime Freestyle Reining Champion and a Mustang Makeover Finalist. Dan won the “Way of the Horse” at 2008 Equitana Asia Pacific, the 2012 Road to the Horse International Colt Starting World Championship and the 2014 Quarter Horse Congress Freestyle Reining Championship to representing Australia in the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

Dan continues to wow judges and audiences alike with his training techniques, elite showmanship and unique understanding of how horses learn. doubledanhorsemanship.com/ dan-james

cowboycountrymagazine.com

Matt Robertson, Lomond, Alta.

This tall, quiet cowboy rode up from Wyoming with a range of talent and has made a name for himself in the most solitary of career pursuits — song writing, cowboy poetry, ranch bronc riding and colt-starting — and his stellar rep has been well-earned, but you won’t hear about it from him.

Matt has earned a rep as a good man with a young horse, but this will be his first time starting a colt in front of an audience — an environment that isn’t really Matt’s natural habitat.

“It’s in my own backyard, and I like Niki [organizer Niki Flundra]. I feel really humbled that they even asked me,” he said.

“I had severe anxiety when I was first thinking about it,” he said. “But it’s not like I just start the odd colt once in a while, it’s what I do for my career. I’ve got a lot of experience under my belt, and when you’re working with a horse, it’s just you and the horse, and whatever happens, happens. It’s out of my comfort zone, but I figured I’d give it a shot.” mattrobertsoncowboymusic.com

Glenn Stewart, Fort St. John, B.C. Glenn Stewart’s life with horses started early, and he moved from starting colts to working as a guide and outfitter for 15 years in the wilds of B.C., in an area 80 miles from the nearest road. “Everything was done with a horse,” says Glenn.

Today, Glenn travels extensively from his home near Fort St. John, B.C., conducting clinics, demonstrations and colt-starting sessions, plus camps, a horsemanship course, as well as horsemanship learning adventure series.

Glenn has over 30 years experience in the horse industry, having taught thousands of students across North and South America. He has taught clinics and given demonstrations for some of the top Lusitano breeders of Brazil, puts on colt-starting clinics in the Rocky Mountains 100 miles from the nearest roads, and prepares performance horses for competition and sales.

He rides 30–60 client horses per year, including young horses, restarts, challenging horses, and foundation training. Glenn is a former Champion of the Cowboy Up Challenge at the Calgary Stampede and was chosen as one of the Canadian representatives in the 2012 Road to the Horse, the World Championship of Colt Starting in Murfreesboro, TN. thehorseranch.com

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Cowboy Artisan Show and Competition The Heart of the Horse also welcomes folks to their trade show with a delightful array of boutique wares sure to delight the most discerning of Western shoppers. With a nod to all things equine, each trade show stall will literally be housed in one of the 40 box stalls!

In conjunction with the trade show, award-winning silversmith Kelly McRae has organized the first Western Artisan Show and Competition, featuring some of the best craftspeople in traditional Western arts. From leatherwork and rawhide braiding to silversmithing, there is sure to be a stunning array at the inaugural show.

Handcrafted by McRae Silver

CLINICS

“The trainers and I, plus some additional outside performers, will all be taking part in the Heart of the Horse show,” says Niki.

The Heart of the Horse is held Sep 20–22, Silver Slate Arena, located 18 km south of Nanton, Alta.

Check the website to sign up for your chance to participate in one or all of the riding and training clinics being held this weekend. TheHeartoftheHorse.ca

IT’S SHOWTIME!

For more information, tickets, a complete schedule of events — and to see and support the savvy sponsors who know a sure thing when they see it — visit TheHeartoftheHorse.ca

On Saturday night, be sure to attend the evening’s music entertainment, plus a meet-and-greet dinner with Amberley and the trainers, Matt, Glenn and Dan — and of course, Niki.

What Happens to the Colts?

WHAT IS EAL? Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is an experiential life-skills program that helps participants become strong and confident.

Participants engage in objective-driven 24

exercises and find themselves learning valuable life skills in a fun and exciting atmosphere, while working with horses.

is a Master Instructor for Equine Assisted Learning and a Specialist in Facilitating Women’s Development Skills Workshops.

EAL FUNDRAISER

THE COLTS

This fall, ROARR presents their Second Annual Gala: The Magic of Horses! on September 7 at the Ranch and will feature special guests, Dr. Allan Hamilton and Kari Fulmek.

Allan Hamilton is a Harvard-trained brain surgeon, celebrated speaker and an acclaimed and award-winning writer. He has been called “one of the great intellects of the 21st century.” His peers have elected him “One of the Best Doctors in America” for 18 consecutive years. His books have won numerous awards, including the Nautilus Gold Award for works of spiritual nonfiction that “change the world one book at a time.” Previous Nautilus award-winners include Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Kari Fulmek is one of the world’s leading instructors in the Equine Assisted Learning Course, helping others become competent Equine Assisted Learning Facilitators. Kari

The colts all hail from the beautiful Bar Double M Ranch, located on the Belly River, east of Hill Spring in southern Alberta. Established in 1963, the familyrun ranch operates with 550 head of purebred Angus and Simmental cattle and AQHA ranch and performance horses.

Their motto is simple: “We strive to produce eye-appealing and sound-minded horses that can be counted on in the pasture and arena; cow horses with substance and athleticism.”

The current stallions on the ranch are sons of Streak of Fling and Metallic Cat. For more on the ranch, visit doublembarranch.com. For more on the charity, visit roarr.org.

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTO COURTESY MCRAE SILVER

While non-equine people might think the trainers are the stars, equine folk know differently. The stars of the competition are the horses.

So, what will become of the youngsters after the weekend’s activities? Heart of the Horse itself will be purchasing the winning trainer’s colt, and then the colt will be auctioned off to the highest bidder to raise funds for Robinson Outreach at RiverCross Ranch (known by its acronym, ROARR) near Springbank, Alta. ROARR is a registered charity that offers equine assisted-learning programs and therapies for youth and seniors in need.

“I am very passionate about this program because I know firsthand the positive impact and healing that horses can have on people’s lives,” says organizer, Niki Flundra.

“It is my mission to spread that around as much as I can.”

TIM ELLIS’

RODEO REPORT

Proud to be the official voice of the CPRA & the CFR cowboycountrymagazine.com

25

THE WESTERNERS

Walk, Ride, Rodeo The Long Road Back

F

rom a very early age, she was known in rodeo circles for her impressive wins in Little Britches Rodeo circles.

However, it was personal tragedy and inspirational triumph that gained her international attention.

Amberley Snyder is one of rodeo’s most popular competitors and motivational speakers. Born in 1991, the Utah-based cowgirl grew up competing in barrel racing, pole bending and breakaway roping. In 2009 she won the All-Around Cowgirl World Championship in National Little Britches Rodeo and was also the 2009–2010 Utah State Future Farmers of America (FFA) President.

But in January 2010, Snyder was on her way to the Denver Stock Show and Rodeo when a rollover accident crushed her T12 vertebrae, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Her life was changed forever.

“The very first day of therapy, when my nurse asked me what my goals were, I told her, ‘Walk, ride, rodeo, that’s it,’” said Snyder, in a 2016 interview.

Physical therapy focused on rebuilding her sense of balance. Snyder was a long way from the days when she could balance on a galloping horse, but she had an idea.

“I had mentioned to my therapist that my balance is better on my saddle than anywhere else,” she said. “Finally, I just told my dad, [professional baseball player, Cory Snyder] ‘Bring my saddle in.’ I got up on that saddle, and my balance was better there than anywhere else.”

Remarkably, only four months after the accident, she was back on her horse — but it wasn’t easy. It took her a long time to come to terms with her new reality, and at one point she even told her mother to sell her horses.

Tina Snyder refused, telling her daughter, “Your horses have been injured before, and you’ve waited for them to heal.

They’re gonna wait for you.”

26

And wait they did, until a reporter called in April 2011 and asked to do a follow-up story. Snyder agreed to a photoshoot, even though she had not gone close to her horses in months.

With help she was back in the saddle, and this time things felt different. “That was the whole game-changer,” Snyder said.

She wanted to ride again.

The first addition to her saddle was a seat belt. Next came Velcro straps to stabilize her legs. Then came training her horses to ignore her legs and just listen to her voice and hands.

“Amberley Snyder’s story is one of incredible courage and triumph” Eighteen months after her accident, in June 2011, Snyder entered an exhibition barrel race, first circling the barrels at a slow lope, to the delight of friends and family gathered to witness the moment. But going slow was never Snyder’s style.

“I said, ‘Guys, I’m gonna go a lot faster than that,’” Snyder recalls, “and I turn around and set [the horse] through the pattern, and we were a second off of what we had been before my wreck.”

Snyder was soon back competing in rodeo.

In 2015, the cowgirl was overwhelmingly voted in as the Fan Exemption Contestant at the world’s richest one-day rodeo, RFD-TV’s The American, where she competed for $1 million. When she entered the arena on her horse, 70,000 people gave her a standing ovation. The noise was deafening when she made a time of 15.3

seconds with her horse, Power — only 0.6 seconds slower than the winning time.

On the heels of her success at The American, she was in the Top 5 for the Rocky Mountain Pro Rodeo Association, and she also won her Women’s Professional Rodeo Association Card in 2016. She now competes on the RAM Wilderness Circuit.

She has since graduated college with a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education and earned her Master’s in School Counseling from Utah State University.

But it doesn’t end there. Hollywood heard of her story, and in 2019, the movie of her life was made into a Netflix biopic, Walk. Ride. Rodeo.

“Amberley Snyder’s story is one of incredible courage and triumph,” said writer/producer Sean Dwyer.

She performed all the post-accident horse stunts in the film, while her younger sister, Autumn, performed the pre-accident stunts.

Her social-media fan base is approaching a half-million, and her thoughtful attitude and inspirational posts have already helped thousands with her “been there and this is what I know” approach. Snyder says it best: “It won’t get easier; you will get stronger,” she said. “I remember them telling me in the hospital, ‘it’ll get easier.’ I don’t believe that is the case. But I do promise you... I have gotten stronger. There will be so many challenges put in our lives, some we will never understand. No matter what those are — accidents, loss, tragedy — you don’t have to expect it to get easier or expect yourself to get over it. Sometimes we can’t just get over something. But we can move forward, we can find our strength and we can find happiness again […] Instead of expecting yourself to get over it or for it to get easier, accept what it is for now and focus on what you can do and what you can control. You are strong enough; I promise you that.” c

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTO: MALLORY BEINBORN/IMPULSE PHOTOGRAPHY

By TERRI MASON

Amberley Snyder and her barrel horse, Power

27

Thank

You Alberta Long Ears Days

STETTLER, AB August 10 –11, 2019 Thanks for attending, and we’ll see you the second weekend in August 2020. albertadonkeyandmule.ca

Find out why Merritt is called the

COUNTRY MUSIC CAPITAL OF CANADA! Discover a community of cowboy heritage, music and country living.

We invite you to Explore Merritt and see for yourself.

THE HOME OF ROCKIN’ RIVER MUSIC FESTIVAL • CANADIAN COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME • COUNTRY MUSIC LEGEND MURALS AND WALK OF STAR HANDPRINTS

TOURISMMERRITT.CA 28

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

TRADITIONAL COWBOY ARTS

Making a Master SILVERSMITH

SCOTT HARDY

PHOTO COURTESY NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, OKLAHOMA, CITY, OK

By EMILY KITCHING

Sterling silver decanter and sterling silver funnel featuring 14K gold flower centers. Over 400 hours and a multitude of techniques were employed to create this incomparable masterpiece. —2018

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TRADITIONAL COWBOY ARTS

Designed for a 3/4-inch belt, this three-piece buckle set consists of stacked and intertwined sterling silver flowers with 18K yellow gold centers.

Interwoven throughout are 14K yellow, red, and green gold scrolls.—2018

W

estern silversmithing is a unique art with numerous technical and creative demands. Scott Hardy of Longview, Alta., has 38 years of experience in mastering his skills as a craftsman and artist. His efforts have ensured that Western silversmithing will continue to progress into the future through his involvement with the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA). Hardy shares his thoughts on his craft, the qualities shared by masters of any discipline and the future of this art.

“A traditional silversmith is a person who builds vessels or flatware, typically with heavier sterling silver. A jeweller is someone who works with smaller objects in silver and gold. Western silversmiths, because of the demands of our clients, have to be extremely diverse and pull from both of these worlds. Your work has to be able to withstand punishment, such as a horse 30

rubbing a concho on a corral fence. It must be both beautiful and functional.”

For Hardy, Western silversmithing is tied to the culture of the North American cowboy. While some may view it as crude or kitschy, Hardy harkens back to the early settlers of North America, who brought with them pieces of finery from the Old World to bring a bit of elegance to the rugged

West. For his grandmother who emigrated from England, it was a prized silver teapot.

That blend of the harsh Western environment with the appreciation for refinement and beauty helps define the culture that informs Hardy’s work.

“I’ve lived the life; I want my work to embody the strength, independence and resilience of the West. I want my work to be able to compete with any work in the world. People may look at me like I’m strange, but I made a choice to take Western silversmithing as far as I could take it. Be it a buckle or a vase, it doesn’t matter to me. It represents the West.”

There was a turning point in Hardy’s early career when a respected mentor presented him with a challenge. He had been building bits and spurs along with the silver work of conchas and buckles.

He was spending time with silversmith Al Pecetti, who took him to meet famed bit maker, Al Tietjen. Each man’s shop

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTOS COURTESY NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, OKLAHOMA, CITY, OK

This 3-piece stirrupinspired buckle set features sterling silver scrolls and flowers with 14K green gold centers.—2017

PHOTOS COURTESY NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, OKLAHOMA, CITY, OK

The Bronc Stomper is a rectangle buckle with a unique edge that frames a hand-sculpted cowboy topping off his horse. The rider is surrounded by scrolls and filigreed flowers with 14K yellow gold centers. The buckle measures 3 1/4 inches by 2 1/4 inches. —2016

This two-inch sterling silver cuff bracelet features a mass of 14K yellow and red gold flowers of varying sizes, each with a 14K green gold center, all surrounded by a tangle of sterling silver scrolls. The inside of this cuff is completely hand engraved.—2018

was arranged to handle the unique demands of each of their crafts. Hardy remembers sitting with these two masters as a young man and having his work evaluated by Tietjen.

“I was totally in awe, and he says to me, ‘If I can give you one piece of advice, it would be to pick one craft and give it the honour of studying it all that you can.’ I thought about that a lot.

I made a commitment to my trade, to learn every aspect of how to work with the metal, to learn about design and composition, and after 38 years I feel like I’m just scratching the surface of the art.”

“The desire to achieve mastery is both inherent and encouraged.

Talented people can do a lot of different things. If they have the desire, they can learn a lot of different things. But you must have the discipline to not be distracted, to instead become enamored with

the material and the process. Without discipline, mastery will never happen.”

“You can’t learn how to be an artist, but you can learn how to be a craftsman.

Then you can choose to take your work past the point of craftsmanship and into the world of art. You can’t do that without dedication. You can’t take those incred-

the great master painters in Europe, they had apprentices who learned how to mix paint and stretch canvas. They had to learn the craft first.”

Hardy, a founding member of the TCAA, remembers a time before the organization when educational opportunities were few and far between, and a lower quality work was being hailed as good. Hardy speaks with pride when discussing how much the organization has accomplished.

“Over the 21 years, we have raised and given away over $300,000 U.S. in scholarships to people who have a desire to learn. We’re not saints, but that is pretty selfless. These traditional Western arts are part of our culture. They are worth being saved and worth being moved forward into the future.” c

“If I can give you one piece of advice, it would be to pick one craft and give it the honour of studying it all that you can.”

cowboycountrymagazine.com

ible ideas that you have in your head and turn them into pieces if you don’t have the skills and the knowledge; and that’s the same thing whether you’re working with silver, paint or clay. If you go back to

Learn more at tcowboyarts.org 31

RANCHERS' SPECIAL Ken and Marg Perrin

What Works For Us Weaning Time

By TERRI MASON

W

eaning is a critical time for any outfit. Add in the “X” factor of dealing with colts in the high country of the Cypress Hills, or the stilldominant wild instincts of bison, then ranching life can get — interesting. And with that, here’s what works for two of the more interesting outfits on the prairies.

KEN AND MARG PERRIN Horses and cattle have always been raised on this place, but Marg and I went strictly horses in the ’70s; that’s when we bought our first studs and started raising colts. We’ve always raised Quarter Horses, and over the years we average 30 head of mares and up to five studs, and we hand-breed our mares. Marg doesn’t show anymore; instead she looks after the website, photography and gets them ready for the sale.

Our horses are bred for performance — cutting, reining and working cow horse, and our brand can be seen in the branding pen to the show ring and under some pretty famous saddles, like Canadian trick rider Shelby Pierson and singer George Strait — he had a big grey heading horse that was one of ours. Our horses have won a lot of classes and rodeos, from roping to penning.

On the ranch, we start breeding early May and are usually done by the middle of 32

June. We start foaling in April, and the foals are born on the pasture.

It’s later on in May and through June when I’m breeding the mares that I start getting the colts up into the barn and halter breaking them. I spend four days on each colt, teaching them to lead and teaching them to stand tied — then let them go back to pasture.

We get them back in around the end of July to worm and brand, and that’s pretty much all the handling they’ll have until sale time.

The mares and foals are in a herd, and they run free in our part of the Cypress Hills, crossing creeks, sheltering in the trees and bush and weathering the storms.

We now have cougars on our place. The mares are wise, so they don’t hang out in the bush anymore. Raising foals in a band of mares teaches them how to get along, and a herd gives the mares protection.

One thing I’ve seen those mares do if a predator comes around is to gather the foals, and when those broodmares form a protective circle around them, nothing can get at the foals.

We wean the foals the day before the Ranch Country Horse Sale in September.

We bring them in, load them on the trailer and bring them to town to the drill hall [sale barn] overnight. Marg bathes them

and cleans them all up. They’re in pens together; we feed and water them and put on some music to help them settle. By the time the sale is over, they’ve settled down and they are weaned.

The best part of working with horses is simply working with horses. Halter breaking is nice. When you’re out there working with them, they’re quiet and not talking back to you. After the second day, when I move, they move — and they’ll step right along. They’re a pleasure to be with, and that’s what works for us.” c

Perrin Quarter Horses PerrinQuarterHorses.com Ranch owners: Ken and Marg Perrin Nearest town: Maple Creek, Sask.

Established:1892 Elevation: 1,000 m (3,280 feet) Annual precipitation: 30 cm (12 inches) Breed: Quarter Horse Herd size: 30-+ mares; 3–5 stallions Horse brand, LS: Connected Upside Down P H

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTO BY TERRI MASON

BRED FOR PERFORMANCE

DOMESTICATED — BUT STILL WILD JUSTIN DOREY

Handling bison is different; don’t get me wrong — I wouldn’t go walk across the pasture at calving season, but we have domesticated them a lot over the years.

Irish Creek Bison IrishCreekBison.com Ranch owners: Justin and Shaelyn Dorey Nearest town: Vermilion, Alta.

Established: 1992 Elevation: 580m (1,900 feet) Annual precipitation: 40.5 cm (16 inches) Breed: Wood-Plain cross & Plains Bison Herd size: Four herds — three large and one smaller herd

PHOTO COURTESY IRISH CREEK BISON

Our herds calve out in May, and we don’t wean the calves in our main herd until January to March — it depends, but it’s in that range. The calves are a lot older.

We bring the herd in and feed them in the feedlot for 10 days — we’ve found that if they’re in a herd, they’re comfortable getting used to new things. Then we use our “push gate” on our feed tractor [hydraulic arms that extend the width of the alleyway to encourage the bison to move forward—see the video on their website] and we run them through the chute — we don’t do any pre-sorting. The reason we built the push gate is because the animals stay really calm; they don’t get worked up at all, until perhaps when they’re in the headgate getting tags, but that’s 30 seconds, then it’s over and they’re back in the herd.

It’s the only time the main herd comes in all year, and we do everything in one pass. We deworm, tag, RFID and add a dangle tag. It’s all recorded in the scale head so we can figure out gain per day — and we don’t pair anything up. We don’t castrate any of the bulls, there’s really no point. The herd cows go straight through, and we pull the calves through the side gate. The cows are then turned back out to graze corn or bale feeding — all our pastures touch

the feedlot where the calves are weaned — so we never haul the cows. If we have to, we’ll haul the calves, but we just open gates for the cows.

We leave the calves in the feedlot area for about six weeks to three months, then we move them out to their pasture — depends on how much feed and snow we’ve got.

Because the calves are so old, many of them have already self-weaned. The calves take about five days to calm down, and then everything’s good. We have usually moved the cows a half mile away to feed, but a few of them will come back. But soon they get sick of it and go back the next day. We have brought it down to a very, very simple, one-pass handling of the bison.

We choose our replacement heifers based on gain per day. We keep all of our heifers, breed them all and sell bred heifers, and then the rest go for grassfinished meat.

All of our animals get moved every three days [rotational grazing], so they come running when we go out in the truck and call them. They’re very tame and definitely friendly, but especially during calving season, I wouldn’t go out there on foot.

We don’t pull bulls out of our herd, so two-to-three per cent are later calves, and we found that those later calves didn’t do as good, especially when we used to wean in November. But now when everything is weaned later, they do pretty good. Our late weaning started out as a convenience, but it turns out to work best for them too — so that’s what works for us.” c

Justin and Shaelyn Dorey

33

TRAILBLAZERS

PEOPLE WHO SHAPED THE WEST

Al Cherny

Canada’s Favourite Fiddler

By TERRI MASON

H

///

As a child, Chernywech received a violin from his father and began studying under Frank Nowak, soon becoming an accomplished classical violinist. Few knew about this talent, however, because by the time Chernywech was in his teens, he had transformed his violin into a fiddle and was playing country music live on CHAT-FM of Medicine Hat. In 1951, he joined Vic Siebert and his Sons of the Saddle, a cowboy music group in Calgary, where he regularly played Western fairs, performing on radio shows and appearing at the Calgary Stampede. Enjoying a successful career with the Sons, his mastery of the fiddle spread across the airwaves, and his prowess with the bow came to the attention of the producers of the most popular and influential radio program of its day: CKNX-AM Radio’s Saturday Night Barn Dance, which aired out of Wingham, Ont. The fiddler soon received an invitation to audition for the famous show, and he made the long train journey east, packing his prized fiddle and his freshly shorn last name — Cherny.

Wrote CKNX Alumni, Archie Mann as he recalled Al Cherny’s audition: “When he came to audition for

34

Johnny (Barn Dance emcee, Johnny Brent), boy was he scared. The sweat was just rolling down his face.”

He won the audition, and in 1952 he became a regular.

“Those of us who remember Al when he first arrived in Wingham will recall the quiet, studious, good-looking boy who was quite lonely for his Ukrainian heritage and who loved to play many of those old Ukrainian tunes of the past,” wrote Bob Carbert, another CKNX alumni.

“Al was also trained in classical music and was one of the most versatile musicians ever to perform at CKNX. I vividly remember walking into one of the radio studios one day to do a program, and there I found Al, all by himself with tears flowing down his cheeks, playing that beautiful music that came from his family and home community,” he penned.

Barn Dance was a smash hit, and some of the biggest names in show business at the time performed on the show, including the Mercey Bros., Gordie Tapp, Tommy Hunter, Gordon Lightfoot, Myrna Lorrie, and Wilf Carter.

Cherny performed on Barn Dance with the Golden Prairie Cowboys (and on television’s Circle 8 Ranch) from 1952–1959. It was here that he met his future wife,

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTO: COURTESY LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA

e was born Alexander Peter Chernywech November 1, 1932, but before he left his prairie home of Medicine Hat, Alta., he was already on the trail that would take him across Canada and around the world as Canada’s favourite fiddler, the legendary Al Cherny.

PHOTO: COURTESY LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA

Marion Sieler, one of the singing Sieler Twins who appeared quite often on Barn Dance shows. Together, the couple had a son, Peter.

The accomplished fiddler decided to add some more “credentials” to his list of credits. He entered the Annual Old Time Fiddle Contest in Shelburne, Ont., (now known as the Heritage Music Festival) in both 1960 and 1961 and was named both North American Open (Old-Time) Champion and Novelty Class Champion successively.

Cherny was the first Canadian to win both categories.

It was on Barn Dance that he met two men who would have a major influence on his career, the first being comedian Gordie Tapp. Cherny soon teamed up with Tapp and made his CBC debut on the hit television show Country Hoedown. It was also on Hoedown that Cherny met a young singer from London, Ont., who was often featured on the program. That person would become a lifelong friend and collaborator and go on to be known as Canada’s Country Gentleman, Tommy Hunter.

In the mid-60s, CBC approached Hunter with an opportunity for his own show, and on September 17, 1965, The Tommy Hunter Show debuted. One of the first musicians Hunter signed was his friend, Al Cherny.

From September 17, 1965 to April 11, 1992 (27 years), The Tommy Hunter Show was the leader in country music

cowboycountrymagazine.com

television, making it the longest-running program of its kind. Artists such as Garth Brooks, Bruce Cockburn, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Ricky Skaggs and The Judds debuted to Canadian audiences.

By the early 1970s, Cherny had become a leading studio musician, recording with Gary Buck, Dick Damron, Tommy Hunter, Jesse Winchester and Sylvia Tyson, amongst others. Cherny released 12 studio albums and received an RPM Big Country Award for ‘Top Country Instrumentalist’ in 1978.

But in 1989, Cherny’s health took a turn.

“My wife, Mary, and I sat at the same table with Al and his wife at a CKNX reunion just a few weeks before his death, and he seemed so full of life and enthusiasm,” wrote Bob Carbert.

Sadly, on August 23, 1989, at the young age of 56, Al Cherny passed away from throat cancer.

His memorial in the Elma Centre Cemetery, just west of the village of Atwood, Ont., displays a beautifully etched violin, a fitting memorial to such a great musician.

Al Cherny was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989. Today, his fiddle, made by Joleph Rlok of Germany in 1886, is housed at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre in Calgary, Alta. c

Left: Al Cherny Above: Al Cherny and Tommy Hunter signing a contract backstage with 16th Avenue Records executives, Veronica Mataseje and Stan Campbell

35

Soundtrack of the

Prairies Alberta Birds of Prey Centre

By TERRI MASON

T

he keening cry of a circling hawk is the soundtrack of the prairies, and that’s music to the ears of Colin Weir, one of the founders of the Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation (ABPF) near Coaldale, Alta.

Located two hours south of Calgary, Alberta’s first privately licensed raptor rescue and conservation organization is now home to multi-million-dollar facilities and restored wetlands. But it wasn’t always.

The project first began as the vision of two people — Wendy Slaytor and Colin Weir. From 1984 to 1990, at their own expense, Wendy and Colin started rehabilitating injured birds with the help of friends, volunteers and special ministerial 36

permission that allowed them to possess wildlife. It’s at this time that they also began creating public environmental education programs that could be used in schools and at provincial and national parks.

Today, visitors find it hard to imagine that in 1988, the location where the Centre now sits was once a flat, cultivated field, devoid of any wildlife. The site, once a prairie wetland, had been drained and put into agricultural production, but the area was

prone to flooding. Fortunately, the creative thinking of ABPF volunteers, the Town of Coaldale and Alberta Environment made it possible to restore the wetlands, build a birds-of-prey rescue facility and construct a new wildlife education facility and tourist attraction, opening their major interpretive centre in 2007. The wetland itself matured extraordinarily in just a few short years.

Today, the on-site Alberta Birds of Prey Centre houses the flight aviary, a 28,000 square foot circular enclosure for injured eagles. Made of steel, this flight aviary is likely the largest of its kind in North America. But the Centre is far more than mortar and steel. Offspring from their Burrowing Owl breeding program have been released in all four Western provinces.

Injured birds needing long-term care have arrived from locations ranging from Ontario to British Columbia, and even Canada’s Arctic.

“Most often, the injured bird has been hit by a vehicle,” says Weir. “We release anywhere from 150–200 raptors back into the wild each year.”

Weir is quick to praise the original environmentalists. “Both ranchers and farmers highly value the eagles, hawks and owls that nest on their property,” says Weir. “They

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTO COURTESY ABOP

A bald eagle flying with leather jesses. Jesses allow a falconer to keep control of a bird while it is on the glove and allow a bird to be secured on a perch outside its aviary.

Lofty Ideals

The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the smallest and most common falcon in North America, varying in size from about the weight of a blue jay to a mourning dove.

As a non-political organization, ABPF is not an environmental critic or watchdog. Its strategy is to roll up its sleeves and initiate hands-on practical solutions that directly benefit wildlife and the environment.

ABPF does not receive any government operating subsidies. It relies solely on donations, in addition to people generously donating their time.

ABPF does not pay administrative wages, nor do they hire professional fundraisers. One hundred per cent of all donations received is spent on programs and projects that directly benefit the wildlife and habitat they strive to conserve.

PHOTOS COURTESY ABOP

are really good habitat stewards; they bring the injured birds in to us and want them released back on their property if possible.”

Once again, the power of education is proven almost every year.

“We’ve been doing this work for so long that we’ve had big, husky Canadian ranchers come in with baby owls in their hands, saying, ‘the only reason I brought this bird here is because I came to this facility when I was in Grade 2. I remember my tour so much and realize how important this is.

So now I’ve taken over my parent’s ranch, and I now have the opportunity to bring birds back.’”

Affirms Weir, “It’s largely thanks to the educational tour they had 20 years before.”

A visit is highly recommended; it’s a day trip from Calgary. If you can’t visit but would like to help, you can sponsor a bird and receive cool swag for your donation.

And perhaps the next time you hear the keening cry of a hunting raptor, you can take some of the credit. c To find out more, visit burrowingowl.com

The great horned owl is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the provincial bird of Alberta

cowboycountrymagazine.com

37

FOLLOWING THE WHOOP-UP TRAIL The Evolution from Booze to Beef

By KEN FAVRHOLDT

M

uch has been written about the Whoop-Up Trail, the route of whisky traders from northwestern Montana to southwestern Alberta. This year is the 150th anniversary of the trek of John Healy and Alfred Hamilton, two American traders from Montana, to the future site of Fort Whoop-Up (near modern Lethbridge, Alta.), in late December 1869. They arrived in early January 1870 and constructed their trading post.

Healy and Hamilton established their trading post north of the “Medicine Line,” out of reach of U.S. authorities, and gained notoriety by bartering whisky and other trade goods to the Blackfoot people in exchange for buffalo robes and wolf skins.

The route they initially followed was not the Whoop-Up, but rather a trail to the west, called the Riplinger Road. But for five years, the whisky trade followed the heavily 38

travelled main trail from Fort Benton on the Missouri River north to Fort Whoop-Up. Subsequent trails branched off to at least 26 other whisky posts in southern Alberta, most simply log cabins.

While the story of the so-called whisky trade has been told many times, the legacy of the Whoop-Up Trail in the period from 1875 until 1892 has not received as much attention. The trail in fact saw even more

traffic after the demise of the whisky and robe trade in the mid-1870s, as ranchers and entrepreneurs entered the scene.

Cattlemen followed the Whoop-Up Trail; cattle from American ranges stocked the Canadian foothills.

The latter days of the trail reveal its connections north and south, beyond the 210-mile (340 km) stretch from Fort Benton to Fort Whoop-Up. From Fort Whoop-Up, the trail headed west to the Mounted Police post of Fort Macleod, considered the terminus of the Whoop-Up Trail after 1874, then north to Fort Calgary.

Indeed, the north-south route extended all the way to Fort Edmonton.

In 1874, a gold prospector travelled to Fort Benton with Methodist missionary John McDougall and obtained 25 head of Texas Longhorn steers to take back to his mission at Morleyville on the Bow River. At the same time as the North-West Mounted Police arrived in the West, Montanan Jim Christy in 1876 imported horses and sold them to the NWMP at $100 per head, and at the same time, George Emerson, an exHudson’s Bay Company teamster, drove in a cow herd from Montana, started a dairy and sold butter and milk to the NWMP at Fort Calgary.

In 1875 or ’76, Joseph McFarland, also a dairyman from Fort Benton, drove a

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

HOTO COURTESY GALT MUSEUM & ARCHIVES

The Wagon Boss, created in 1909 by Charlie Russell, shows the leader checking the bull teams heading out of Fort Benton, Montana, on their way to Canada. This original Russell oil on canvas is in the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma

MAP COURTESY GALT MUSEUM & ARCHIVES; PHOTO BY KEN FAVRHOLDT

small herd of cattle to Fort Macleod where he established the Pioneer Ranch just east of the post, to supply milk and beef to the North-West Mounted Police. The first range cattle were introduced by H.A. (Fred) Kanouse, a former whisky trader who went to Montana in 1877 and purchased 21 head of cows and one bull for his foothills ranch, Fort Warren, just west of Fort Macleod.

Revealing the changing economy, in 1876 T.C. Power & Company of Fort Benton shipped to Fort Whoop-Up two wagon loads of agricultural implements and 10,000 pounds of oats. Records of I.G. Baker & Company show that 30,000 pounds of freight were shipped north between 1875 and 1876. There was still sporadic smuggling of whisky, but the NWMP had dampened the illicit traffic.

Nicholas Sheran, a New York Irishman and Civil War veteran, saw the potential of mining coal near Fort Whoop-Up as early as 1872. As the trade in robes and furs diminished, in 1880 the wagons from Fort Benton returned loaded with the first 36 tons of coal from Sheran’s mines at $25 per ton. Sheran also supplied Fort Macleod and Calgary using the Macleod Trail.

Sheep were also herded north from Montana along the Whoop-Up Trail, and by 1881 wool was being transported south along the trail to Fort Benton. Ranching in southern Alberta was a combination of eastern managers and capital and American stock and cowhands.

In the early 1880s, four large cattle outfits — the Cochrane, Walrond (now Waldron), the North West Cattle Company (Bar U), and Oxley — began stocking the foothills of Alberta, largely with American cattle, as well as American cowboys and horse wranglers. These ranches were the foundation of the cattle industry in Alberta.

In 1881, Senator Matthew Henry Cochrane and Duncan McEachran, on their first trip west, travelled up the Missouri to Fort Benton, then along the Whoop-Up Trail to the site of their ranch on the Bow River. That year, the Cochrane Ranche drove in nearly 7,000 head from Oregon and Montana, and the following year another 5,000. But the second drive was plagued with snowstorms enroute, not an unusual occurrence. Frank White, a bookkeeper for the Cochrane Ranche, describes a snowbound trip via a Concord-type stagecoach from Cochrane to Fort Benton in March cowboycountrymagazine.com

Overview map of the Whoop-Up Trail

Searching for the Whoop-Up Trail west of the town of Milk River, looking south where the trail forded the river

39

River valley in Lethbridge (c. 1885), loaded with coal for Fort Macleod.

Bull teams consisted of six to 12 pairs (yokes) of oxen, pulling two or three large Murphy wagons.

40

Young, about his experiences in Fort Macleod, recounts that “during the summer and fall of 1884 some large ‘outfits’ containing from 12,000 to 20,000 cattle arrived, one the Oxley Ranching Company having driven from as far south as Texas.”

The Waldron Ranche, formed in 1883 by a group of British investors, got its start when their range manager, G.W. “Doc” Fields, a Montanan, trailed in 10,000 head from Montana to northwest of Macleod, about 30 miles (50 km) north of the present hamlet of Lundbreck.

Until the completion of the Central Pacific Railroad in 1884, the NWMP used the Missouri River to ship supplies to Fort Benton, then north via the Whoop-Up Trail. The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway to Calgary and to Medicine Hat in 1883 then ended the northsouth transportation axis from Fort Benton. The Calgary and Edmonton Railway (later the CPR) finally completed the rail connection from Calgary with Lethbridge in 1892.

The coming of the railroad changed everything, and today, most of the Trail has been plowed under, but traces of this once-important route can still be found etched across undisturbed pasture lands, at a few river crossings, and forever in the history of the settling of the Canadian West. c

View of the coulee leading to the original Fort Whoop-Up south of Lethbridge, showing the trail route

PHOTOS COURTESY GALT MUSEUM & ARCHIVES; PHOTO ADOBE STOCK/KIM MARSTON

1883. The stagecoach driver, “Scotch Bill,” had to walk ahead in the snow to find the trail. One day they made only 11 miles in 9 hours. The entire trip took a month, one-way. (Normally, fortnightly trips from Fort Benton to Fort Macleod were also made with travellers and mail by stage, requiring only eight days.)

Cochrane brought 8,200 sheep to the Bow River range in 1883 and moved the remnants of his cattle herd south, to an area west of the Blood Reserve.

The North West Cattle Company (Bar U Ranch) was established in 1882 after manager Fred Stimson had purchased 21 Shorthorn bulls in Chicago, which originally came from England. He then had drover Tom Lynch and a band of cowboys, including the famous Black cowboy, John Ware, drive over 3,000 head of cattle and a remuda of over 50 horses from the Idaho panhandle to the High River lease, using the Whoop-Up Trail.

The Oxley Ranch (originally called the New Oxley) was backed by a British conservative MP and financier named Arthur Staveley Hill, who visited his domain annually between 1882 and 1884 and made occasional trips to Montana with his manager, John Craig, to obtain horses and cattle. In 1883, Craig purchased 3,500 head of cattle and a large band of horses from Fort Benton.

Pharmacist John D. Higinbotham in his 1933 book, When the West Was

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

30TH ANNUAL MAPLE CREEK MUSTERING COWBOY POETRY GATHERING AND WESTERN ART & GEAR SHOW

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43rd Annual Production Sale Specializing in Rodeo, Ranch & Humourous Fine Artworks!

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Painting by Gena LaCoste

Perrin • Parsonage • Bertram

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Production Sale & Sale of Consigned Broke Saddle Horses

Canadian Finals Rodeo Souvenir Program

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October/November Canadian Cowboy Special Guide to the CFR

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SALE PREVIEW Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 9:30 am Rodeo Grounds, Maple Creek, Saskatchewan FOR CATALOGUES OR INFO CONTACT: Lou Parsonage 306-299-4474 or Ken Perrin 306-661-8032 Online catalogues: www.northernhorse.com/ranchcountry 41

The Canadian Supreme

2002, B onnie Becker riding Lil Ruff Joker

Vaya Con Dios

By TERRI MASON

F

or over 40 years, the Canadian Supreme, which is a not-for-profit western horse show, showcased some of the best Quarter Horses and riders in the industry and launched more than a few stellar careers.

42

mily

Robson Fa competitors, we extend our thanks induction into the to the folks of the committee who Canadian Supreme devoted themselves to creating Hall of Fame such a stellar show.

But while the Canadian Supreme has closed its books, it is certainly not the end of the Western events!

The nominated Working Cow Horse classes for 2019 will be held at the Alberta Snaffle Bit Futurity, Claresholm Agriplex, Claresholm, Alta., Aug 29–Sep 1, 2019.

The new Canadian Spectacular LAE (Cutting Only) $59,000Dave M anning ri added will be held at the Silver ding Miss W impy Sm oke Slate Arena, Stavely, Alta., Sept 25–29, 2019.

The nominated Reining classes for 2019 will be held at the Silver Slate Fall Reining Speight Futurity, Silver Slate Arena, 2004, Elaine Sonita Gal s ol st Pi riding Stavely, Alta., Oct 4–6, 2019.

The Canadian Supreme nominated Cutting classes for 2019 will be held at the Calgary Stampede Cutting Horse Futurity presented

by Wrangler, at the Nutrien Western Event Centre, Stampede Park, Calgary, Alta., Oct 16–20, 2019.

And with that, here’s a photographic trip down the Canadian Supreme’s memory lane… c

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTOS BY SHARON LATIMER; ANDY ROSE; BARBARA GLAZER;

The show premiered in 1976, and was first named after the “mother” group — the Alberta Stakes and Futurity Association. The first show was held at Spruce Meadows, promoted by legendary horsemen Bill Collins, John Miller, Gary Coleman, Hans Hansma, Roger Heintz, Fred Duke and Chuck Strom.

Now, after 40 years of creating both rider and equine legends, the Canadian Supreme is no more. The recent announcement of the end of the Supreme came as a shock to its multi-generational fans.

In a press release issued May 21, 2019, it stated, in part; “Unfortunately, the stallion program that for years was a significant factor in keeping the incredible payout purses is declining each year. Trade fair participants are declining, and costs associated with holding a show with multiple disciplines and cattle costs keep rising. These costs need to be passed on to the competitors, and we feel that these costs have priced us out of the market.”

However, the memories, careers and friendships that developed over the decades will endure long after they’ve closed the books, and on behalf of fans and

2014, Shawna Sapergia (white jacket) rode both Gunnin Fancy and KR Sweet Shine to Open Reining Co-Championships.

Unfortunately, the name of the rider in the red shirt has been lost to history. Presenting are sponsors Don Lindell from Cinch, Arnold Penner from Penner Construction and Wayne Burwash from Burwash Equine Services.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

43

COWBOY WAY

PART 32 OF SIX

CATTLE HANDLING

Going the Right Way You Won’t See This in a Movie

I

n the previous article, I discussed some fundamentals of controlled herding. Assuming controlled herd movement is our goal, we need to start with the right type of movement.

A calm natural walk, heads level with the topline or below the topline — like you see when pasture cattle are trailling in on their own to water.

Remember: if the cattle run off, chasing after them to cut them off or to redirect them won’t get us the calm walk we need.

Unless the cattle are headed for the Grand Canyon or a four-lane highway, don’t chase after them. A bad start only makes downstream wrecks more likely.

44

Years ago I was in south-east Saskatchewan doing a two-day clinic. I had been provided with a herd of 60 yearling heifers to demonstrate with and for participants to work with over the two-day clinic.

After the first morning classroom session, we went out to start working the heifers.

They were in a fairly large winter pen with an alley feed bunk that the group of us were approaching on and an eight-foot slab windbreak fence at the back of the pen.

When the heifers saw us approaching, they jumped up and spooked hard to the back slab fence. They spooked hard enough that, for an instant, I thought they might plow right through it. They were obviously a bit nerved up.

Well, against my better judgement, I opened the gate out into a 25-acre, fourwire fence paddock and went to working with them to get them settled down and walking. They ran out at full speed, and when they hit the back fence at a run, they dove into the cover of some willows.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TK RANCHES

By DYLAN BIGGS

Fortunately, I didn’t hear the screeching of any barbed wire. I knew that with the speed they went in there, they would be bouncing out very soon, so I stayed off to the side and out front, and sure enough, they came out at a good stiff trot. I stayed out ahead of them and just feathered that front end enough to get them to just look at me, then ahead of them, and then feathered the lead a bit more. Eventually, I got them down to a walk and then to a brief stop. Then I could let them start to pass me. They would walk, and I walked along with them. It took about an hour-and-a-half to get them settled.

At any rate, when we went in for lunch, I asked the gentleman who supplied the cattle to tell us the story with these heifers.

It was a story we can all relate to. Kick the heifers out of the pen and they take off running. Are they running in the “right” direction? Of course not. He was on a four-wheeler, so he proceeds to hit the throttle and get to the lead to cut them off.

He cuts them off, and they change direction hard, and are they going the right way? Of course not. The rodeo continues, and by the time they ended up in the pen

where he had them for us for the clinic, they had been chased through four fences — and it showed.

The moral of the story is: if the cattle spook and run off — don’t chase after them.

Even if we can get to the front with a fourwheeler or a fast horse and we turn them on the run, chances are they are just going

“against my better judgement, I opened the gate” to turn and run a different wrong way. If they do start running the right way and hit the next gate or, let’s say, the corrals at a run, how fun are they going to be to sort, process or load when they are bouncing off the corrals all in a lather? If they are going on a truck to the sale barn, then we already have a substantial shrink even before arrival.

So, it may be the case that we can get to the lead, but before we try and turn them, we need to get them slowed down to a walk, and feathering that lead is the best

way to do it. Demanding they stop on the spot is like hammering on the brakes, but without the same result.

The thing is that seldom do we ask for movement without a direction. We virtually always want them to go and to go the right way. Depending on a multitude of variables — from weather and insects to adjacent cattle or just plain habit — it may be the case that the cattle just flat out don’t want to go the direction you want. It is really helpful to realize that movement is more important than direction because, again, this is worth repeating — movement is more important than direction.

Without any movement, direction is meaningless. And with panicked movement, our attempts at control are futile.

This is especially so with fresh yearlings, I will always ask for a direction, but I won’t demand it if it means sacrificing movement. It is sort of like the old trucks and tractors we grew up with that had no power steering. It was a lot easier to turn the steering wheel once you were going.

It is the same with some cattle, so priority should always be given to establishing good

45

movement, once that is established then start working on steering them in the direction you want.

Once you have done your back-andforth sweeping motion enough to get the herd going (assuming they aren’t a running herd when you first see them), then you can get out to the side and let them go and just walk along with them. At first, be behind the herd but out to the side, and out to the side far enough that you can see the eye of the lead cow — which means she can see you. We should be able to walk a herd of cattle any direction we want.

Sometimes the lead is the most nervous, and as soon as they see you out to the side, they stop and turn to look at you, usually with great suspicion. Once they stop, in short order the whole bunch is stopped.

The first time this happens I will get wide and go to the lead animal and press easy into her head to put her back in line. I will press her far enough that she switches the eye she has on me when I leave to the back to ask for movement again. If she doesn’t switch eyes, she will just draw back out when you leave, and you will have to ride to the front again.

There are two main ways to control direction once you are going along with calm natural movement: one is your 46

position out to the side. If the herd starts bending to the side you are on and you want to straighten them out, just ride straight out, square off the flank and see if they will straighten out. A herd that is well-broke to drive will respond to a wider position square off the flank by turning back in line.

The next manoeuvre is a direct pressure into the lead to press it the direction you desire. This means advancing to the lead up

“Cattle that are broke to drive will respond without speeding up and/or stop­ping.” the side. With calm movement, this isn’t an issue as long as one doesn’t pass the herd too close. You will know if you are too close as you pass on your way to the lead because they will stop. There is no point getting to the lead just to turn and look back and see you have stopped all the herd movement. You have to shoulder-check as you pass to make sure you aren’t stopping any animal. If you are, ride back tight against the movement to the back and get them

going again, and get out farther to go to the lead again. Once you are even with the lead, ride square into the head of the lead outside animal, and press it over into the direction you want, then turn back into the movement to bring the movement along.

Keep checking over your shoulder to see if the lead needs to be redirected again, and as soon as it does, ride out square off the side, and then up to the front, and press the lead over again.

Cattle that are broke to drive will respond without speeding up and/or stopping. It is important not to hesitate, it has to be a steady, fluid, confident manoeuvre. The backdraft pass to bring the herd forward also has to be close enough and fast enough to keep the movement going.

Riding back against the herd to generate and/or maintain herd movement is contrary to everything I was taught as a kid, but it is the most effective manoeuvre for maintaining and/or feeding a herd through a gate, or for speeding a herd up to generate enough herd movement to get over an obstacle.

We will discuss controlling speed in the next column in detail. In the meantime, I wish you safe and happy herding. c

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTO COURTESY OF TK RANCHES

COWBOY WAY

Pro Rodeo

CANADA

INSIDER

COWBOY CHRISTMAS! Zeke Thurston of Big Valley, Alta., scoring 89 points on Calgary Stampede’s A-83 Ancient Delivery in the 2019 Ponoka Stampede Showdown.

The 2016 World Champion Saddle Bronc rider “40-percented” the field at the famous Stampede by winning the long go, the finals, the average and the Showdown, and for good measure, he won the Williams Lake Stampede as well. All told, the young cowboy brought home about $26,000.

Photo by Wildwood Imagery/Chantelle Bowman.

RODEOCANADA.COM

CANADIAN COWBOY COUNTRY AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019

PROUD TO BE IN OUR COMMUNITY

1-888-Finning | Finning.com 346-6464

48

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

2019 CPRA Schedule JULY

Tours & Circuit News It’s been an exciting and busy Canadian Pro Rodeo season so far with tight races, the Finning Pro Tour Finals just a month away and CFR on everyone’s minds.

And we’ve seen some exceptional rodeo performances at our Finning Tour venues, Maple Leaf Circuit rodeos and special events.

I’d like to recognize the efforts of our rodeo committees — both large and small — all of whom go above and beyond to make rodeos great for contestants.

And a cornerstone to every committee are the volunteers who give up personal and family time and offer their talents to make these events successful and sustainable. It’s rewarding to see long-standing volunteers like Willie Crosina in Williams Lake, B.C., who has been a part of the Williams Lake Stampede committee since the early ‘60s and Shane Crouch who was recognized as the 2018 CPRA Committee Person of the Year. (Shane has served on the Sundre Pro Rodeo committee for close to three decades, since his steer riding days.) It’s also great to see new, younger volunteers step up and get involved, like Melissa Churchill who is a third-generation rodeo chairperson at the historic Falkland Stampede. These individuals represent hundreds more who make CPRA rodeos and special events happen.

I’d also like to give a shout-out to one of the truly unsung but very important programs within our industry. All of us have been tremendously impressed with the calibre of young Canadian rough stock riders, including 2016 World Champion Zeke Thurston and outstanding talents like Clay Elliott, Layton Green, Jake Watson, Dawson Hay, Connor Hamilton and Kolby Wanchuk, to name a few. One of the reasons for this string of successes is the Calgary Stampede’s dedication to rodeo youth. The Calgary Stampede Novice Tour has been a huge factor in developing young rough stock talent, as the annual program covers the entry fees and boosts the prize money for young athletes at select CPRA rodeos. Novice saddle bronc, bareback and junior steer riders also compete for the Champion’s buckle and bronze in each event. The steer riding award will be presented at the tour finale at the Strathmore Stampede, and the novice awards at the IPE and Stampede in Armstrong, B.C. Finally, as we move into the homestretch of the 2019 season, I invite you to cheer on your favourite competitors and check out the latest results and standings at www.rodeocanada.com.

See you on the rodeo trail,

Terry Cooke, President, CPRA cowboycountrymagazine.com

Calgary, AB * (BR)—NEW..........................Jul 2–4 Coronation, AB............................................Jul 5–6 Benalto, AB...................................................Jul 5–7 Taber, AB........................................................Jul 5–6 Teepee Creek, AB — FINNING................Jul 12–14 Morris, MB — FINNING............................Jul 18–21 Quesnel, BC * (SB) — NEW.......................Jul 19–21 Kennedy, SK.................................................Jul 20–21 Oyen, AB * (BR)............................................Jul 24 Medicine Hat, AB — FINNING................Jul 25–27 Lacombe, AB * (BR) NEW.........................Jul 27 Pollockville, AB * (SB)................................Jul 27 Bowden, AB * (BB)......................................Jul 27 Bruce, AB.......................................................Jul 28 High Prairie, AB...........................................Jul 30–31

AUGUST Camrose, AB * (BR)....................................Aug 1–4 Regina, SK — FINNING — NEW..............Aug 2–4 Strathmore, AB — FINNING....................Aug 2–5 Grimshaw, AB..............................................Aug 3–4 La Crete, AB..................................................Aug 6–7 Jasper, AB......................................................Aug 7–10 Dawson Creek, BC — FINNING..............Aug 9–11 Cranbrook, BC..............................................Aug 16–18 Pincher Creek, AB.......................................Aug 16–18 Smithers, BC * (BB)....................................Aug 22 Red Deer, AB * (BB, SB, BR) NEW..........Aug 23 Okotoks, AB (Millarville, AB)...................Aug 23–25 Armstrong, BC — FINNING......................Aug 28–31

SEPTEMBER Armstrong, BC — FINNING FINALS..... Sep 1 Merritt, BC.....................................................Aug 31–Sep 1 Medicine Lodge, AB..................................Sep 7 Olds, AB..........................................................Sep 13–14 Brooks, AB....................................................Sep 20–21 Hanna, AB......................................................Sep 27–29

NOVEMBER Red Deer, AB — Canadian Finals Rodeo................................................Oct 29–Nov 3 Regina, SK — Maple Leaf Circuit Finals — NEW................................Nov 27–30 * indicates Special Event Finning Pro Tour All dates are subject to change. Please visit RodeoCanada.com for up-to-date information

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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

The Short Round

By TERRI MASON, BARB POULSEN

IT’S ALL IN THE TIMING Over the years, fans have wondered why Pro Rodeo Canada times the barrel race to the thousandth of a second.

That practice was validated once again at Innisfail Pro Rodeo in June, as rookie barrel racer, Stacey Ruzicka of Bluffton, Alta., and her horse, Known to be Wild CS, whose barn name is Kaye, edged CFR-NFR qualifier Jackie Ganter by 1/1000th of a second for the Innisfail win (15.927-second run) and $3,083.20.

This was the third pro rodeo win for Ruzicka in as many weeks. —B.P. Photo by Zachary Cormier.

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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

HATS & DRIVERS

MORE RODEO FUNDRAISERS

The 3rd Annual Canadian Cowboy Classic Golf Tournament ran June 18, in support of the Canadian Pro Rodeo Sport Medicine Team.

The event was held at the Valley Ridge Golf Club in Calgary, Alta., and after the pancake breakfast, the fundraiser literally opened with a bang as their much-anticipated shotgun start saw all players tee off from different holes at the same time.

All proceeds raised went directly to the not-for-profit organization, Sports Medicine. The team, which attends pro rodeos for a fee, strives to help rodeo athletes by providing care before, during or after each performance, as necessary. The team educates and enables competitors to take better care of themselves and their injuries to ensure they get the most out of their rodeo season.

This year, the funds raised are earmarked for development of educational programs. Along with the Ty Pozzobon Foundation, the team is producing a series of educational videos to educate rodeo competitors on mental health and the seriousness of concussions, as well as many other rodeo-related issues.

For more, visit prorodeosportmed.com. —T.M.

A Night at The Ranch, the premiere bull riding event held at the Daines Ranch near Innisfail each May, is also a major fundraiser.

This years’ recipient was The Smiles Thru Lindsey Endowment Fund. Created in 2015 after Lindsey Kathleen More tragically took her life at the age of 22, the Foundation was developed by her parents, Rick and Cindy More, through the Red Deer & District Community Foundation and supports those suffering from mental illness through high-impact programs.

The two-day event featured a charity poker tournament, pro bull riding, a timed event challenge, and steer riding. It wrapped up with music by rising country artist, Jamie Woodfin.

Griffin Koester won the Junior Steer Riding with 76 points. In the long go of the bull riding, Cody Lee Coverchuk earned 85 points on Calgary Stampede’s -125 Wounded Warrior, and the short go saw Sage Kimzey rack up 86.5 points on Outlaw Buckers’ 096 Tennessee Whisky. The average was won by Kimzey, who totalled 166 points on two head.

This year, A Night at the Ranch donated $40,000 to the Foundation. —T.M.

CODY SNYDER BULLBUSTIN’

GLENCROSS INVITATIONAL

Now in its 20th year, the Cody Snyder Charity Bull Bustin’ offers three nights of professional bull riding, July 2–4 in Calgary. This year it was held at the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino and featured 25-plus bull riders who went head-to-head against bulls from the best stock contractors in the business.

Event producers, Cody and Rhonda Snyder, donate funds from the PRCA-CPRA event to specified charities each year, including Special Olympics Canada, Canadian Mental Health Association Calgary and the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre.

“It’s more than just a bull riding to us, it is all about how we can give back and change the lives of those in need,” says 1983 World Champion bull rider, Cody Snyder.

2019 bull riding average winners at this year’s event were Wacey Finkbeiner and Klayton Lakevold (tie), Jackson Scott and Todd Chotowetz. —T.M.

Another long-standing event, the Glencross Invitational Charity Roughstock Event, set for August 23 at Westerner Park in Red Deer, Alta., features bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding.

Presented by ATB Financial and the Calgary Flames Foundation, the Glencross Invitational has raised over $1.6 million for the Ronald McDonald House Central Alberta and Every Kid Every Community Program through the Hockey Alberta Foundation.

The annual Glencross Invitational Charity Roughstock event started in 2012 as a family affair with Curtis Glencross, a retired NHL hockey player and former member of the Calgary Flames, using his passion for rodeo, family and hockey to serve his community and Albertan roots. The event includes a rough stock rodeo featuring elite bull, bronc, bareback riders and stock, including past CFR Champions, followed by a country music concert. —T.M.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

CPRA STANDINGS AS OF JULY 8, 2019 (Including: Ponoka Stampede, Ponoka Stampede Bonus Round, Williams Lake Stampede and Airdrie Pro Rodeo) The number in brackets () indicates the number of rodeos competed at during the 2019 season.

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SADDLE BRONC

Rank Name 1 Thurston Zeke (13) 2 Hay Dawson (10) 3 Watson Jake (14) 4 Finlay Jake (6) 5 Andersen Ben (17) 6 Green Layton (9) 7 Wanchuk Kolby (17) 8 Larsen Tyrel (8) 9 Crawley Sterling (1) 10 Hausauer Dusty (13)

Address Big Valley, AB Wildwood, AB Hudson’s Hope, BC Goodwell, OK Eckville, AB Meeting Creek, AB Sherwood Park, AB Inglis, MB Huntsville, TX Dickinson, ND

BAREBACK

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Dublin, TX Tremonton, UT Calgary, AB Inglis, MB Calgary, AB Cadogan, AB Regina, SB Bowden, AB Airdrie, AB Eastend, SK

Champion Richmond (12) Bennett Caleb (15) Hamilton Connor (11) Larsen Orin (8) Lacasse Spur (19) Laye Clint (11) Taypotat Ty (16) Marshall Ky (18) Vold Jake (8) Bertsch Dantan (15)

BULL RIDING

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Moctezuma, Sonora MX Strongcity, OK Ponoka, AB Maple Creek, SK Meadow Lake, SK Meeting Creek, AB Sonningdale, SK Didsbury, AB Dawson Creek, BC Honeyville, UT

Durazo Edgar (7) Kimzey Sage (11) Hansen Jordan (15) Parsonage Jared (13) Coverchuk Cody Lee (9) Green Garrett (8) Ellis Ty (17) Brown Kyle (19) Gardner Jacob (13) Bingham Tyler (9)

TIE-DOWN ROPING

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Stinnett, TX Scandia, AB Millsap, TX Decatur, TX Sexsmith, AB Wimborne, AB Stephenville, TX Nanton, AB Chubbuck, ID San Angelo, TX

Riemer Reese (7) Bouchard Alwin (19) Durfey Tyson (2) Cooper Tuf (6) Rombough Lee (20) Smith Blair (20) Milligan Tyler (8) Bird Logan (20) Shiozawa Matt (9) Harris Ty (11)

STEER WRESTLING

Earnings 43,744.98 19,490.55 16,947.34 16,092.52 14,345.10 8,612.46 8,374.92 6,482.98 6,218.80 5,518.40

Rank Name 1 Cassidy Curtis (19) 2 Cassidy Cody (20) 3 Brunner Tanner (2) 4 Guenthner Scott (19) 5 Culling Stephen (19) 6 Cure Hunter (7) 7 Moore Clayton (12) 8 Milan Tanner (19) 9 Delemont Layne (20) 10 Thomas Jason (17)

Address Donalda, AB Donalda, AB Ramona, KS Provost, AB Fort St. John, BC Holliday, TX Pouce Coupe, BC Cochrane, AB Chauvin, AB Benton, AR

LADIES BARREL RACING

26,548.31 24,992.38 13,124.69 12,137.18 11,688.99 10,778.62 10,117.51 9,841.86 8,201.41 6,192.57

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ennis, TX Cotulla, TX Lacombe, AB Yellowhead County, AB Weatherford, OK Millarville, AB Kamloops, BC Bluffton, AB Hudson Bay, SK Abilene, TX

TR HEELER

27,246.51 24,435.73 23,528.35 19,105.62 16,903.46 14,906.60 13,967.16 13,230.45 12,997.22 12,448.10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Stettler, AB Kamloops, BC Cardston, AB Arrowwood, AB Mossleigh, AB Waldeck, SK Ponoka, AB Vernon, TX Camrose, AB Brooks, AB

TR HEADER

15,088.88 14,987.26 12,419.91 10,959.12 10,510.09 10,492.34 10,223.85 9,980.32 9,976.79 9,020.31

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Two Hills, AB Pritchard, BC Barrhead, AB Waldeck, SK Ponoka, AB Longview, AB Pima, AZ Camrose AB Vulcan, AB Jay, OK

Walker Mary (12) Kinsel Hailey (3) Elliott Justine (18) Manning Taylor (20) Miller Emily (5) O’reilly Jenna (13) Wills Brooke (16) Ruzicka Stacey (17) Olafson Bertina (17) Ganter Angela (18)

Warren Riley (20) Beers Mike (5) Wilson Riley (19) Buhler Jeremy (14) Roy Kasper (20) Mcleod Tyce (20) Bonnett Keely (20) Koch Hunter (14) Mccarroll Brett (19) Wigemyr Devin (18)

Ullery Clay (20) Evenson Chad (5) Schmidt Kolton (19) Mcleod Tuftin (20) Bonnett Logan (20) Depaoli Steele (19) Sherwood Matt (12) Mccarroll Justin (19) Mcfadden Roland (18) Hall Brenten (16)

Earnings 17,072.52 14,784.59 14,439.98 14,198.13 13,119.58 12,648.29 11,757.14 10,943.71 10,881.21 9,388.47

25,067.35 23,543.82 19,069.94 16,398.56 16,186.88 14,381.17 11,255.97 10,326.01 9,629.96 9,322.37

13,020.34 10,905.85 10,404.43 10,107.12 9,988.25 9,059.29 8,918.45 8,637.78 7,800.90 7,761.17

13,020.30 10,905.84 10,262.19 9,059.27 8,918.45 8,900.95 8,524.98 7,800.86 7,761.22 7,744.14

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

FIVE-TIME WORLD CHAMP EYES CFR BERTH

Sage Kimzey of Strongcity, Okla., rode Calgary Stampede’s 11 Big Red for a 90-point ride. It wasn’t quite enough to catch the champion, Edgar Durazo of Mexico, who won the event with a 92 on Calgary’s 557 Master Splinter.

Photo by Billie Jean Duff.

By DAVID A. POULSEN

I

T WAS THE QUESTION CANADIAN RODEO FANS HAD BEEN ASKING: IS SAGE KIMZEY PURSUING A CANADIAN FINALS RODEO QUALIFICATION? AFTER A SUCCESSFUL JUNE WEEKEND AT CANADIAN RODEOS THAT INCLUDED STOPS IN THE ALBERTA MUNICIPALITIES OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN

HOUSE, BROOKS AND MARWAYNE, THE FIVE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION BULL RIDER PROVIDED THE ANSWER.

“Definitely,” Kimzey responded. “That is absolutely one of my goals for this year. The CFR has been in the back of my mind since I was in college with (Canadian cowboys) Layton Green and Jacob Stemo. They were both in the novice events back then and talked a lot about the CFR. This year my schedule worked out so that I could get my 15 rodeo count, so I’m excited about trying to get to Red Deer.”

“It was all good up here until the cold this weekend,” Kimzey added. “It was 91 degrees (Fahrenheit) when I left the house and I was awful cold in Brooks and cowboycountrymagazine.com

Rocky. But the people are super nice and super accommodating. It’s been great being up here.”

Kimzey continued his CFR push a couple of weeks later with another three-rodeo stopover that included the Wainwright Stampede, the 40th Sundre Pro Rodeo and High River’s Guy Weadick Days Rodeo.

And to no one’s surprise, he was the runaway leader of competitors lining their pockets during that lucrative Canadian rodeo weekend.

The world’s number-one-ranked bull rider rode four bulls and recorded scores

of 90, 89, 87 and 84.5 points en route to a $7,791 haul. Kimzey’s first 10 stops on this side of the 49th parallel in 2019 netted him almost $22,000, powering him to the top of the Canadian standings.

“Canada’s been good to me for sure,” Kimzey acknowledged. “I’m even getting used to the cold weather. Actually, I’ve been really fortunate when it comes to the weather up here. We were warming up our ropes and getting ready for the short go at Wainwright and there was a big cloud coming our way. I told the guys it would be fine, it doesn’t rain on me up here and sure enough, that cloud went on by us.”

Between time off after last year’s NFR and a currently reduced schedule, Kimzey is optimistic about his chances: “(It’s) the best I’ve ever felt at this time of the season. I’m healthy, feeling good, mentally focused and craving bulls. I couldn’t be in a better place right now.” c 53

Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

Tyson Pietsch, 2018 Williams Lake Stampede, Williams Lake Photo by Liz Twan.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE? PRO RODEO ANNOUNCER

“K

BY TIM ELLIS

NOWING WHAT THE AUDIENCE NEEDS — AND WHEN THEY NEED IT.” THAT LINE IS WHAT EIGHT-TIME CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL RODEO ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCER OF THE YEAR, BRETT GARDINER, WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER.

“Winston Bruce once said Hadley Barrett was the greatest rodeo announcer because he knew what the audience needed and when they needed it,” recalls Gardiner, who coincidentally has a seven-year-old daughter named Hadley. “The fans dictate how much they need to be educated or entertained.”

Veteran announcer, Dave Poulsen, was also given this piece of advice that has stayed with him in the booth: “I remember working with Russ Peake doing Calgary Stampede highlights for CFCN Television,” begins Poulsen, who is celebrating his 40th year on the rodeo trail. “He would always say, ‘If you and I are having fun, the people watching us are having fun.’”

54

Both Gardiner and Poulsen had similar starts to their announcing careers. Neither had much time to prepare for their debut behind the mic.

“I got a phone call one night from Doug Miller saying he needed an announcer for bull riding,” remembers Gardiner.

“But he needed me for the next night in Whitecourt.”

“I think he had already called everybody who knew how to talk on a microphone, and I was his last resort. After it was done, he said he had eight to ten rodeos booked for the next year, and he wanted me for all of them.”

Poulsen was given a bit more notice for his initial gig.

“I was working for the Saskatoon Exhibition at the time,” recollects Poulsen.

“I was phoning in results of the spring pro rodeo when Reg Kesler told me he’d maybe have me do a rodeo sometime. I thought it was one of those ‘let’s do lunch’ deals, and I’d never hear from him again.

But about three days before the Medicine Hat Stampede that year, I got a call from Reg saying he needed me there if I could make it.”

Tyson Pietsch began his announcing career at the urging of his stock contracting father-in-law.

“I came home to the farm after taking broadcasting at Mount Royal College (in Calgary),” says Pietsch, who first settled behind a mic in a rodeo announcer’s booth back in 1991. “My future father-in-law, John Duffy, who at that time was the guy who was buying hay from me who had a daughter, said ‘hey, you should announce rodeos.’”

All three bring different perspectives with them to the booth. Pietsch has the broadcasting background, Gardiner competed at the high school level and Poulsen was a rodeo clown and bullfighter.

“In my last year of high school rodeo, I’d help Lorne Schmidt announce,” says Gardiner. “It seemed he always needed help during the goat tying. After that, I’d announce Little Britches and junior rodeos around Drayton Valley just for fun to help out. Announcing was never my plan. I wanted to be a competitor. I was in the bareback, steer wrestling, team-roping and roped some calves, but I was never very good at it.”

Pietsch can relate.

“I went to a Steve Dunham Bareback School and tried bull riding. Turns out I was better talking about it than doing it.”

While Poulsen spent time in the arena, he quickly realized he hadn’t really listened enough to the rodeo announcers to know what worked and what didn’t work for the audience.

“I jumped in with some of my buddies like Brian Claypool and Dale Trottier and travelled with them for a time. Because they were going to a bunch of rodeos on both sides of the line, I was able to pay attention to a lot of announcers to see what was working.”

Gardiner and Poulsen, who was named 2008 CPRA Announcer of the Year, have

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

gotten to the biggest stages in Canadian pro rodeo — the CFR and Calgary Stampede.

Pietsch, from Buck Lake, Alta., keeps his finger on the pulse of the smaller Alberta communities.

“You need to treat every rodeo as if it’s the biggest event in the community. When I was a kid growing up, I remember the Buck Lake Stampede was a big event and still is.

That’s their marquee event of the year.”

All three agree on one thing: the announcer should not be the star of the show.

“I’ve never heard anybody say, ‘I want to go to that rodeo to hear Dave Poulsen,’” quips Poulsen. “I’m just a small part of the overall package.”

“You need to be authentic,” believes Gardiner, who has been a voice at the Canadian Finals Rodeo for six years.

“You have to realize these competitors have been driving all night to get to the rodeo and are paying their own way,” offers Pietsch. “The last thing you want to do is try to entertain the fans with a bad joke at their expense if they miss a steer, or don’t catch a calf or screw up a ride.”

With close to 75 combined years of rodeo announcing experience, you’d have to expect each has had some moments they would rather forget.

“Too many, too many to recall,” laughs Pietsch. “I remember one time critiquing a bronc ride only to have that rider critique my work.”

“I used to introduce the barrel racing often times with ‘Pretty Girls and Fast Horses,’” says Poulsen. But this one time at Medicine Hat, I opened with ‘Pretty Horses and Fast Women.’

“It probably would have been OK, except that Reg Kesler wouldn’t let it die. He kept riding by and yelling in that high-pitched voice, ‘why don’t you tell ’em about those pretty horses and fast women!’”

For Gardiner, his memory of a gaffe comes from early on in his career.

“I was announcing a rodeo that was supposed to start at 1 o’clock,” relays Gardiner.

“But production wasn’t necessarily a priority. I was a couple of minutes into my opening when I realized no one else was ready to go. I didn’t even think to check if the chutes were loaded or if the grand entry was ready.”

Lessons learned. c cowboycountrymagazine.com

Brett Gardiner, 2019 Wainwright Stampede, Wainwright, Alta.

Photo by Billie Jean Duff.

Dave Poulsen, 2019 Innisfail Pro Rodeo, Innisfail, Alta.

Photo by Zachary Cormier.

55

Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

MAPLE LEAF CIRCUIT STANDINGS AS OF JUNE 24, 2019 (Including: Sundre Pro Rodeo and High River/Guy Weadick Days) The Maple Leaf Circuit includes rodeos with less than $7,999-added purse, that do not have ‘qualifications’ and that accept permits. Canadian residents are automatically assigned to the Maple Leaf Circuit. The Maple Leaf Circuit Finals will be held in Regina, SK, on November 20–23, 2019.

SADDLE BRONC Rank Name 1 Zeke Thurston (9) 2 Jake Watson (10) 3 Ben Andersen (12) 4 Dustin Flundra (8) 5 Layton Green (7) 6 Kolby Wanchuk (12) 7 Chase Zweifel (13) 8 Jake Brown (12) 9 Justin Berg (11) 10 Dawson Hay (5)

STEER WRESTLING Address Big Valley, AB Hudson’s Hope, BC Eckville, AB Pincher Creek, AB Meeting Creek, AB Sherwood Park, AB Paradise Hill, SK Eckville, AB Camrose, AB Wildwood, AB

Earnings 10,065.89 9,271.22 4,937.31 3,923.74 3,825.98 3,746.84 2,925.47 2,742.17 2,258.80 2,057.84

Rank Name 1 Clayton Moore (9) 2 Layne Delemont (14) 3 Brendan Laye (11) 4 Ty Mason (14) 5 Matt Mailer (14) 6 Tyson Willick (13) 7 Evan Spady (14) 8 Joe Guze (14) 9 Coleman Kohorst (11) 10 Cody Cassidy (14)

Bowden, AB Cadogan, AB Regina, SK Inglis, MB Calgary, AB Eastend, SK Okotoks, AB Deloraine, MB High River, AB Red Deer County, AB

6,794.14 5,973.33 4,712.69 4,687.83 4,281.71 4,235.32 2,686.05 2,604.79 2,432.76 2,112.18

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Didsbury, AB Maple Creek, SK Sonningdale, SK Major, SK Ponoka, AB Elrose, SK Claresholm, AB Medicine Hat, AB Dawson Creek, BC Delburne, AB

12,300.27 6,020.03 5,801.42 5,516.75 4,236.39 4,232.94 4,083.78 3,017.57 2,994.80 2,841.41

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Wimborne, AB Red Deer County, AB Sexsmith, AB Stettler, AB Strathmore, AB Nanton, AB Wimborne, AB Carstairs, AB Didsbury, AB Eckville, AB

8,518.99 5,798.16 5,181.88 4,982.91 4,561.00 4,377.46 4,141.99 3,923.92 3,385.77 3,351.10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

BAREBACK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ky Marshall (13) Clint Laye (7) Ty Taypotat (11) Orin Larsen (6) Connor Hamilton (7) Dantan Bertsch (10) Pascal Isabelle (12) Colin Adams (8) Linden Woods (12) Dylan Bilton (13)

Kyle Brown (14) Jared Parsonage (7) Ty Ellis (11) Todd Chotowetz (7) Jordan Hansen (9) JB Moen (8) Logan Biever (8) Wacey Finkbeiner (12) Jacob Gardner (8) Shane Peters (8)

56

Blair Smith (12) Virgil Poffenroth (14) Lee Rombough (14) Riley Warren (14) Dawson Johnson (14) Logan Bird (14) Shane Smith (14) Kyle Lucas (10) Morgan Grant (12) Clayton Smith (9)

Stacey Ruzicka (13) Bradi Whiteside (14) Justine Elliott (12) Brooke Wills (11) Bertina Olafson (12) Kim Gerwatoski (13) Taylor Manning (14) Rylee Trenholm (12) Shaylee McMann (14) Casey Dacyk (11)

Bluffton, AB Longview, AB Lacombe, AB Kamloops, BC Hudson Bay, SK Ponoka, AB Yellowhead County, AB Chetwynd, BC Donalda, AB Ponoka, AB

8,389.02 6,178.62 5,818.13 5,139.21 4,566.04 4,002.76 3,901.94 3,434.75 3,268.38 3,080.85

Camrose, AB Cardston, AB Stettler, AB Ponoka, AB Ponoka, AB Mossleigh, AB Wainwright, AB Waldeck, SK Lacombe, AB Waldeck, SK

6,566.38 6,016.47 5,544.13 4,957.55 4,464.54 3,558.70 3,501.16 3,211.75 2,651.00 2,607.89

Camrose, AB Longview, AB Two Hills, AB Ponoka, AB Ponoka, AB Wainwright, AB Waldeck, SK Crossfield, AB Sundre, AB Kamloops, BC

6,566.36 6,016.47 5,544.11 4,957.57 4,464.52 3,501.18 3,211.74 3,197.12 2,607.89 2,564.78

TR HEELER

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Earnings 6,863.26 6,711.79 3,920.85 3,727.80 3,649.16 3,493.86 3,204.46 3,036.44 3,031.95 2,913.76

LADIES BARREL RACING

BULL RIDING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Address Pouce Coupe, BC Chauvin, AB Consort, AB Spruce Grove, AB Botha, AB Blaine Lake, SK Alliance, AB Drayton Valley, AB Okotoks, AB Donalda, AB

Brett McCarroll (13) Riley Wilson (13) Riley Warren (14) Klay White (10) Keely Bonnett (14) Kasper Roy (14) Dillon Graham (13) Mcleod Tyce (14) Tyrel Flewelling (12) Tee McLeod (10)

TR HEADER Justin McCarroll (13) Steele DePaoli (13) Clay Ullery (13) Brett Buss (10) Logan Bonnett (14) Dawson Graham (13) Tuftin McLeod (14) Grady Quam (11) Trey Gallais (14) Nick Teixeira (14)

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

Spur Lacasse on John Duffy’s 231 Blue Bananas. The Quebec cowboy won the second round and $1,250 with 85 pts, the highest scored ride of the 2018 Grass Roots Finals held in the fall in Calgary.

Photo by Billie Jean Duff.

ROAD TO THE CFR

SPUR LACASSE STRONGER THAN EVER

By TIM ELLIS

I

HAVE BIG GOALS AND WILL DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE THEM,” STATES SPUR LACASSE.

NOW, IF ONLY HE COULD STAY HEALTHY ENOUGH IN HIS PURSUIT OF ACCOMPLISHING THOSE GOALS. “I haven’t been able to do a full season yet,” offers the 26-year-old bareback rider. “It’s been a hard few years, but I’m stronger now and ready to go. I feel better than ever. Tore my bicep off in 2016; that was major surgery, and I was out for over six months. Two years ago, I broke my hand at LaCrete and missed the rest of the season. Then last year, I had a small tear in my bicep and missed most of June and July.”

That laundry list of injuries has kept the talented 2014 Canadian Novice Bareback Champion from making his mark at the professional level. Lacasse finished 22nd in the CPRA standings in 2016, 30th in 2017 cowboycountrymagazine.com

and 19th last season, his best finish with over $5,700 in earnings.

“It’s one of my goals to get there,” says Lacasse of his quest for a berth at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer. “But I don’t just want to go there, I want to win it.”

That type of desire can be traced directly back to his Hall of Fame father, Roger.

“My dad’s my best friend,” contends the 2015 College National Finals Rodeo qualifier. “He’s my everyday coach.”

Roger Lacasse, who now owns a roofing company in Mirabel, Que., won two Canadian Bareback Championships in 1998 and 2004 before being inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2012.

“After every ride, I send him the video, and he tells me what he thinks,” offers Lacasse who, like his dad did several times, qualified for the International Finals Rodeo in 2015. “He’s pretty mellow about it, let’s me do my own thing. If I have a question, I’ll ask him. We talk every day. It’s a great relationship.”

And it’s a relationship Lacasse is constantly reminded of.

“Most of the time, they still announce me as Roger’s son,” laughs the 2014 Calgary Stampede and Ponoka Stampede Novice Bareback Champion. “It doesn’t affect me.

I try to do my own thing and just rodeo because I love it. It’s big shoes to fill, but time will help with that.”

It was actually at his dad’s bareback riding school in St. Tite, Que., where the younger Lacasse got his start in the chutes.

But it was long before that when he received his initiation into the rodeo world.

“I was about two weeks old when he took me on the road with him for a couple of weeks,” reveals Lacasse. “My mom wasn’t a big fan of that.”

“We lived in Alberta until I was about eight. When we moved back East, I got away from rodeo and played soccer and hockey.

I came back to it when I was about 16 or 17, and I’ve been on the trail ever since.” c

57

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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

0

CLOWNIN’ AROUND | CRASH COOPER

Ash Cooper Art and Ranch Gallery

“Can you hear me now?”

cowboycountrymagazine.com

59

Summer’s Bounty Spring and summer bring out the prairie bounties of rhubarb and saskatoons.

These plentiful farm and ranch staples have as many recipe variations as there were settlers, but here are two offerings we know will get the nod.

Squares b r a b u h R ’s r e v o l G Topping

Crust

¾ cup sugar 1 cup butter 2 cups flour

en 4 eggs, slightly beat r ga 2 cups su ¾ cup flour

va Scotia, All the way from No rhubarb at proving once again th ! ple sta an di na Ca is a

into small pieces 4 cups rhubarb, cut 1 tbsp. cinnamon

Directions

Saskatoon Pudding C ake Batter

2 cups saskatoon berrie s 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. lemon juice 1 cup flour

Directions

¾ cup sugar 1 tsp. baking powder ½ cup milk 3 tbsp. melted butter

From our own Ash Coop er’s mom, Sharon. (previously pu blished in the Cowboy Cookin’ Co okbook) Topping

¾ cup sugar 1 tbsp. corn starch 1 cup boiling water

Preheat the oven to 35

0˚F, and grease an 8by-8-inch cake pan.

In a bowl, toss the sas katoons with the cinna mon and lemon juice, greased pan. In anoth then pour into the er bowl, combine the flour, sugar and baking the milk and melted powder, then stir in butter until combined.

Spoon the batter evenly For the topping, mix over the berries. together the sugar and corn starch, and sprink Next, slowly pour the le it over the batter. boiling water over the topping (this forms a the berries) and bake syrupy bottom with at 350˚F for 40 to 45 minutes.

60

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

PHOTOS BY IGRADESIGN/ADOBE STOCK; IRENA ROGOVA/ADOBE STOCK; MAGLARA/ADOBE STOCK; COURTESY PEXELS

8-by-12-inch pan. and mix 0˚F, and grease an 35 to en ov e , then add the flour th t Prehea and butter in a bowl r minutes, ga 15 su e for th ke r ba he d get cream to e greased pan, an th of m to To make the crust, bot e th the mixture into until combined. Press , fold ed. Mix in the flour sugar until combin until golden. e th n, in mo r na sti cin en h th , wl the topping wit at the eggs in a bo rm crust. Sprinkle res and wa ua e sq th For the topping, be o er int ov t e cu ur xt en pletely, th en pour the mi and firm. Cool com in the rhubarb, th nutes, until golden mi 45 for F 0˚ 35 and bake at erator. store in the refrig

COWBOY CHURCHES Nechako Valley Cowboy Church Last Sun. of every month, 7 p.m., Nechako Community Church Building, Hwy 16 E, Vanderhoof, B.C., 250‑567‑4960 Open Valley Cowboy Church Every Sun., 6:30 p.m., Head of the Lake Hall, past the O’Keefe Ranch on Hwy 97, Vernon, B.C., 250‑503‑0707 Boomtown Trail Cowboy Church 2nd and last Wed. of every month, 7 p.m., Elnora Drop‑In Centre, Elnora, Alta., 403‑749‑2047

CCC Mag Aug Sept 2019

Clearwater Cowboy Church Every Thur., 7 p.m., Dovercourt Hall, Hwy 22, north of Caroline, Alta., 403-844-6641 Community Cowboy Church Every Tue., 7-8 p.m., Niton Community Hall, Main St., Niton, Alta., 780-795-2326 Cowboy Trail Church Every Tue., 7 p.m., Cochrane Ranche House, 101 Ranchehouse Rd., Cochrane, Alta., 403‑638‑4254 Heartland Cowboy Church 1st and 3rd Tue. of every month, 7 p.m., Stettler Agriplex, 4516‑52 St., Stettler, Alta., 780-877-2331 James River Cowboy Church Every Wed., 7 p.m., James River Community Hall, 2.5 km S of James River store or 11.5 km N of Sundre on RR 53, Alta., 403‑638‑6439 Pipestone Cowboy — Cowgirl Church 2nd Mon. of every month, 7 p.m., Pipestone Café, Hwy 795, 11 km north from junction Hwy 13 and 795, Pipestone, Alta., 780-312-8653 St. Albert Cowboy Church Every Fri., 7 p.m., 60 Liberton Dr., St. Albert, Alta., 780-459-2222 The Cowboy Church Every Fri., 7:30 p.m., Centre Park Church, 52 Peacock Dr., Sherwood Park, Alta., 780‑918‑5530 Viking Cowboy Church Last Fri. of every month, 7:30 p.m., Viking Auction Market, junction of Hwy 26 and 36, Viking, Alta., 780‑384‑2114 Willow Valley Cowboy Church 2nd Sun. of every month 10:00 a.m., 26016 Hwy 595, 15 km east of Red Deer, Red Deer County, Alta., 403-347-0206 Battlefords Cowboy Church 1st and 3rd Thur. of every month, 7 p.m., Legion Hall, 22 St., Battleford, Sask., 306-937-2733 Diamond C Cowboy Church Every Tue., 7:30 p.m., 208 Sidney St., Maple Creek, Sask., 306‑662‑3431 Cowboy Valley Church 4054 PR 432 Morden, Man., 204-822-9909

Office: 587-317-8448 Mobile: 587-444-0778 Info@canadaleathers.com

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COWBOY POETRY

My Partner

By BUD MCKAGUE

See that ranahan sittin’ over there Cheerful as hell without a care?

Last night in a red-hot poker game We were playing it close, but he looked the same He bluffed out my three-of-a-kind with the pair And yet he calls himself my Partner.

I loan him ten bucks and he goes to town Gets all steamed up and makes the rounds Next morning he’ll still be drunk as sin He’ll be laying round and I’ll drag him in He’ll wake up big-headed and curse me down And yet he calls himself my Partner.

Sometimes we get to trading gear He’ll try to skunk me or pretty near He’d steal my gal if he got a chance If it ain’t my hat, he’s wearing my pants If I leave it around, he’ll drink my beer And yet he calls himself my Partner.

I cook and scrub and sweep the floor He’ll look to the horses and nothing more He’s not hard to find when I get my cheque Now my car he drove is a total wreck Yes, sometimes patience is quite a chore But — he and I are Partners.

PHOTO COURTESY ADOBE STOCK/ALEXKICH

“My Partner” was excerpted from The Silent Partner (& Other Cowboy Poetry), by Bud McKague, published in June 1995.

62

cowboycountrymagazine.com

63

Long Live Canadian Cowboys You’re out there, riding for hours across never ending countryside and ranch land. At any given time, you are miles away from home. But not to worry-- you trust your horse, your sense of direction and most of all, you trust the comfort and quality of your Wrangler gear.

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Cowboy Country August/September 2019 Lloydminster • Olds • Strathmore • West Kelowna • Kamloops • Prince Albert • ReginaCanadian • Saskatoon