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Git Along, Little Dogies! Secrets to Trailing Newborn Calves
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Singer/Songwriter Hank Snow
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What Works For Us Branding Time
Vacation! Fairs, Events & Cowboy Fun International Delight Mongolia’s Altai Eagle Festival PM# 40070720
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IN THE CORRAL
John Swales — He Did it Again!
Flundra’s Heart of the Horse John Swales riding Metallic Cat Rose to victory
4-H Generations
Three generations of 4-H members at the recent show, Doug, Colt, and Billy Richards
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This photo is a testament to the strength of 4-H families (and the resiliency of hand-knitted wool.) Pictured is rancher and rodeo stock contractor Doug Richards of Cochrane, Alta., his grandson, Colt, and Colt’s dad (Doug and Jill’s son) Billy. What is remarkable is the sweater worn by Colt; it has now been passed down to the third generation. Originally it was knitted for Doug by his Aunt Mariette over 65 years ago when he was showing cattle in 4-H. The Richards family has been in 4-H for multiple generations. Today, Colt is an active member of the Madden/Crossfield Beef 4-H Club. This photo was taken in 2019 at his 4-H Achievement Day.
Multi-award-winning horsewoman Niki Flundra has announced a new location this fall for the smash hit equine symposium, Heart of the Horse. The event will be happening in the spacious Silver Sage Arena in Brooks, Alta., from Sep 11–13. The three-day equine expo features their record-setting $20,000 world-class Colt Starting Competition. Stepping up to the starting line for their share of the 2020 prize money is defending champion Glenn Stewart from northern British Columbia, Steve Rother of northeast Washington and southern Alberta’s own Dustin Sippola. Fans can enjoy the exciting colt starting plus educational demonstrations by the trainers, as well as meet special guest, JR Vezain. The six-time NFR qualifying professional bareback rider was severely injured in 2018 at the Pasadena (Texas) Livestock Show & Rodeo when the horse flipped over on him, breaking his T9 and T10 vertebrae. Well on the road to recovery, Vezain will share his inspiring journey. There will also be some pure entertainment as patrons will be treated to live music Friday night and a thrilling Saturday night show of an equine extravaganza that you do not want to miss. All this, plus plenty of shopping! Get your tickets early at theheartofthehorse.ca.
Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2020
PHOTOS PHOTO COURTESY JILL RICHARDS; PHOTO COURTESY JANELLE CAMERON; PHOTO BY PRIMO MORALES
Congratulations to John Swales who earned the title of National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) World’s Greatest Horseman. This is the second time the Millarville, Alta., horse trainer has won this hotly contested competition. Held at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center in Fort Worth, Texas, Swales rode Metallic Cat Rose (Metallic Cat x Teletrona x Little Trona) to an incredible 878.5 points (217.5 herd / 218.5 rein / 215 steer / 227.5 cow). The pair rode home with $42,000 and a profusion of prizes for High River-area horse owners Jerry and Nicole Myer. With the win, the mare doubled her lifetime earnings, going from $41,228 to $83,228 in one evening. Traditionally, there are three judges, and each can award between 60 and 80 points. Over three days, horse and rider gather a score in each of the events: herd work (cutting), rein work, steer-stopping (rope and stop a steer), and cow work (work a steer along the fence, then circle them both ways in the centre of the arena). The points from each event are totalled for the final score to determine the top 10. Then for the Championship run on the last day, the finalists start with a clean slate and compete in all four events — and once again, Swales bested the field. In 2017, the Alberta trainer first won the World’s Greatest Horseman title when he rode Heza Diamond Spark, owned by Jesse and Elyse Thomson of 7P Ranch, to the championship.
– Bergen,
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is Canadian Cowboy?
rway – No
Where in the World Bergen, Norway
Founded in the 12th century, Bergen is a city on Norway’s southwestern coast. It’s surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Sognefjord, the country’s longest and deepest. The city features colourful wooden houses on the old wharf, once a centre of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire. Bergen is the birthplace of renowned composer, Edvard Grieg. Today, the city of 250,000 is a popular port with cruise ships and tourists, including Art Seidl from Tomslake, B.C.
The Alberta team that competed in the Art of the Cowgirl ranch rodeo, from left: Tanya Schmidt, Pam Didier, Katie Keates, and Janelle Cameron. The team was sponsored by Eagle Hill Equine & Ranching.
PHOTO BY PRIMO MORALES; PHOTO COURTESY BONTERRA PRODUCTIONS
Art of the Cowgirl Clear Arizona sunshine beckoned a wealth of Canadian cowgirls to the Art of the Cowgirl, a celebration of women and the Western industry of horses, riding, training, music, art, traditional cowboy arts and ranch rodeo. The Canadian prairies were well-represented in the arena with the Eagle Hill ranch rodeo team, sidesaddle clinician (and writer) Lee MacLean, painter Shannon Lawlor, multi-artisan Cait Bascom (aka Cattle Cait, the sidesaddle rider), and the band Genuine Cowgirls. Add to that a bunch of Canadian fans who went down for the event (and those that winter there), and it was a great time. One elegant highlight was Lee MacLean and her daughter, Cattle Cait, demonstrating the graceful art of riding sidesaddle. “I learned that it’s really easy to say 'no' and it’s really easy to stay
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home,” said Cait, who lives deep in southern Saskatchewan with her pasture-managing cowboy husband, Lee Bascom. “But travelling is important; it opens our minds, and we meet so many like-minded people. There’s horsemanship everywhere in the world so no matter where we go, there are people that we can connect with." Cattle Cait is a leather craftsman, artist, clothing designer and Western style influencer. “So many of us live so remotely, and this was an event that we were representing all those Canadian women, we were honouring them, and honouring those that came before us. It had a really 'feel good' vibe about it. We sure saw a lot of Canadians, and we can be proud of what we can offer.” Plans are underway for another Art of the Cowgirl in 2021.
The Wild Ones A documentary series featuring Xeni Gwet’in (pronounced honey gwaa teen) cowboys and their efforts to protect the area’s wild horses is airing on History. The First Nation’s efforts to save these wild horses was filmed in 2019 in the Nemiah Valley and at the Williams Lake Stampede. There are 10, one-hour episodes in the series. Featured in the series are Xeni Gwet’in Chief Jimmy Lulua, Howard Lulua, Amanda Lulua, Roy Mulvahill, Emery Phillips, Mike “Hawk” Hawkridge and Michael Lares. In an interview with the Williams Lake Tribune (wltribune.com), Chief Jimmy Lulua said the most exciting thing about the series is the exposure his community, the Tsilhqot’in Nation (pronounced like Si coat een) and Williams Lake. “I think it is a great opportunity to show a bit of who we are,” he said. “Tsilhqot’in people were known as horse people before contact." Lulua said The Wild Ones will showcase the beauty of the 1,700 km2 the Tsilhqot’in Nation won in the 2014 Supreme Court rights and title decision. As for the wild horses, he said there are about 300 in the Xeni Gwet’in area, and more than 3,000 throughout the Tsilhqot’in Nation.
The 10-part series follows Xeni Gwet’in Chief Jimmy Lulua, Howard Lulua, Amanda Lulua, Roy Mulvahill, Emery Phillips, Mike “Hawk” Hawkridge and Michael Lares
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Longhorn Freight Train
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ere’s an embarrassing story from a Texas Longhorn encounter I had. A long time ago, when the earth was mostly green, I had a girlfriend with more kinds of animals than you’ve ever seen.
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There were three kids, numerous dogs and cats (including a Siamese that peed on my arm), maybe 100 or so Longhorn cattle, around 25 horses, 50-some sheep, seven bottle-fed lambs and two goats. The only thing missing was the unicorn.
Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2020
ILLUSTRATION BY “DIAMOND” DOUG KEITH
SOME DAYS ARE DIAMOND | “DIAMOND” DOUG KEITH
She had her operation and several other businesses running slicker ’n calf slobber. Her kids would step in if something came up when Mom was off the ranch. They knew just the way Mom would want it done; I, on the other hand, didn’t, and was continually screwing up. The traumatising tale I’ll relate to you still gives me nightmares. You see, my old girlfriend was running out of grass, so she had rented some land a few miles away and moved her cattle and horses over there, except a few horses to use at home. She asked if I wanted to come and feed chop to the cattle and check on the horses and fencing. Of course, I responded, “Sounds fun!” We loaded the chop into the back of her one-ton dually and took off for the rented land. The first thing I wanted to check was the fence. There was one short section where the fence was entirely shot, so we had put up a temporary electric fence and attached it to a car battery for juice. (In my head, I thought that would have less power than a regular fence charger, but I found out after I touched it this was not the case.) By this time, the cattle had gathered around the truck and were jockeying for position at the bovine drive-thru. I said, “I am going to sneak through that bush line and see if I can see the horses over there.” There was plenty of bush, and I had to walk purt’ near to the middle of the pasture before I could see them. All of a sudden I heard the bush rustling and branches cracking — and here came the matriarch of the herd on the run, shaking her 6–7 foot long horns at me. I couldn’t outrun her. First, I yelled and took an aggressive stance. The cow stopped — briefly. I could see her giving me the ol’ stink eye and then with a beller, the run was back on. Just as I was about to be freight trained by this protective momma, my friend veered the cow away from me with the truck. I understand that Longhorns are historically significant — I get it. That, and the fact they can live a month on six inches of grass and a glass of water while travelling dozens of miles a day makes them a marvel. However, my time with Longhorns — and that relationship — is over. c “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.
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Competitors and their hooded Golden eagles loping across the Steppes
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Przewalski’s Horse Equus przewalskii or Equus ferus przewalskii is a rare and endangered horse native to the steppes of central Asia. Also called the Mongolian wild horse, or Takhi, the horse is named after the Russian geographer and explorer, Nikołaj Przewalski. We viewed the “Przewalski’s Horse” (Takhi) in Hustai National Park, a Biosphere Reserve located a couple of hours out of UB. We were able to view the small herd of over 20 head of Takhi horses from about 50 meters/150 feet). They are wild, stunning and fully protected. The Park is not fenced, but because of the horses’ natural selection, they do not wander too far from their birthplace. The breed was almost lost. By the end of the 1950s, only 12 horses were left in the world. Through careful selection to avoid inbreeding, zoos from around the globe saved this horse from extinction and are being reintroduced to the wild. In 2005, the status of the Takhi horse was changed from “extinct in the wild” to “endangered”.
PHOTOS COURTESY NOMADIC TRAILS/TULGA; BY ANNE STEVICK
culture. Mongolian girls are shy and chaste, so when a young suitor steals a kiss from a girl, she is mortified and chases him on horseback. Only two teams competed; we think the first couple was married because she seemed to really enjoy beating on the man. The second day of the Altai Eagle Festival didn’t go as planned. As our guide explained, “In Mongolia there are two times: before noon and afternoon.” Eventually, things got underway, and the first event was another test of a hunter’s ability to communicate with his eagle. The hunter would drag a fox skin behind his horse, and his eagle must attack it. This event featured the top 16 placing eagles from the eagle call event on the first day. The assistant again carried the eagle high up the mountain and released when the eagle hunter called from below. In this event, the eagles were very focused, and every eagle soared down and attacked the fox pelt. The rest of the day was intense competition deciding the champions of Kyz Kvar, Tiyn Teru (using the same 10 horses) and BushKashi, definitely the highlight of the day. These finalists were serious; after all, this was for the title of Champion Goat Puller for the next 365 days. No prize money, just prestige. At all times during the Festival, the eagle hunters were willing to pose with their eagles singly or in groups of six to ten, or on horseback for the barrage of photographer’s present. There were no hands out for money because understandably, they were all very proud of their ancient culture and Kazakh heritage. c
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WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. | JUNE 25–29 One of the longest-running traditions in the Cariboo, for 94 years and counting, Williams Lake, B.C. rolls out the welcome mat! Visitors come from far and wide to enjoy several days of Canadian Professional Rodeo Association action at the World Famous Williams Lake Stampede. We are proud to host all of the top cowboys from Canada and the United States. Experience an authentic and historic rodeo at the heart of a community family event at the World Famous Williams Lake Stampede. WilliamsLakeStampede.com 25