Canadian Cowboy Country Dec 2021/Jan 2022

Rodeo Superstar Herman Linder

Cowboy Choreography

Parlez Vous Highland?

Calving Highland Cattle

Stunning Wagons & Sleighs Functional Art Pieces PM

#

40070720

DEC 2021/JAN 2022 • $5.95

Rare & Unique Finds Canadian Picker Hey, Ho, Away We Go! Donkey Riders

CFR Champions!

Holiday Wishes

With a hopeful heart, we wish you all a lovely Christmas holiday season spent with those you love.

And now, more than ever, we wish you all a joyous New Year’s celebration, ushering in a new era of peace, prosperity and freedom—here in Canadian Cowboy Country.

Rob & Marie Tanner, Terri Mason, Kristine Wickheim, Shannon Swanson

In This Issue

DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022 | VOLUME 25, NO. 4

44

CANADIAN FINALS RODEO

New champions, thousands of fans in attendance, plus who knows how many more on Livestream? We call that a success!

Features 22

RARE & UNIQUE FINDS

We visit the home of Gerry Frost of “Canadian Picker” fame — and what a collection!

25 TREASURED COLLECTION

The wagons and sleighs lovingly collected over a lifetime have found a new home

30

We are shining the spotlight on some of the amazing trailblazers we’ve featured

On the Cover

STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ BYRON

Enjoying a sleigh ride along the shores of Lake Louise with Brewster Adventures in Banff National Park.

Photo courtesy Travel Alberta / Mike Seehagel

25 YEARS OF CANADIAN COWBOY

32

TRAILBLAZERS HERMAN LINDER

He earned his place among the great of rodeo on both sides of the border

36

@cowboycountrymag

HEY, HO, AWAY WE GO!

Experienced donkey riders singing the praises of this ancient breed, plus some neat trivia!

@CowboyCntryMag

39

WHAT WORKS FOR US — PARLEZ VOUS HIGHLAND?

John Badger on calving Highland cattle, and some of the unique characteristics of this breed

Departments 5 My Point of View 8 In the Corral 18 Spirit of the West 19 Wheel to Wheel 20 Reflections 34 Cowboy Way 41 Pro Rodeo Canada Insider 48 Road to the NFR 53 Clownin’ Around 54 Cowboy Poetry @CanadianCowboyCountry

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December 2021/January 2022 Vol. 25, No. 4 Proud Member of the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame

Editor Terri Mason terri@cowboycountrymagazine.com Copy Editor Tamara Aschenbrenner tamara@cowboycountrymagazine.com Editorial Advisor Tom Reardon Art Director: Shannon Swanson shannon@cowboycountrymagazine.com Publisher Rob Tanner rob@cowboycountrymagazine.com Sales Manager Kristine Wickheim kristine@cowboycountrymagazine.com Subscription/Circulation Marie Tanner circ @cowboycountrymagazine.com Accounting/Administrator Marie Tanner admin@cowboycountrymagazine Columnists Dylan Biggs, Tim Ellis, Hugh McLennan, Billy Melville, Greg Shannon, Bryn Thiessen Contributors Bill Borgwardt, CrAsh Cooper, Mike Copeman, Billie-Jean Duff, Tim Ellis, Tim Lasiuta, Steve Lucas, Donna Quick, Covy Moore Tanner Young Publishing Group Box 13, 22106 South Cooking Lake Road Cooking Lake, AB T8E 1J1 Tel: 780-465-3362 | Toll Free: 1-800-943-7336 Website: cowboycountrymagazine.com E-mail: askus @cowboycountrymagazine.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Call Marie at 1-800-943-7336 1 Year: $25.00 incl. tax | 2 Years: $39.00 incl. tax 3 Years: $49.00 incl. tax | Single Copy: $5.95 + tax

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 c/o Tanner Young Publishing Group Administration Office Box 13, 22106 South Cooking Lake Road Cooking Lake, AB T8E 1J1 FREELANCE POLICY Canadian Cowboy Country welcomes freelance contributions but will not be held responsible for unsolicited text or photographs.

Direct all freelance enquiries to: freelance@cowboycountrymagazine.com PRIVACY POLICY At Tanner Young Publishing Group, we value your privacy.

For our complete privacy policy go to tanneryoung.com/ privacy.html or call us at 1-800-943-7336 Canadian Cowboy Country makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions.

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

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

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

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MY POINT OF VIEW

Burn a Candle in the Window

PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ LI DING

W

e haven’t used candles as the main source of light for probably a century, yet the image of lighting a candle and placing it in a window is iconic. In truth, it was an act of defiance — and we can thank the Irish.

From the mid-17th through the late 18th century, the British government created oppressive laws to restrict the practice of Catholicism in Ireland. During this time of religious suppression, there were no churches allowed. Catholic priests were forced to hide out in the wilderness. The priests would sneak back into town during the night to have Mass with fellow believers in their homes. During Christmastime, Catholic families would leave their doors unlocked and a candle burning in the window to let the priest know he was welcome in their home. cowboycountrymagazine.com

With the many waves of Irish immigration to North America, the tradition took root and has continued to evolve. The oncedefiant signal has morphed into a sign of welcome to travellers. By colonial times, a candle in a window let travellers know they had found a safe place to stay. This is what I wish for you — refuge.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support the magazine and the Western lifestyle that we treasure. Thank you especially for the continued support of the advertisers who are a big part of our vision, the writers and photographers, the idea people and the subscribers who phone for a visit or share an idea.

No matter how we feel now, we all agree that 2021 was a very interesting year. And to end the suspense — I know what is going to happen in 2022.

Life. Life is going to happen. Despite the best efforts of an entire world, babies are being born, marriage ceremonies are taking place, and relationships are growing deeper every day. Life cannot be stopped because life trumps tyranny.

To those who are living their best life in the wilderness, have fun, laugh, and live your life to the best of your ability, and remember the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln, “This too shall pass away.” And with that, light a candle for those we lost, and light one for the babies we gained — here in Canadian Cowboy Country.

— Terri Mason, Editor 5

CONTRIBUTORS

Bill Borgwardt A Touch of Frost, page 22 Multi-award-winning photographer and feature writer Bill Borgwardt has been a part of the country music scene in Canada and the U.S. since graduating from NAIT in 1966.

He (normally) covers well over a hundred country music events each year.

Tim Lasiuta Lifetime Collection, page 25 Central Alberta’s Tim Lasiuta is a regular contributor and a collector of western memorabilia, with a focus on the Lone Ranger.

Dylan Biggs Donna Quick Donkey Riding, page 36 Donna has owned and competed with Quarter Horses, Saddlebreds, Arabians, and Mammoth saddle donkeys. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the long-eared for their comfort and versatility.

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Cowboy Choreography, page 34 For over 20 years, Dylan has travelled extensively, sharing his knowledge of low-stress cattle handling with producers through livestock handling demonstrations. Dylan, his wife Colleen and their children own TK Ranch near Hanna, Alta.

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Merry Christmas, and Thanks!

Dear Marie, Thank you for getting my subscription squared away and my back issues to me!

As always, each issue was good, but the Dec/Jan 21 issue was especially good. My wife, Audrey, is going to make your recipe for Irish Cream Liqueur.

I’ve enclosed a recipe for Eggnog Pie that she has made, and boy, it is good! And yes, it’s made by the Southern Comfort drink people. The eggnog is non-alcoholic.

Hopefully, we will survive the next four years and not wind up being a socialist country. Among the many blunders our “leader” has made, the cancellation of the pipeline has to be one of the worst. Not only for us but you folks in Canada, also. Prayers are needed!

If you have time, we would like to hear from you.

As always, I’m looking forward to the next issue of Canadian Cowboy Country.

Keep up the good work.

Happy Holidays!

Thurmon and Audrey Johnston Kingston, Tennessee cowboycountrymagazine.com

Holiday Eggnog Pie

This easy pie is dreamy even if you don’t like eggnog!

INGREDIENTS ▸ 4 oz cream cheese ▸ 1 Tbsp butter ▸ 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar ▸ 1/4 cup eggnog ▸ 2 Tbsp sour cream ▸ 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice ▸ 1 1/2 cups whipped cream ▸ Graham cracker pie crust INSTRUCTIONS 1. Beat softened cream cheese, softened butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

2. Beat in eggnog, sour cream, and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in whipped topping.

3. Spread into a graham cracker pie crust.

Sprinkle with nutmeg. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until firm. Remove 15 minutes before slicing.

IN THE CORRAL

NEWS, VIEWS & HAPPENINGS FROM ACROSS THE CANADIAN WEST

National Cowboy Hall of Fame After a year-long delay, legendary stunt man,

John’s ranch was founded in 1904 by his

wrangler, and the man who almost single-

grandfather and is located in the foothills of the

handedly wrangled the Alberta film industry into

Rockies near present-day Longview.

being the “go-to” for picturesque film locations,

livestock and animals. In all, it was like the man himself — honest and straightforward.

Among the hundreds of projects, his credited

After graciously thanking the Museum, John

Oscar-winning films include The Revenant, Lord

John Scott was inducted into the National

launched into his powerful acceptance speech

of the Rings, Legends of the Fall, Unforgiven, and

Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City as the

that included this dire warning:

Days of Heaven.

recipient of the 2020 Chester A. Reynolds Award.

Named after the Museum’s founder, it is

“Our Western values and heritage that have

“If I can promote a Western up here, it is to my

been established are under attack by animal

advantage,” he explains. “It gets these horses

awarded to “an individual or group who have

activists, PETA and other fanatical groups.”

and animals working — it’s to everybody’s

demonstrated, through a single remarkable

He called for people to unify to protect “what

advantage.”

achievement or body of quality of work over

past generations have handed down to us.”

On hand to help present the award

a period of years, unwavering commitment to

His rallying speech also called for educating

was Kennedy, Sask., singer/songwriter

Western ideals and values.”

today’s youth and getting them involved with

Eli Barsi.

8

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

IN THE CORRAL STOCKING THE HERD

Hailey Irene Tanner Congratulations to Brian and Caitlyn Tanner of Ministik, Alta., on the birth of their daughter, Hailey Irene Tanner. Hailey was born May 14, and she weighed 7 lbs 12 oz.

Hailey is the second grandchild of Rob and Marie Tanner, the head honchos of Canadian Cowboy Country magazine.

STOCKING THE HERD

Moments after she was crowned 2022 Miss Rodeo Canada, Jayden Calvert swung into the saddle for a gallop around the arena at the 47th Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer

2022 Miss Rodeo Canada!

It was a whirlwind competition, with speeches, appearances and above all, horsemanship to CFR PHOTO BY COVY MOORE; PHOTO COURTESY MARIE TANNER; PHOTO BY JASON POLLOCK

determine who would wear the new crown of Miss Rodeo Canada.

Congratulations to 2022 Miss Rodeo Canada, Jayden Calvert!

The 22-year-old cowgirl hails from Drayton Valley, Alta. She calls the MT Bar ranch home where her family raises purebred and Speckle Park-influenced cattle.

She graduated from the University of Alberta earlier this year with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree with a major in Animal Science. At the U of A, she was an active member in the Agriculture Club, the Livestock Judging Club and the CERES Alberta Women’s Fraternity for women with an appreciation of agriculture and the rural way of life.

Jayden is employed at Bow Valley Genetics near Brooks, Alta. Growing up, Jayden was extensively involved in the 4–H program as a horse and beef member. She showed horses in a variety of disciplines and exhibited beef cattle at junior and open livestock shows.

In the fall of 2018, the MRC committee decided to crown a “Lady in Waiting” at the Canadian Finals, giving the new Miss Rodeo Canada time to prepare for her year-long whirlwind of hundreds of personal appearances.

The outgoing Queen, 2020–2021 MRC Alicia Erickson, has two more rodeos in her reign. She will be attending the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals in Regina at Agribition and then finishing out her reign at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December.

Since 1955, Miss Rodeo Canada has proudly represented the sport of rodeo across the country and around the world as an official ambassador to our heritage and western way of life.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

Zeke Jesse Abrahamson Congratulations to Seth and Taylor Abrahamson on the birth of their first child, Zeke Jesse Abrahamson. Zeke was born on Sep 7.

Seth is a multi-award-winning horse trainer who competes on the National Reined Cow Horse circuit (among others), and Taylor is a fifth-generation working cowgirl from the Pollock Ranch in the Cypress Hills.

The young family live on their cattle ranch and horse training facility near Broderick, Sask.

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IN THE CORRAL

Sleigh Bells Ring…

Even if you feed with a team every day, it’s still fun to go somewhere new and enjoy a sleigh ride with family and friends! These are just a few ideas of where you might enjoy dashing through the snow.

Brewster Winter Sleigh Rides in Lake Louise. Experience Christmas card scenery as you glide along the trail that follows the edge of Lake Louise and the blue ice of the frozen Victoria Glacier. Brewster’s offers day and evening sleigh rides or romantic two-seater cutter rides.

A short drive from Calgary, Boundary Ranch, located in beautiful Kananaskis Country, offers sleigh rides on their private trails through some of Canada’s most gorgeous, mountainous country. Boundary Ranch books public or private sleigh rides.

New this year is the eye-popping display for the True Start Foundation fundraiser.

They have transformed seven acres of Longrider’s RV Park into an enchanting and magical illuminated forest. Longriders, a long-time wagon ride purveyor, has 20 teams of horses on the go from Nov 19–Jan 9 at this site. Located at Gibbons, Alta., 15 minutes northeast of Edmonton.

Heritage Ranch at Red Deer offers cosy winter sleigh rides over groomed trails, plus food and drink afterwards.

Blackcomb Sleigh Rides at Whistler, BC offers sleigh and cutter rides through gorgeous terrain.

Stagecoach with 4 Horses

This sculpture is a bronze cast stagecoach with four horses.

It was created over 6 months in 2019 as a tribute to the Western culture exemplified by Calgary and Alberta.

It is a 1:18 scale Concord style stagecoach from the 1850’s that is a recognizable symbol of the Old West.

The coach and horses were cast in silicon bronze and given a liver of sulphur patina. The stagecoach wheels and boxes and horse harness were cast in yellow brass.

The coach steps were cast with white bronze.

The stagecoach can be detached from the horses.

The coach doors open and the stagecoach wheels turn.

The boxes on top can be opened as can the box on the back of the coach.

The piece is set on 2.5 inch thick Santos Rosewood.

Height: 25 cm | Width: 55 cm | Depth: 55 cm | Weight: 16 kg Price: $12,000

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www.bronzeart.ca | info@bronzeart.ca | 403.251.4461

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

PHOTO COURTESY KEN DOBUSH, LONGRIDERS

Year: 2019

IN THE CORRAL

Ranch Country Horse Sale The 14th Annual Ranch Country Horse Sale was held in Maple Creek on Sep 11. The event, hosted by the Jack Auction Group, was well-attended and saw even more excitement with the added audience of online bidding.

Bids came in fast from across the country for the 58 listed lots, the vast majority of which were well-bred Quarter horses, and just for fun, one mammoth mule.

The high selling 2021 foal was Lot # 14 Chex My Drifter, consigned by Roger & Lou Parsonage of Maple Creek, SK. The stallion was purchased by Terry Sunderland of Maple Creek, SK., for $3,600.

The high selling saddle horse was Lot # 37 LD Muy Beno Vaquero, consigned by Jesse Dyck of Faulkner, MB. The 2015 gelding was purchased

by Ron and Fay Bird of RWB Ranch, Claresholm, AB, for $22,000.

For more sale results, visit JackAuctionGroup.com.

High selling foal, Lot # 14 Chex My Drifter

Camping Cookbook, Cowboy-Style Because campsite bookings were up 500 per cent in 2021 (no kidding!), also on the rise are camping cookbooks.

Well, look no further because there is nothing more practical for camping than proven ranch recipes from your friends here at Canadian Cowboy Country!

We are offering the last of these very popular cookbooks, Recipes From the Range and Cowboy Cookin’ Recipes (from Seasons 1–7 of Cowboy Country TV), at $15 each or two for $25 (plus shipping). Please note there

High selling saddle horse was Lot # 37 LD Muy Beno Vaquero

are limited quantities available, and these cookbooks will not be reprinted.

Complete your kitchen set, stock your chuckwagon or gift them to a bad cook to help them improve!

Phone Marie at 780¬465–3362 and order the set.

Specializing in Rodeo, Ranch & Humourous Fine Artworks!

PHOTOS BY SHELLEY DREVER (2X)

“

It is not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters.”

Check our Facebook page to see where Ash will be next: Follow Ash Cooper Art and Ranch Gallery cowboycountrymagazine.com

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IN THE CORRAL EMPTY SADDLES

EMPTY SADDLES

Maple Creek, Sask. 1942–2021

Erskine, Alta. 1932–2021

Harry Herbert Neitz

Gordon King

Bob was larger than life and wore many hats, including a cross-border working cowboy, successful businessman (the Black Market auction ring), rancher, cattle buyer, pilot and a licenced and enthusiastic demolition expert.

An Al Azhar Shriner, he was also a partner in the successful Cowtown Rodeo Company.

Later, Bob and his wife, Dixie, raised Hall of Fame bucking horse Coyote on their ranch deep in the Cypress Hills.

(To read the story of Coyote, visit cowboycountrymagazine.com/2019/12/ coyote-christmas)

Harry was an avid rodeo competitor and earned the title of Reserve Canadian CalfRoping Champion in 1961. Harry married Maureen Lund and bought a ranch near Botha.

He was among the first wave of Canadian ranchers to import exotic cattle from Europe — including Charolais from France, Chianina from Italy and Welsh Black cattle from Wales.

Later, Harry and Maureen established their Twin Arrows Ranch near Erskine, Alta.

Harry raised Quarter horses and later became one of Canada’s premier paint horse breeders.

Gordon grew up in Ireland, and his dream of becoming a working cowboy prompted him to immigrate to Canada.

He indeed became a respected man of the saddle and earned him a respected reputation among his peers.

He loved nothing better than a good horse between his knees and some cattle to move. His time spent as a working cowboy shaped his life, and his admirable work ethic earned him a standing invitation to many ranches around the Tully Lake region in northern Alberta.

– 20

reshol

Alberta

20

si Canaid Co?yobw

1937–2021

m,

Wher ni eht Wodlr

Cl a

–

James Robert (Bob) Black

EMPTY SADDLES

Picture Coulee, part of the Unesco World Heritage Site located near Drumheller, Alta., is the stunningly beautiful badland landscape on the 7,000-acre, fifth-generation Graham Ranch.

This ranch is also home to the Badlands Boogie Festival, raising funds to save and restore the East Coulee Truss Bridge, the last remaining wooden Howe Tress train, vehicle and pedestrian bridge in Western Canada. The National Trust for Canada has named this bridge Number Three on their list of the Top 10 Heritage Sites in danger of being lost.

The Festival hosted many musicians, troubadours and minstrels, including saddle bronc rider and 1970 NFR Aggregate Champion Ivan Daines.

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Ivan Daines in the Badlands of Alberta

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

CREDIT NEIL WEBSTER NOWBABY.PHOTOS

Badlands of Alberta

GIDDY UP

WITH GREG SHANNON Yodel-Lay-Hee-Who?

Sully, The Rodeo Pickup Horse Everything about this book is so familiar, and until you find out the backstory, you’ll be puzzling over it for weeks.

Let me break the suspense; everything about this book IS familiar to rodeo fans, from the author to the horse to the lifestyle — even to the inspiring photographers.

First, the author held the 2019 Miss ELI BARSI & BARRY CORBIN PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN CUNNINGHAM | GREG SHANNON PHOTO CREDIT: JEN RUSH

Ponoka Stampede title, so that’s why you know her name.

The second thing that will be niggling at your memory is the name of the pickup horse, Sully.

The fictitious horse in Ashley’s book is based loosely on Hall of Fame pickup man Gary Rempel’s star palomino spitfire, Sully. So that’s the backstory mystery solved.

Ashley’s knowledge of rodeo, horses and rodeo lifestyle, plus her charming art, should make this a welcome addition to any rodeo-

In this edition, we talk with artisan, entrepreneur and awardwinning Western singer (and prolific yodeler) Eli Barsi. The Saskatchewan-based cowgirl attended the star-studded Western Heritage Awards in Oklahoma City. Eli has been a recipient in the past, and I asked her what this annual event was like.

EB: It's kind of like the Academy Awards of everything Western and honours and celebrates the best of Western heritage in creative works, literature, music, television & film. I can't speak highly enough about all that it celebrates all that it stands for.

GS: I was on EliBarsi.com, and the pictures are spectacular. You were hobnobbing with some high-level celebrities.

EB: (laughs), I consider the ranchers, the women and men that broke the ground to be just as awesome as the big stars that were there and really, that's how they celebrate this. But there were some big names like George Strait, actor Barry Corbin, Reba and her boyfriend Rex Linn.

GS: Were they canoodling?

EB: Yes, there was a little bit of teasing and holding hands. Robert Duvall was there too, and there was a lot of security for him.

GS: What, no security for George?

EB: You'd think, but he was wandering around. Just a team roper, you know, hanging out.

GS: You took pictures with Toby Keith and one of the greatest character actors ever, Barry Corbin, most recently seen in The Ranch with Sam Elliott on Netflix!

EB: We have been friends for a long time, and it goes back a few years when I was yodelling at a jam session, and it turns out he loved yodelling. So we became friends because of that. He’s really, really nice and humble and just a kind man.

GS: I've always told my kids ‘learn to yodel, and you'll meet celebrities.’ No one listens.

Check out Eli’s story, music and original artwork (she does commissions) at EliBarsi.com.

loving kid out there. It’s a truly nice book. It doesn’t speak down to kids (or adults reading it aloud), and her writing style shows affection for the sport and this palomino character in particular. Another thing I like about it is her artwork. Her style is folk-art-ish and easily relatable and will inspire a few folks to pick up a paintbrush. Suitable for kids 6–11.

Greg Shannon 840 CFCW Morning Show Co-Host

Sully, The Rodeo Pickup Horse, softcover, 32 pages, $14.99. Check your local stores, or order from Akkermansart.com

cowboycountrymagazine.com

Hear Greg Shannon & Co-Host Stella Stevens weekday mornings on 840 CFCW! Email Greg with column suggestions: greg@cfcw.com 13

art Greatest Garden

Impact

Mary-Beth Laviolette Featuring over fifty original artworks, Greatest Garden celebrates David More’s career-long engagement with gardens as a microcosm of the human experience. Join one of Western Canada’s exceptional painters to experience the garden as never before. p r e s s .u c a lg a ry.c a

edited by E.D. Morin & Jane Cawthorne Twenty-one women writers consider the impacts of concussion on their personal and professional lives. Their stories help unravel the challenges of reclaiming skills, identity, and creativity in the aftermath of a concussion. ua p.ua l b e r ta .c a

memoir

On Foot to Canterbury

Breaking Words

Ken Haigh “A beautifully written and eloquent story that weaves historical anecdotes into a journey through rural England, leaving the reader with practical, sage advice on how to deal with loss and depression, but most of all on how to live.” — WT Jurors ua p.ua l b e r ta .c a

The Paintings of David More

A Literary Confession George Melnyk Breaking Words: A Literary Confession provides a lively discussion of the impact of books on an author’s identity. George Melnyk is an Alberta writer, who has published in various genres – essays, poetry, Alberta literature, and Canadian cinema. b ay eu x .c o m

Indigenous Women and Street Gangs Survivance Narratives

Amber, Bev, Chantel, Jazmyne, Faith, Jorgina & Robert Henry Six Indigenous women previously involved in street gangs or the street lifestyle on the prairies share their stories using photos and narrative (photovoice). They show us the meaning of survivance, a process of resistance, resurgence, and growth. ua p.ua l b e r ta .c a

Women Writing After Concussion

A Son’s Pilgrimage

You Have Been Referred

My Life in Applied Anthropology Michael Robinson You Have Been Referred is a career memoir spanning the period 1969–2014, detailing how the author combined his philosophical grounding in both anthropology and law to find fulfillment in several Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs). bay eu x .c o m

schol arly Bucking Conservatism

Sustainability Matters

edited by Leon Crane Bear, Larry Hannant, & Karissa Robyn Patton With lively, informative contributions by both scholars and activists, Bucking Conservatism highlights the individuals and groups who challenged Alberta’s conservative status quo in the 1960s and ’70s. au p r e s s .c a

Noel Keough with Geoff Ghitter Calgary is a diverse, sprawling, fast-growing urban metropolis. For thirty years it has struggled to turn the rhetoric of sustainability into reality. This is the story of Calgary’s setbacks and successes on the road to a sustainable future. p r e s s .u c a lg a ry.c a

Alternative Stories of Alberta from the 1960s and 1970s

Creative Clinical Teaching in the Health Professions

edited by Sherri Melrose, Caroline Park, & Beth Perry This book provides instructors with the tools to influence both student success and the quality of care provided by future practitioners. au p r e s s .c a

Dissenting Traditions

Essays on Bryan D. Palmer, Marxism, and History edited by Sean Carleton, Ted McCoy, & Julia Smith Dissenting Traditions gathers Palmer’s contemporaries, students, and sometimes critics to examine and expand on the topics and themes that have defined Palmer’s career, from labour history to Marxism and communist politics. au p r e s s .c a

Situating Design in Alberta

edited by Isabel Prochner & Tim Antoniuk Situating Design in Alberta makes the case that design has the potential to drive economic growth, improve quality of life, and promote sustainability. This excellent book has much to offer to design communities both in Alberta and other regions. ua p.ua l b e r ta .c a

Prospects for a Just Transition in Calgary, Canada’s Petro-City

“Truth Behind Bars”

Reflections on the Fate of the Russian Revolution Paul Kellogg Paul Kellogg explores the persistence and creativity of workers’ resistance in even the darkest hours of authoritarian repression and offers new perspectives on the failure of democratic governance after the Russian Revolution. au p r e s s .c a

guidebooks The Labrador Retriever

From Hunting Dog to One of the World’s Most Versatile Working Dogs Resi Gerritsen & Ruud Haak Expert trainers Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak take a deep dive into the origins and history of the Labrador Retriever, provide training basics for the breed, and examine the wide range of tasks it’s suited for. b ru s h e d u c at i o n .c a

gr aphic novel s / humour

children’s / young adult

Volume 2

Pat Hatherly & Jesse Horne This board book makes an excellent baby gift for new parents. Snuggle up with your little one and enjoy this tribute to our big skies and wide-open landscapes. Download the song “Alberta Blue” at thetravellingmabels.ca. r e d ba r n b o o k s .c a

Bogart Creek

Derek Evernden This ideal Christmas gift collects the latest and funniest of Bogart Creek, Derek Evernden’s laugh out loud funny, single-panel comics of absurd and dark humour. If life scares the hell out of you one minute and cracks you up the next, you’ll feel right at home in Bogart Creek. r e n eg a d e a r t s e n t e r ta i n m e n t.c o m

Electric Vice Pass Me By

Kyle Simmers & Ryan Danny Owen A chance encounter between small-town Ed and the captivating androgynous singer of the pulse-pounding glam rock band Electric Vice pulls Ed into a world of mascara, weathered leather, platform heels, and neon. Book 2 in the award-winning series. r e n eg a d e a r t s e n t e r ta i n m e n t.c o m

Genghis Con

Oliver Ho, Daniel Reynolds, Chris Peterson, Taylor Esposito, & Ruth Redmond Guilt-ridden Alexis seeks redemption and justice by taking part in a high-stakes rally race from England to Mongolia. She must team up with her ex-lover and fend off attacks from gangsters, whilst haunted by the spirit of a mysterious Mongol warrior. r e n eg a d e a r t s e n t e r ta i n m e n t.c o m

Alberta Blue

The Barnacle and the Seagull

Judd Palmer & Nina Palmer The Seagull and the Barnacle are good friends even though they’re very different. The Seagull flies over the ocean to wonderful places that the Barnacle can’t even imagine, because he’s spent his whole life stuck on a rock. Is the Barnacle sad? bay eu x .c o m

The Enormous Hill

Judd Palmer & Pityu Kenderes William and Bill climb to the top of an enormous hill. The hill is actually a sleeping giant, and the summit is the end of his nose. A great place to eat their sandwiches? The kids are in for the biggest adventure of their lives. bay eu x .c o m

Rescue at Fort Edmonton

Rita Feutl What draws Janey into the past? When will she discover the meaning of her adventures – and their crucial connection to her own family?

Rita Feutl’s first novel features a deftly handled plot and a wealth of fascinating characters from prairie history. n e w e s t p r e s s .c o m

Rescue in the Rockies

Rita Feutl Can 14-year-old Janey solve her time-hopping dilemma and save the lives of others before it’s too late? As she travels through time – first 1883, then an internment camp in WWI and finally post-war Banff – she struggles to escape chaotic situations. n e w e s t p r e s s .c o m

fiction

The Cine Star Salon

Leah Ranada Leah Ranada’s debut novel is a graphic and engaging depiction of the importance of women’s work and the loyalties that connect friends across oceans. The Cine Star Salon marks the entry of a vital new voice in Canadian literature. n e w e s t p r e s s .c o m

Happy Sands

Barb Howard Ginny Johnson and her family spend a week at Happy Sands Resort each summer. It’s always perfect. Mostly perfect. It could be perfect.

Probably. Bursting with quick humour and sharp wit, this is a book for anyone who’s spent a bad day at the beach. p r e s s .u c a lg a ry.c a

Icefields

Tenure

Kieran Egan Saved on the Whistler-Vancouver highway after his car malfunctions, druglord Mark Morata feels bound to reward his rescuer. Geoff, a frustratingly humble university professor, only wants the impossible: for his wife to get tenure at her university... n e w e s t p r e s s .c o m

Unlocking

Amy LeBlanc In Snowton, Alberta, secrets flourish like the crocuses in spring.

Award-winning author Amy Leblanc’s fiction debut blends Schitt’s Creek with Sunshine Sketches in a gripping read infused with mystery and quiet humour. p r e s s .u c a lg a ry.c a

poetry

Landmark Edition

Green Parrots in My Garden

Thomas Wharton First published in 1995, Icefields is an astonishing novel set in a mesmerizing landscape, one that is constantly being altered by the glacier and weather. It is a vivid, daring book that reveals the human spirit, loss, myth, and elusive truths. n e w e s t p r e s s .c o m

Poems from the Arab Middle East

Jane Ross Green Parrots in My Garden emerged from the years Jane Ross lived in the Arab and extended Middle East. The poems capture what that world held and holds for her: the constellation of culture, people and places. bay eu x .c o m

Last Tide

rump + flank

Andy Zuliani Ana and Win are frustrated by their job: photographing vacant lots, cataloguing the decline of capitalist excess. When the pair is sent to a rustic island in the Pacific Northwest, though, they realize that the job is the least of their problems. n e w e s t p r e s s .c o m

Carol Harvey Steski This unapologetic debut explores the body in many incarnations: human, animal, plant, microbe, even chemical. The result is a fantastic work that sheds light on what bodies – especially female ones – endure, probing pleasure, hope, deep loss, and trauma. n e w e s t p r e s s .c o m

SPIRIT OF THE WEST | HUGH MCLENNAN

Mistaken Identity

I

t was time to bring the Rafter SC cows and calves home to the Brash Ranch. It’s one of my favourite gathers riding in beautiful country with a couple of long-time neighbours.

I rode Cody over to the nearby Dalgleish ranch and met Bob Brash on his good gelding Deejay along with the Legend of Lloyd Creek himself, Vic Piva. He was not on his great bay mare but a big bald-faced sorrel gelding. He said his mare didn’t have shoes, so Vince (that’s Vic’s son) said, “Take my roping horse. You’ll really like him.”

18

Well, Vic wasn’t liking him. This horse had his head way up in the air, and all he wanted to do was run. By the time we found the cattle, Ol’ Sorrel had worked himself into a lather. He paid absolutely no attention to the cows. It was all Vic could do to keep the gelding from running all the time.

It was a long, hard climb up to locate the cows, and when they broke and ran, Cody and I lined out on a high lope and got them turned down the hill. Bob and Deejay got them slowed down and held up and as we waited for calves to find their mom’s. Vic was running the sorrel up and down the hill and around in circles. When he’d get him stopped and tried to hold him still, the horse would start pawing big holes in the ground.

With Bob and Deejay on the point, Cody and I were riding quietly along behind with Vic and Ol’ Sorrel stomping, prancing and circling along beside us. Bob and I couldn’t help laughing as we asked Vic if he was

having fun yet, but his answer was probably unprintable.

A few hours later, when we finally had the cows home safe and sound, Vic’s arms were about worn out, and he said, “I’m never riding this snaffle-chewing, slobber-slinging, head-tossing knothead again. What was Vince talking about anyway?”

About a week later, I got bucked off pretty hard and was too sore to do much when Vic came over for a visit.

“Did I tell you the latest on that horse I was riding last week?” he asked. “No,” I said. It turns out when he got home that day and told Vince what he thought of his rope horse, Vince said, “Dad, you took the wrong horse. That wasn’t my roping horse, that’s my daughter’s barrel racer, and he’s pretty hot. Probably never seen a cow.”

To Vic’s credit, the two geldings did look very similar, and I should mention that he’s about 86 and can still out-ride all of us. c

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

PHOTO BY BILLIE MCLENNAN

Rancher, working cowboy and long-time friend, Vic Piva

WHEEL TO WHEEL | BILLY MELVILLE

Wade Salmond, Success is no Accident

T

he great soccer star Pele once said “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” Pele’s words ring true for chuckwagon driver Wade Salmond, and the sophomore driver on the WPCA Pro Tour checked off every word of Pele’s prophetic statement.

PHOTO BY FRED VIDIUK

Before driving thoroughbred chuckwagons, Wade drove pony wagons and chariots for 25 years. He achieved a great deal of success over that time and won dozens of show championships, and

when the opportunity to join his younger brother Evan on the big circuit with the big wagons presented itself, Wade grabbed it. Former driver Cliff Cunningham told Wade, “If you’re going to go, don’t wait as long as I did.”

Now success as a pony wagon driver does not always translate to a successful chuckwagon driver — it’s a big step up, to say the least, and Wade knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he set some realistic goals for himself in his first season in 2019.

Although he ran well, it wasn’t until the second last show of the season where Wade finally won his first heat, and it was a bitter pill he was choking on.

“I couldn’t believe it took me that long to finally win a race,” said Salmond, “it was really getting to me. I wasn’t used to that.”

One small taste of prosperity made Wade hungry for more. He ran well the remainder of the season and finished it off in 28th place. A little behind his goal at the start of the season, but respectable, nonetheless. He

was looking forward to 2020, but as it did for everyone, the global pandemic took it away from him.

Fast forward to 2021. The continued health restrictions cancelled some events, and with some drivers electing not to compete, that put another season in doubt. But instead, the season went ahead, and Wade was one of a few drivers who answered the call to run a second wagon at shows if entries fell short.

Running a second hook is a lot of extra effort but driving chuckwagons is something Wade loves to do. The best way to learn is by doing, and Wade credits running a second wagon really helped in his development as a chuckwagon driver. The result was improving 20 spots in the World Standings to finish out the year in eighth position overall, and he is excited as he looks forward to carrying the success he achieved in 2021 into the 2022 season.

As Pele said, “Success is no accident.”

Just ask Wade Salmond. c

Wade Salmond racing in 2021

cowboycountrymagazine.com

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PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ ANATOLIY_GLEB

REFLECTIONS | BRYN THIESSEN

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Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

The One Who Holds My Hand /// I can see a packhorse grazing By the moonlight on the meadow As I sit around the fire recollecting on my day Satellite across the sky I’ll think about tomorrow The sound of the river I’ll dream of yesterdays.

I first uttered these words about 30 years back around a fire on the edge of a little meadow near the Red Deer River, a couple of miles upstream of home. It was mid-August, and I had a family out riding for a few days. As the moon rose past the hills around us, it illuminated the meadow and something in my soul. Whenever I say these words or close my eyes, I’m taken back to that moment and the memories that it includes.

I’m writing these words as Canadians are thinking of how they’re going to cook the Thanksgiving turkey, and by the time you read this, our American neighbours will be waking up from eating theirs. In a few weeks, we’ll gather again and remember Jesus’s birth; a week later, it’ll be New Year’s, where we look both forward and back.

Most of us are probably glad to see 2021 go.

We started off eager to leave 2020. Looking ahead, we thought we saw brighter days and more opportunities. We got some promises of relief from the pandemic, followed by a nationwide drought and uncertainty in the sustainability of some operations. I can’t see ahead past these times (if I could, I would go into politics and not have to lie), but I can look back.

On a personal note, 2021 started with some promise. As of early March, I’d acquired a new

set of teeth. I thought with less infection that I’d have an increase in energy. I counterbalanced this with getting sick in late April, ten days in the hospital and now on insulin to control blood sugar. I thought I’d take some time to recover and be back to normal by August. I learned that, like most of the rest of the world, I have to adjust to a new normal.

As my physical self ages (I’m in good shape for a man 30 years my senior), I look around and ahead at what the future seems to hold, and I wonder. I wonder where, what, and how I’ll be. I wonder what this world holds for my children, grandchildren and many others who are part of my circle. I wonder, but I don’t worry.

If you could saddle up and ride with me through the range that provides grass for my thoughts and hopes, you’d find the words of Ira Stanphill’s song, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,” strung between the posts that establish the boundaries.

Ira Stanphill was an accomplished musician and minister, serving in nine different organisations and preaching in over 40 countries. He’s written over 500 songs and wrote “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” when dealing with anxiety after his separation and eventual divorce.

The song’s chorus, “Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand, But I know who holds tomorrow, And I know who holds my hand...” speaks not just of my hope, but also what I wish for you.

May the coming year hold times of dreaming by the river, and when you look up and see a satellite, you’ll look beyond and see the One who holds your hand. 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

21

Top: Gerry Frost relaxing on a 1920s vintage chesterfield. His collection includes an Allen Sapp painting above the couch, a native pipe bag, a collection of trade beads, and a totem pole. Above (left): Alan Herschel hand-carved carousel pony from Winnipeg Beach; a rare “Levi’s Round-Up of Cowboy Lore” poster; a complete (1925–1940) National Park pass collection. These metal buffaloes were annual passes for Canada’s National Parks; 1948 Seeburg jukebox, loaded with classic 78-rpm country records. Above (right): Photograph of 1912 Calgary Stampede contestants and officials by Doc Marcell.

Stained glass hotel window from the Nobel Hotel in Calgary. A Dawes Black Horse that once stood behind the bar in the Calgary Press Club, a carved cedar folk art mask, a wood Winchester advertising sign. Opposite page: Cast aluminum buffalo from a hotel owned by the Calgary Brewing and Malting Co., a porcelain child’s barber chair complete with the original carved horse head.

22

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

A Touch of Frost Canadian Picker Story and Photos By BILL BORGWARDT

Calgarian Gerry Frost has been collecting and dealing in antiques and nostalgia for nearly five decades.

With his vast experience handling rare antiques and collectables, Gerry’s reputation has established him as one of the premier consultants for appraisals, sales or sleuthing out high-calibre items.

As a teenager, Gerry started collecting artefacts from Alberta breweries, especially Calgary Brewing & Malting. He morphed into various collecting categories, always looking for unique items and those in the best condition. In the 1990s, he was co-owner of an antique store, Howling Coyote Antiques, in Edmonton.

Because of his experience, knowledge and trusted reputation, and the fact that he has made connections all across Canada in the antique industry, Frost was hired

by Cineflix Productions in 2011 as a scout for film locations and to do appraisals for the reality television series, Canadian Pickers. For the third season, they added him to the cast.

Gerry has also appeared on two episodes of The Liquidator television reality series. Over the last five years, he has been hired by Jeff Schwartz, The 23

Top: Calgary Stampede official and guest pins from 1926 to 1931.

Above: Gerry Frost relaxing with his dog, Harley. Behind him is an original painting by country-folk artist Tom Russell, used on the cover of | Russell’s 2011 album, "Mesabi." The American started his musical career in the skid row bars of Vancouver in the 1970s. He is well-known as the co-writer of “Navajo Rug” with Ian Tyson. The totem pole is by a west coast artisan.

Liquidator, as a project manager, working with him and auctioneer Don Reinhart of Storage Wars Canada. Under contract with them, he managed several major projects in Vancouver and Toronto, sorting, identifying, and appraising thousands of antiques and collectables and preparing items for auction.

He quickly established his worth when he was helping with the liquidation of a prop house in Toronto and recovered a rare Canadian fruit jar from a box slated for the trash bin. He was then able to find a buyer who paid them well over $1,000 for the jar.

Throughout his near half-century of collecting, Gerry's keen eye has helped him amass an amazing personal collection, primarily composed of historical artefacts, art and folk art from Western Canada, along with some of the top advertising pieces produced in Canada. He shares his passion and eye for design with his wife Faye, and they proudly display everything in their Calgary home. c

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Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

IMAGES: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ MAGICPICS1806; STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ DETSHANA; PHOTO COURTESY TIM LASIUTA

Rare Carriages Find New Homes Story and Photos By TIM LASIUTA

It was the collection of a lifetime and the end of an era.

Over his lifetime, the late Lee Bowie of Penhold, Alta., had amassed a striking collection of historic carriages and accessories. When the final digital gavel fell on June 21, 2021, the collection had found new homes with collectors across Canada. cowboycountrymagazine.com

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This rare Newfoundland Taxi, ca. 1890 sold for $4,000 and went to a home in southern Alberta

“When Dad was alive, we wanted to have a live auction of his collection at the farm outside of Penhold,” said son Greg Bowie.

“However, due to health restrictions, we were not able to host the event at the farm and with his passing in early 2021, this was the next best option.”

The elder Bowie had been a collector of vintage carriages for close to 50 years, first getting the bug when he found a rare beauty in southern Saskatchewan. From there, his collection grew.

“Going through his paperwork, I found invoices for the carriages along with sales bills and catalogues,” said Greg. “He was meticulous, and it shows on the units.

People who bid online for the units had 26

vis a vis sold for $3,000

only seen pictures. When they came to pick them up they said that if they knew the quality, they would have bid on more items.

Many looked just like they came off the sales floor.”

The collection consisted of 20 units ranging from the late 1800s to the present, with many items being one of only a few available worldwide.

“This particular Newfoundland Taxi was built in 1890 and believed to be one of three in the world, and the only one not in a museum,” said Bowie. “At that time, they drove on the left side of the street, so the sleigh or the taxi is open on the left side.”

Other rare items included rumble seat carriages such as the Doctor’s Carriage, a

Bronson Surrey, an original McLaughlin Cutter Carriage and a mint New England Buckboard with rumble seat.

“My dad would have enjoyed this day,” said Greg during the public viewing and pick up days for the vintage carriage collection. “He loved talking to people and hearing their stories just as much as he liked telling stories.”

Unlike many collections, Bowie often hitched up his horses to the carriages and took his wife, Jessie, and family for rides along the country roads, remembered his daughter Kim. Having grown up with the carriages, Greg purchased two units for his own family.

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

STOCK.ADOBE.COM/LIKANARIS; SLEIGH PHOTOS BY TIM LASIUTA

New England Buckboard sold for $3,250

1917 Swan Dashboard Cutter sold for $2,200

Two Seater Fringe Top sold for $2,600

1912 Under Cut Trap Buggy sold for $3,650

Carriages and sleighs in the Bowie yard on viewing day

“I managed to pick up the Bronson Surrey and the Rumble Seat Fringe Surrey,” he added. “It would have been nice to keep it as a collection, but it would take an expensive building to house them properly to maintain the excellent condition they were in.”

Interest in the Prairie Auction came from as far away as Newfoundland with a radio show interviewing a daughter about the sale.

Close to 2,000 people registered to bid online.

When the final digital gavel fell, the sale realised nearly $70,000.

“On pick up day, we knew the purchasers were happy with the units and would cherish them just like Dad did,” said Greg. “The new owners and their families will make memories with these historical pieces.” c cowboycountrymagazine.com

1914 Fancy Doctor’s Buggy sold for $4,000

Left: 1910 Ladies Sunday Buggy sold for $2,550 Below: Estate Carriage sold for $5,201

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“What is Christmas?

It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.”

— Agnes M. Pahro

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The Trailblazers

By TERRI MASON

Canadians have long respected the trails blazed by those who came “before” and none more so than the Westerners. Perhaps because if you scratch the surface of those born here, you will find a deed to a homestead, a cattle brand, a receipt for cattle purchased in 1903, or a train ticket to Toronto from a trip to show cattle at the Royal Winter Fair.

We have long memories.

Andy Russell blazed a lot of trails in his lifetime. He was a talented big game guide and outfitter who parlayed his tracking skills into a successful career as an outdoors writer, photographer, and documentary filmmaker. He was a renowned mountain man who loved the wild things.

Who was the first Canadian woman (and so far, the only one) to win the coveted Gold buckle at the National Finals Rodeo? You got it; the Canadian trailblazer herself, Lindz Sears.

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Writer Tom Reardon brought the story of Canada’s most unique ambassadors, a talented group of Blackfoot cowboys who, in the depths of the Depression in 1938, blazed a trail across the ocean when they were invited to perform at the Royal Easter Show in New South Wales, Australia. To a man, their biggest source of pride was the fact that they were able to compete internationally for Canada — their Home and Native land.

One of the significant trailblazers in art Was Frederic Remington, whose depiction of a Metis buffalo hunter reloading by spitting a ball of lead into his rifle provided an insight into a lifestyle we’ll never see again.

We’ve all read the westerns or watched the movies depicting cattle drives — but thanks to an intrepid bunch from Texas, they traced the Great Western Trail. It began in Texas and covered a wide swath of grazing all the way to Saskatchewan and branching off into Alberta. The cairn marking the terminus of the trail is located at Val Marie, Saskatchewan.

Writer, photographer and historian Liz Twan of Williams Lake, B.C., brought us the remarkable true-life story of a hockey team that won the respect of fans, sportswriters, the NHL — and even an offer from the New York Rangers.

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

Bud Cotton blazed a dangerous trail when he became the first bison game warden, earning him the nickname, Buffalo Bud. The bison were the last remaining herd and were known as the Pablo-Allard herd.

After the U.S. government reneged on their deal to purchase the animals, the Canadian government swooped in and purchased them, rescuing them from extinction.

No country can lay claim to a greater trailblazer than explorer David Thompson. By the seat of his buckskin pants, using only a sextant, compass and two pocket watches, he mapped over 1.5 million square miles of North America.

Ironically, the much-celebrated American explorers, Lewis & Clark used maps made by David Thompson.

Our first Trailblazer was Grant MacEwan, who set the bar for the Trailblazers to follow.

MacEwan wore many hats, including farmer, professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Dean of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, the 28th Mayor of Calgary and both a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.

At one time, it was the law in Alberta that teams of horses must be wearing bells in the wintertime to give pedestrians and others warning that horses were approaching. Along with the photo is the reminder: “In times of war, bells were melted down to make cannons. In times of peace, cannons were melted down to make bells.”

Three actors that reinvented the Western with their portrayals of heroic, straighttalking heroes include Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood. Each actor has spent time shooting in Western Canada.

How Quiet is a Sleigh?

cowboycountrymagazine.com

31

TRAILBLAZERS

PEOPLE WHO SHAPED THE WEST

Herman Linder Canada’s “King of the Cowboys”

By TERRI MASON

I

f there was ever a cowboy born to rodeo, it was Herman Linder.

Herman was born in Darlington, Wisconsin, on August 5, 1907, to Herman, and his wife, Marie, immigrants from Switzerland.

In 1918 the family, which had grown to Herman, Warner and sisters Minnie and Leona, moved to Cardston, Alberta.

With all the vigour of youth, Herman and his brother soon tired of raising crops and began to ride young steers and wild range horses for amusement. You could say his first “professional” ride was when, at age 12, a threshing crew gave him one dollar to ride a snorty harness horse on the open prairie.

He won that dollar, and it wasn’t long before the brothers took to rodeoing.

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When he was 14, Herman shocked his hometown crowd when he rode in disguise using the alias “Alberta Pearl.” He wore a floppy girl’s hat, “tied under the chin with a pretty red ribbon, faded middy and a short skirt hidden by big, sheepskin chaps.” Linder earned a whopping $6 for his Alberta Pearl ride, and the crowd at Cardston thought they’d witnessed their first female bronc rider.

According to Calgary Stampede Legacy, the first time Linder competed in the Calgary Stampede in 1929, he won the bareback title. In 1934, he won the bareback and bull riding events, earning the moniker “King of the Cowboys.” On the Legacy site, Linder is listed as winning seven major Calgary championships in bareback and bull riding. His Hall of Fame biography says he “won an unprecedented 22 championships, including 12 AllAround titles at the Calgary Stampede.”

(The Legacy site only lists major awards.)

Linder wrote that his shining moment came when he married a shy, young school teacher, Agnes Zeller, in South Dakota on Christmas Day of 1932. Their union lasted 52 years, and together the couple followed the rodeo circuit in Canada and the U.S., visited Australia twice, built a thriving cattle ranch and established friendships that would span the globe. They travelled to Australia by ocean liner in 1936 and again in 1938. Linder twice won the International Cup for saddle bronc riding, which the Aussies called “buckjumping.” The Cups remain on display today at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.

Only once did Agnes miss a big event. In 1934 Herman had travelled to London, England, to compete in a month-long Wild West show by U.S. promoter Tex Austin. The event was a financial flop, but Linder won money in saddle bronc, bareback, wild horse race

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

Herman Linder bull riding at the Calgary Stampede

and steer riding. Agnes decided it was a case of either going to London or staying home and getting a new cookstove. The stove won out.

In 1936, Linder joined 60 other cowboys in staging the famous rodeo cowboy

“Herman Linder is inducted in six Halls PHOTO CREDIT CALGARY STAMPEDE ARCHIVES

of Fame ...” strike at the Boston Garden. This action led to the birth of today’s Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Later he was involved in the foundation of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association.

Following his retirement as a competing cowboy, Linder produced many rodeo cowboycountrymagazine.com

competitions, including one presented at Expo 67 in Montréal, Quebec.

In the early 1980s, Linder rode in the Stampede parade with fellow rodeo luminaries such as six-time world all-around champion Larry Mahan and son-in-law Tom Bews (Rosemary), who won the Canadian All-Around title five times. In 1994, at the age of 88, Linder was back in the saddle, riding in the Stampede parade.

Herman Linder is inducted in six Halls of Fame, including Lethbridge Exhibition, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, Cardston Centennial Sport and the Main Anjou Hall of Fame. He was made an honorary chief of the Kainai (Blood) tribe and given the name Calf Shirt — Oni-Stasi-Sokosimi. He was named to the Order of Canada in 1998.

Herman Linder died in Cardston, Alberta, on January 18, 2001. He is buried in the Cardston Cemetery. c

Herman Linder holding one of his All-Around trophies that he won at the Calgary Stampede in the 1930s. The bronze was created

by Charlie Beil.

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COWBOY WAY

Cowboy Choreography Learn How to Read a Herd

By DYLAN BIGGS

W

I recall back in the early ’90s moving a herd of cattle with my brother-in-law. We were moving about 350 pair north up a road allowance fenced on the west ditch and open to the section of pasture on the east side. We didn’t have far to go to get through the next gate then the road allowance was fenced on both sides again. The cattle really started to drag, so he started pressuring the back harder. I was on the side near the front to be in a position to prevent them from veering out into the pasture. But the more he pushed on the back, the more they wanted to veer out.

The harder I pushed the front over, the more it slowed the movement, and so the harder he pushed. We were pushing against each other, creating a lot of unnecessary work.

I remember Bud [Williams] pointing out that when two cowboys are riding parallel on opposite sides of the herd, and they are both applying sustained pressure, someone is wrong. It won’t be long before cattle are popping out of the herd — this is what happened to us.

34

So who’s in the wrong spot? A couple of things to consider. First, movement is always the top priority. Get movement, then work on steering it. That means whoever is directing the front of the herd may have to fade back and out. You might even end up at the back of the herd, but watch the cattle; they’ll tell you when you’ve moved off far enough.

If the herd movement starts to deteriorate, each rider needs to assess their position and adjust it accordingly. If a rider fails to read the herd and the other riders positions, they become a liability.

A position such as drag, flank, swing or lead can all be helpful at the right time in the right situation, but these same positions can also be a problem. Sometimes you shouldn’t be there; other times, you can be there but just not quite so close, so long, or so fast.

Out of the endless scenarios, I am going to choose three that will hopefully illustrate my point.

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ LIFEJOURNEYS

hen you are moving a herd solo, and the move doesn’t go as anticipated, you can blame the cattle or the weather or your dog or your horse, or you can swallow your pride and figure out what you could have done differently. The thing you can’t do is blame your human help, family member, hired help or neighbour.

COWBOY WAY

The first is moving a herd in a pasture with the drag rider behind a herd going north along a west fence line.

A common misperception is that the drag rider should be right along the fence, pressuring behind and holding that position when other riders cover flank, swing, and lead. I always thought I wasn’t doing my job if I wasn’t pushing, even if the cows were happy to go along without me pushing (and Lord knows, we always want to be helpful.) The problem is that sustained pressure on that fence line drag position will often cause the front of the herd to veer to the east off the fence — even with a large herd. If the drag rider isn’t aware of the effect his position and pressure are having, he can be causing work for the lead and swing riders. If the herd is going along fine, the drag rider should be out to the side of the herd, not riding behind. A cow likes to see you. Of course, there are circumstances where you have to stay behind as on a fenced road allowance, but if the cattle are going along, stay back far enough that they can travel without feeling bothered.

The second scenario that happens very often is swing riders that want to make sure the side stays right. In their desire to do a “good job,” they press in too tight and inadvertently veer the cattle out, either ahead of or behind them or both, causing more work for the other riders. Or, if they need to move up along the herd to get to a position closer to the front, they ride too close and cowboycountrymagazine.com

stop the cattle as they pass them. I have seen riders go to the lead to direct the herd, and by the time they got to the front, the whole herd had stopped. The surest way to kill your herd movement is to pass too close. Anytime you are passing cattle, you should shoulder-check to make sure you aren’t stopping the herd.

The third scenario that often happens is when trailing a herd across open range. The cattle are quietly travelling along, but then to stay on course, they need to be turned to the left. The left swing and possibly the left flank rider will need to open up their positions.

Those riders may need to drop back entirely to the drag position so the right side riders can bend the herd left. Again, watch the cattle; they’ll let you know when you’re out of their way.

These three scenarios show that there are circumstances when riders need to change their position so others can do their job smoothly.

Watching experienced cowhands move a herd is a real pleasure to witness. But when riders are each assessing the situation differently, the chance of a smooth move is slim. A leader needs to be prepared to coach the other riders, and they need to be coachable.

Otherwise, the process will be a lot more work than necessary. Being a good coach is a skill — and so is being a coachable drover. c 35

THE WESTERNERS

Hey, Ho, Away We Go Donkey Riding

PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ MARTIN FALLY

By DONNA QUICK

36

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

THE WESTERNERS

These photos show the author competing in Trail class on her Large Standard gelding, Spider, and also the ribbons the duo won.

The author’s husband Ken who stands 6 feet on his Mammoth, Skeeter. A Mammoth Jenny and her foal.

T PHOTOS COURTESY DONNA QUICK (4X)

he cowgirl rides into the sunset across a waving sea of prairie grass mounted on her faithful … saddle donkey?

While you may not come across this scene anytime soon, donkeys are becoming more popular as mounts for adults, especially in the U.S. Modern donkeys are now being bred in the 14, 15, or even 16 hands high range, and this means that donkeys can be a practical alternative to a horse or mule as a saddle animal.

The ancestry of donkeys in the New World is so mixed that they are classified only according to size. Mammoth cowboycountrymagazine.com

donkeys must be a minimum of 14 hands.

Large Standards must be 13.1, and shorter donkeys are categorised as either Small Standards or the familiar Miniatures. The word “burro” is usually only used for wild donkeys in the U.S. Donkeys are much less likely than a horse or mule to buck, rear, shy or bolt,* making them a good choice for beginning, senior, or disabled riders. And they’re ideal for people who have limited time to ride. Donkeys won’t become hard to handle if they’re ridden infrequently.

There’s no need to dread that first ride in the spring.

Training a donkey can be more challenging than training a horse in some respects.

In other ways, donkey training is easier and less stressful. Many people report just

saddling up and climbing on for the first time with no problems. But it’s still advisable to go through the same steps you would use when starting a horse.

Donkeys are sometimes less willing than horses to follow their rider’s commands unquestionably. They often put their comfort and safety first. The training process can take longer because they have a low tolerance for repetitious ring work. They usually respond better to voice and leg aids than to neck reining. Since they’re slow to mature, donkeys shouldn’t be ridden until age four.

It’s harder to fine-tune a donkey. Backing, side passing, and crossing water isn’t on a donkey’s want-to-do list but will (eventually) give in. One U.S. trainer had a jack who would negotiate a jump course 37

THE WESTERNERS

Donkey Trivia The Stuff of Legends

By TERRI MASON

A Rose By Any Other Name There is no difference between a donkey, a burro and an ass.

“Ass” was the original name for a donkey, and its scientific name is equus africanus asinus. For many years, “ass” and “she-ass” were normal terms that people used to describe their pack animals.

“Burro” is the Spanish word for donkey.

Fun fact: “Burrito” means “little donkey” and was probably coined because of the similarities between a stuffed taco and a stuffed pack on the back of a donkey.

A “jackass” actually refers to a mule and not a donkey. It has this nickname because mules are created by cross-breeding a male donkey and female horse, and male donkeys are called jacks.

A Flock?

The correct terms for a group of donkeys are a drove, herd, or pace of donkeys.

Happy Birthday Female donkeys have one of the longest gestation periods in the animal kingdom.

They’re pregnant for anywhere between 10–14 months.

Most Popular Donkeys Mammoth: Often are used for breeding.

Miniature: Popular pets.

Grand Noir du Berry: Used for hauling and riding.

The Original Hybrid Donkeys: Males are Jacks, females are Jennet or Jenny, a gelded donkey is a gelding.

Mules: A male donkey crossed with a female horse. They are infertile, but males are always gelded and called a John. Females are a Molly.

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Hinnies: A horse stallion crossed with a female donkey. Also infertile.

Zonkeys: A donkey crossed with a zebra.

(That’s just wrong…) — Editor

Brrrrr

Donkeys are vulnerable to the cold. Created for a warm climate, donkeys have thin coats and don’t grow a winter coat, so they need good protection to make it through a Canadian winter. Conversely, donkeys are known for their big, pointed ears, and they are used to cool down when they get overheated.

Savvy Donkeys can be trained to respond to dozens of voice commands. They have amazing memories and recognise a person or route they haven’t seen for years. They’re also adept at solving problems.

Rare

White donkeys are extremely rare. There are less than a hundred of them in the world, and most are on the island of Sardinia.

These donkeys are small (less than nine hands) and have white/blonde coats with blue or pink eyes. Legend says the white donkeys were shipwrecked; another says they were a gift to Sardinia from an Egyptian pharaoh.

“Mules are known for their surefootedness.”

There are donkey and mule clubs in Western Canada for donkey riders who would enjoy interacting with other longears owners. The Alberta Donkey and Mule Club is an active group that put on an annual show and organise trail rides and clinics.

If you want absolute obedience and the ability to compete with horses, a donkey may not be for you. On the other hand, if you want to take on the challenge of working with a completely different member of the equine family or simply enjoy a stressfree trail ride, a saddle donkey may just be the ticket. c * No animal is bomb-proof, and even the most well-trained animal can buck, rear, shy or bolt, so use common sense with a new horse or a new donkey. — Editor

Biblical Legend

Donkeys have a visible cross of a dorsal stripe running from the poll (between the ears) to their tail and intersected by a dark line across the withers and down over the shoulders.

Legend has it that the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem was forever marked by the shadow of the cross that fell across its back as Jesus was crucified. Every donkey bears this cross to this day.

For more on donkeys, visit: Canadian Donkey & Mule Association (Est. 1988) DonkeyandMule.com

Alberta Donkey and Mule Club (Est. 1989) AlbertaDonkeyandMule.ca All About Longears Longears.ca

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ GEZA FARKAS

Here is some thought-provoking trivia about this ancient beast of burden.

....continued from page 37 at a steady canter. Other riders use their donkeys for roping, team penning and similar events.

Steve Shaw is a donkey enthusiast who lives near Tucson, AZ. He and his partner Maxine own the 3D Ranch (Desert Donkeys and Dogs), which includes a string of 10 saddle donkeys. Desert and mountain rides are available to their Airbnb guests that visit them for a “braycation.” According to Shaw, “Mules are known for their surefootedness. They get that from their donkey daddies. Properly trained and conditioned, the saddle donkey is one of the most reliable mounts. They will take you to the rough country and bring you home safely.”

WHAT WORKS FOR US

Parlez Vous Highland?

A Study in Genetics

By TERRI MASON

PHOTO COURTESY JOHN BADGER

“

What works for us is springtime calving, usually starting around the middle of April. Sometimes we aim for three months, April, May, and the beginning of June is when I'd like it to be finished. There are always stragglers because we don't pull our bulls until Nov 1.

If there’s an August calf, I catch the calf, castrate [banding], and then allow them back out with the cow for the winter. If she’s pregnant, about two weeks before she gives birth, she’ll wean the calf herself. Otherwise, if she’s open, I don’t take the calf off the cow until October, November, so the calf is on the cow for about a year. That’s the most inexpensive way to put on weight. Your cow is working for you all year, and it’s a very efficient way of doing it.

Why we chose Highland cattle is an easy question to answer — it's the low maintenance. What works for us is letting them do it on their own. We sold the dairy herd and quota between 1982 and 1985 and got into Highlands about 30-odd years ago.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

My dad and my mum, Donald and Margaret Badger, initiated that switch. They went around Western Canada, eastern Canada, and down into the states, and they plucked out the Highland cattle that they liked and brought them here to make the beginning of their herd.

We select for small teats because small teats help the newborn calf get on [nurse] without any intervention. In our opinion, a cow should be able to calve by herself and start nursing her calf without intervention.

It doesn’t matter whether she has a crooked horn or whatever, as long as she can nurse that calf by herself, that's a good cow.

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WHAT WORKS FOR US get your calf down on this front knees, to get them low enough that he can get under there and start nursing. So for 30 years, we've been selecting small teats and only using bulls from our cows with small teats.

We also select for nice, short toenails, strong feet, a straight back — all those beeftype characteristics. We also started testing growth rate. We realised that there was quite a big difference in the Highlands in growth rate; we got up to over three pounds a day with some of our genetics, so we also started selecting for growth rate, temperament and small teats. I do a temperament check every fall when I wean, and we only keep the quiet ones.

I give all the credit to my parents. They studied genetics at McGill in Montreal, and they got me started on Highland cattle. I grew up milking cows, and I didn't really want to keep milking cows, and neither did my dad.

That's why they made the switch. They knew the importance of genetics when it comes to breeding and selecting. So everything I've learned, I learned from them — and that’s what works for us.” — John Badger c

CALVING ( ) EQUIPMENT and calf and calf processing

1-800-661-7002 40

hi-hog.com

Lyon’s Pride / Ferme Badger (Badger Farm) Owners: John Badger & Manon Legros Nearest Town: Knowlton or Brome Lake, Quebec Established: 1881 Elevation: 211 m (692 feet) Annual Precipitation: 1,334 mm (52.5 inches/year) Cattle Herd: 200 head Cattle Breed: Registered Highland Size: 1,000 acres +Brand: Tattoo in Right Ear (LP48J — example)

-HOG HI

Est. 1974

livestock equipment livestock panels & gates livestock feeders (and free handling system design)

KEEP IT SIMPLE Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

PHOTO COURTESY JOHN BADGER

There's a ligament in the back of the udders that holds the udder up. With age, that ligament drops down. The lower the udder is to the ground and the bigger the circumference and length of the teat, the harder it is for the calf to get that very first suck. If he doesn't suck, he dies.

If you have to go out there and catch your cow and calf, put them in a headgate and try to get them to start nursing, well, if you've got five or so cows, that's not so bad. But if you've got 80 cows, then it's not feasible.

We discovered that genetically, your cow’s can have these great big cucumber teats or nice tiny little teats about the size of your little finger. When your cow is at her maximum and ready to calve, all her milk is in her udder, and her teats are still tiny. And with a nice high udder, the newborn calf gets on right away.

Another thing we noticed is that cows with big, hanging udders and big teats, sometimes the calf ends up trying to nurse on a clump of hair that he thinks is life. Then you got to catch him, break that habit, push their head way down, sometimes even have to

Pro Rodeo

CANADA CFR CHAMPIONS!

INSIDER

Riley Warren (pictured here on his tie-down mare, Mona) earned his third Canadian High Point Championship and first Canadian Tie-Down Roping title. CFR photo by Covy Moore.

RODEOCANADA.COM cowboycountrymagazine.com

CANADIAN COWBOY COUNTRY DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022 41

Pro Rodeo Canada Insider Congratulations and best of luck to the Canadian contenders at the 2021 National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas!

STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ SOMCHAIJ

Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alta.

Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alta.

Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alta.

Orin Larsen, Inglis, Man. Scott Guenthner, Provost, Alta.

Layton Green, Meeting Creek, Alta.

Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alta.

Shelby Boisjoli, Stephenville, TX (raised at Langdon, Alta.)

Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, Alta.

Ben Andersen, Rocky Mountain House, Alta.

Sarah Morrissey, Ellensburg, WA (raised in Merritt, BC)

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Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

C.P.R.A.

Thank You The 47th Canadian Finals Rodeo was a celebration of CPRA athletes, stock, fans and partners, along with a return to the organization’s premier event after a year hiatus — and it was an outstanding CFR. CPRA management, Board of Directors and staff, would like to congratulate all the 2021 Champions and extend a big thank you to Westerner Park and the City of Red Deer for a job well done.

CFR47 saw a return to a Wednesday-to-Sunday schedule with a kick-off Night of Champions gala evening Nov 2, where season leaders, qualifiers and award winners were recognized. Fans enjoyed early evening performances Nov 3–6 and two matinee performances — one on Saturday, Nov 6 and the final performance Sunday, Nov 7. While attendance was lower than in 2019, an impressive 25,000 fans enjoyed the 2021 CFR. Overall, $1.17M was paid out to CPRA rodeo athletes over the five-day Finals that saw a lot of drama. Two-time World Saddle Bronc Champion Zeke Thurston earned his second consecutive Canadian Championship and roper Riley Warren won his third consecutive High Point title and first Tie-down Roping Championship. For the first time, a Canadian Ladies Breakaway Roping Champion was crowned when the defending National High School titleholder, Kendal Pierson, secured the Championship by winning all three breakaway rounds and the aggregate.

Along with the fast-paced arena action, attendees and athletes enjoyed nightly buckle presentations, exciting cabaret shows, a well-attended Western lifestyle trade show and a number of other events in both Red Deer and surrounding communities. The Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Ponoka hosted visitors throughout CFR as well.

While fans who came to Red Deer enjoyed a dynamic CFR week, those at home were able, once again, to see the CFR in real-time via the FloRodeo broadcast. Subscribers can view the archived performances at FloRodeo.com.

Along with a return to CFR, the CPRA was excited to see the second Maple Leaf Circuit Finals run in Regina, Sask. Nov 24–27 as part of Canadian Western Agribition. Congratulations to the winners! This event kicked off our 2022 season.

Congratulations to the nine Canadian competitors who, in addition to a broad list of Canadian stock contractors and their animals, will be representing our country at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Dec 2–11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. As we look back on an abbreviated but successful 2021, we extend a sincere thank you to our members, sponsors, fans, rodeo committees and their volunteers. Thank you to those committees that were able to move ahead and have a rodeo this year. And we’ll be excited to see a full roster of events, including some new ones, as we move into 2022. We appreciate everyone’s efforts over the last months as we all travelled a challenging road.

Finally, we’d like to wish everyone a happy Christmas season and an amazing year ahead. See you on the rodeo trail.

2022 CPRA Schedule JANUARY

Red Deer, AB * (BR)

FEBRUARY

Claresholm, AB * (BR)

MARCH

Dawson Creek, BC — new rodeo

APRIL

Medicine Hat, AB Crowsnest Pass (Coleman), AB

MAY

Drayton Valley, AB Falkland, BC Swift Current, SK * (BR) Innisfail, AB * (SB) Stavely, AB Grande Prairie, AB — Pro Tour Leduc, AB

JUNE

Hand Hills, AB Leduc, AB Bonnyville, AB Brooks, AB Rocky Mountain House, AB Lea Park/Marwayne, AB Wildwood, AB * (SB) Innisfail, AB Wainwright, AB — Pro Tour Sundre, AB High River, AB Ponoka, AB — Pro Tour *SB-Saddle Bronc *BR-Bull Riding All dates are subject to change. Please visit RodeoCanada.com for up-to-date information.

Terry Cooke President, Canadian Professional Rodeo Association cowboycountrymagazine.com

43

Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

CFR 47 CHAMPIONS DECLARED

2021 Canadian Finals Rodeo Champions, from left, Miss Rodeo Canada Alicia Erickson, All-Around Champion and Bull Riding Champion Jared Parsonage, Barrel Racing Champion Justine Elliott, High Point and Tie-Down Roping Champion Riley Warren, Saddle Bronc Champion Zeke Thurston, Team Roping Heeler Champion Tyce McLeod, Team Roping Header Champion Clay Ullery, Steer Wrestling Champion Cody Cassidy, Bareback Riding Champion Clint Laye, Junior Steer Riding Champion Kane Scott, Breakaway Roping Champion Kendal Pierson, Stock of the CFR rep’s BB & SB Horse of the CFR Calgary Stampede Keith Marrington, Bull of the CFR Curtis Sawyer, Miss Rodeo Canada Lady-in-Waiting Jayden Calvert. Missing: Novice Saddle Bronc Champion Brodie Roessler and Novice Bareback Champion Cruz McNulty. CFR photo by Covy Moore.

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C.P.R.A.

45

Pro Rodeo Canada Insider Kole Ashbacher on 2021 Top Saddle Bronc of the CFR, W-16 Wild Cherry.

CFR photo by Covy Moore.

I

IT WAS A FITTING FINALE FOR THE RETURN OF PROFESSIONAL RODEO IN CANADA. AFTER A 24-MONTH ABSENCE, THE CANADIAN FINALS RODEO RETURNED TO RED DEER’S PEAVEY MART CENTRIUM TO RING DOWN THE CURTAIN ON THE ABBREVIATED 2021 SEASON. IT WAS A WEEK FILLED

WITH JUBILATION AND HEARTBREAK, AND MOST OF ALL, DRAMA, AS THE 2021 CANADIAN CHAMPIONS WERE CROWNED ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

While several races went down to the last ride or run, one event was decided before the afternoon action began. For Big Valley, Alta., superstar saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston, Sunday afternoon’s final performance was a coronation. The king of Canadian saddle bronc riders posted an 85.5 score on C5 Rodeo’s Trump Card for third in the round to go with two earlier round wins, two secondplace finishes and a previous third.

“Kicking it off with a go-round win at the start of the week got the ball rolling, and you can ride that wave the rest of the week.

Having that big of a cushion (going into the final round) is darn nice, but even if I didn’t, 46

I’d go out there and do what I always do,” Thurston said.

The two-time World Champion and defending Canadian Champion earned 41,760 points at the CFR for a season total of 74,383. Thurston also claimed the aggregate title.

One of the most dramatic finishes came in steer wrestling. Five-time Canadian Champion Cody Cassidy virtually had to win the round and move up a couple of places in the aggregate to claim the sixth win.

“Overall, I had good steers and got off to a good start,” Cassidy commented.

“Saturday afternoon, I had a steer I knew would be tricky to catch. Unfortunately, I let him slip through my grasp, but that’s part of it. I came back with two good steers after that. You can come here (to the Finals) five or six times, and just because you’re here doesn’t mean you’ll have the opportunity to win it. You still have to draw good.”

Cassidy did what he had to, and the stars aligned to give the Donalda, Alta., bulldogger an 8,000 point margin of victory. The six titles equal the Canadian record total established by Hall of Famer Bud Butterfield over a half-century ago in 1963.

The final ride of the 2021 Canadian Finals Rodeo provided one of the most thrilling moments of the entire week. Maple Creek, Sask., bull rider Jared Parsonage who had earlier been declared All-Around Champion of Canada, mastered Outlaw Buckers’ Homegrown for 87 points to claim the aggregate and his first Canadian bull riding title.

“It was a tough set of bulls, and the guys stepped up all week and made some good rides,” Parsonage explained. “I knew it was in my hands today. It’s simple — do a good job riding him, and the rest will take care of itself. I expected those guys to ride those good bulls, but at the same time, I expected myself to do the same thing.”

Parsonage wasn’t the only two-event winner at this Canadian Finals Rodeo.

Though Sundre roper Riley Warren managed only a 10.6 run in the final round of tie-down roping, adversity plagued a couple of the overall leaders heading into Sunday. Warren emerged as the aggregate Champion and parlayed that to a 3,000 point advantage over second-place man Logan Bird to claim his first tie-down roping title. That result, coupled with a second-place finish in the team roping, earned Warren his third High Point buckle.

In the ladies barrel racing, it was Justine Elliott’s day. Despite not winning a round, the Lacombe, Alta., cowgirl, and her two-time Barrel Horse of the Year, Blondy maintained a consistent approach displayed throughout the week with a 14.262-sec run to place fourth on the final day. That consistency gave the three-time CFR qualifier the aggregate title and a 13,000 point edge to win her first Canadian title in the final standings. Elliott’s closest rival in the see-saw battle that defined the week, Lynette Brodoway, though running

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

C.P.R.A.

first on the ground, hit a barrel, ending her opportunity for a title this year.

It went down to the wire in the bareback event on the final day of CFR. But it was six-time CFR qualifier Clint Laye who came out on top to win his first Canadian title. Laye headed into the final performance with the highest overall season earnings and sitting third in the lucrative aggregate. The Cadogan, Alta., cowboy rode C5 Rodeo’s Black Feathers to 87 points and second spot in the round for a total of 44,751 points. Laye held off the hardcharging Ty Taypotat, who was coming off back-to-back wins on Saturday but only managed 83.75 pts to tie for sixth in the final round. The margin of victory was less than 300 points between good friends Laye and Taypotat. The veteran Taypotat, who began CFR in eleventh place, made a huge move and won the aggregate but fell short in his title quest.

The team roping championship for 2021 was split between Alberta and Saskatchewan as team roping header Valleyview cowboy Clay Ullery teamed with Waldeck, Sask., heeler Tyce McLeod for the win. The pair needed at least a 6.6-second, fourthplace finish to clinch the aggregate and the Canadian Championship. The Sask., team of Brady Chappel and Tee McLeod saw their title aspirations vanish with an unlucky notime in the final round.

History was made at Westerner Park on Nov 7 as the first-ever ladies breakaway roping champion was determined after three rounds of action. Second-generation cowgirl and National High School Champion Kendal Pierson of Wardlow, Alta., won all three rounds to secure the title in front of a large and appreciative Centrium crowd.

Junior event winners were Brodie Roessler from Fairview, Alta. in the Novice Saddle Bronc Riding; Cruz McNulty from Biggar, Sask., in the Novice Bareback and Kane Scott from Condor, Alta., in the Steer Riding.

Top Stock of the CFR included two Calgary Stampede horses; A-91 Agent Lynx in the bareback riding and W-16 Wild Cherry in the saddle bronc. Sawyer Pro Rodeo’s -5 Train Wreck won Bull of the CFR. CPRA and Westerner Park organizers were very pleased with the attendance and enthusiasm shown by fans and competitors alike as the CFR made a triumphant return. c cowboycountrymagazine.com

Griffin Smeltzer coming off of 2021 Bull of the CFR, Sawyer’s -5 Train Wreck. CFR photo

by Covy Moore.

Dylan Bilton on Top Bareback Horse of the CFR, Calgary Stampede’s A-91 Agent Lynx.

CFR photo by Covy Moore.

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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider Layton Green of Meeting Creek, Alta., on Vold Rodeo’s 11 Shorty. 2018 CFR photo by Billie-Jean Duff.

ROAD TO THE NFR

THE CANADIANS IN VEGAS

By TIM ELLIS

N

INE CANADIAN COWBOYS QUALIFIED FOR THE NATIONAL FINALS RODEO THIS SEASON, AND EACH HAD REASONS FOR WHY COMPETING IN LAS VEGAS IN 2021 WOULD BE SPECIAL. FOR STEER WRESTLER SCOTT GUENTHNER, HIS FOURTH TRIP TO THE FINALS

WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY PROVE TO BE AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY.

“It is my last year competing in the U.S.,” confided the 30-year-old Guenthner, whose wife, Becky, was due to have their second child the day after the NFR. “This NFR could be a lot different because it will be my last one. That’s what I’ve committed to, and that’s what my plan is.”

“I think it’s time for a change in life. I want to get back to the ranch and help my dad and sisters and brothers-in-law. And my son is at the age where he knows where I am. Near the end of the season, he didn’t want to face-time, didn’t want to say goodbye. I think it’s my time to come back.”

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Fellow bulldogger Curtis Cassidy has been treating his recent NFR qualifications as if they were his last. But he continues to defy even his own odds.

“I never expected to make the NFR when I was 40,” says the 43-year-old Cassidy, who has now competed at the Finals in three different decades. “Here I am making my third trip in my 40s.”

His first qualification came at the age of 24. This is his eighth, putting him one behind two-time World champion Lee Graves for the most steer wrestling qualifications by a Canadian.

Bronc rider Zeke Thurston already has seven qualifications at the age of 27, but the two-time World champ admits it’s not getting any easier.

“This was probably the toughest year I had trying to win consistently,” offers Thurston, who hasn’t missed an NFR since 2015.

“It’s incredible how many good bronc riders there are. It’s fun to be a part of.”

Among the group of which Thurston speaks are four other Canadians who will join him in Las Vegas: NFR rookies Ben Andersen of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., and Kolby Wanchuk of Sherwood Park, Alta., two-time NFR qualifier Dawson Hay of Wildwood, Alta., (who posted the highest marked score of the season with his record-tying 95-point ride at the Hardgrass Bronc Match in Pollockville) and Layton Green, who returns to the bright lights for the first time since 2017, the year he also won the Canadian saddle bronc championship.

“I don’t think I got to a hundred rodeos combined in the last three years,” says Green, who dislocated a bone in his leg in 2018, suffered a badly broken leg in 2019 and dealt with a separated shoulder and pulled groin last season. “I finally just went home last summer to fully heal up and came back at 100 per cent this season.”

Rounding out the Canadian contingent in Las Vegas is 2016 World heeling champion Jeremy Buhler of Arrowwood, who also returns for the first time since 2017, and Canadian-born bareback rider Orin Larsen, who joins Thurston in qualifying for the seventh consecutive season. c

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

LISTINGS

CPRA PRO RODEO AND EVENT COMMITTEES A professional rodeo’s main fuel is its volunteers.

To get involved with your favourite professional rodeo, whether it be in the field of volunteering, sponsorship, fundraising or on the committee, here is the contact information in (mainly) alphabetical order for the top pro rodeos in the West.

Who likes Grass-Fed DryAged Beef, Soy-Free Chicken, Heritage Pasture-Raised Pork & Lamb, and Free-Range Eggs & Turkey? WE DO!

SHOP ONLINE TK Ranch, Hanna, AB 403.854.8532 hello@tkranch.com tkranch.com

Books available at www.akkermansart.com

FINALS Maple Leaf Circuit Finals Canadian Western Agribition Regina, SK Agribition.com Canadian Finals Rodeo Red Deer, AB CFRRedDeer.ca

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Airdrie Pro Rodeo Airdrie, AB AirdrieProRodeo.com Benalto Stampede Benalto, AB BenaltoAgriSociety.ca Bonnyville Pro Rodeo Bonnyville, AB BonnyvilleAgSociety.com cowboycountrymagazine.com

Bowden Daze Pro Rodeo Bowden, AB BowdenAgSociety.com Broncs & Honky Tonks Spring Indoor Rodeo Medicine Hat, AB MHStampede.com Brooks Kinsmen Pro Rodeo Brooks, AB BrooksKinsmen.ca Bruce Stampede Bruce, AB BruceStampede.ca Chad Besplug Invitational Claresholm, AB ChadBesplug.com

Newly released, Sully The Rodeo Pickup Horse is a children’s book inspired by and written from the perspective of a real life pickup horse.

This book was written and hand-painted for audiences 6-11 years old, but it’s message of bravery and the bond between horse and cowboy is sure to capture the hearts of many!

place your ad

here 780-628-5216 1-800-943-7336

49

LISTINGS K & K Livestock Co.

Cody Snyder Charity Bull Bustin Calgary, AB CodySnyderBullBustin.com

Your 5 STAR Store for Horse, Tack, Saddles, Giftware & Feed Supplies

Livestock Co. P: 1.877.934.5835 www.kklivestock.com

Cody Snyder Xtreme Bulls Invitational Swift Current, SK CodySnyderBullBustin.com Coronation Pro Rodeo Coronation, AB Facebook

All season guest ranch No minimum stay Epic trail rides!

Snow mobile and ATV/Quad tours Farm to table 3 course dinners Private hot tubs Pet Friendly

P: 250.593.9807 MontanaHillGuestRanch.com

OLD BALDY RANCH Breeding AQHA/NFQH Blue Roan & Grullo AW Blue Fire N Te AW Poco Kintaro 98% Axels N Steel Dust 98%

Summer Wrangler Positions: Christian camp located in the Rockies is hiring 2 and 4 month wranglers May to August.

E: brent@bluebronna.org bluebronna.org

www.equinerehab.ca 50

Dallas Sunstrum Memorial Pro Rodeo Brooks, AB Facebook

Drayton Valley Pro Rodeo Drayton Valley, AB DraytonValleyProRodeo.com

Blue Bronna Wilderness Camp

7 Day and 6 Week Programs

Daines Ranch Rodeo Innisfail, AB InnisfailProRodeo.com

Dawson Creek Stampede Dawson Creek, BC DawsonCreekEx.ca

P: 250-843-7337 E: oldbaldy@hotmail.ca www.northernhorse.com/oldbaldy

Learn Equine Massage from a teacher with over 30 years of massage experience!

Cranbrook Pro Rodeo Cranbrook, BC CranbrookRodeo.com

Edmonton Pro Rodeo Edmonton, AB EdmontonProRodeo.com Falkland Stampede Falkland, BC Facebook Field of Dreams Stampede La Crete, AB Facebook Grande Prairie Stompede Grande Prairie, AB GPStompede.com Guy Weadick Rodeo High River, AB HighRiverAg.com Hand Hills Lake Stampede Hand Hills, AB HandHills.ab.ca

Hanna Pro Rodeo Hanna, AB HannaProRodeo.com Hardgrass Bronc Match Pollockville, AB HardgrassBroncMatch.ca High Prairie Elks Pro Rodeo High Prairie, AB HPElks.ca Interior Provincial Ex & Stampede Armstrong, BC ArmstrongIPE.com Jasper Heritage Rodeo Jasper, AB Facebook Kananaskis Pro Rodeo Coleman, AB KRAProRodeo.com Lea Park Pro Rodeo Marwayne, AB LeaParkRodeo.com Lacombe Pro Bull Riding Lacombe, AB lacombeProBullRiding.com Leduc Black Gold Pro Rodeo Leduc, AB BlackGoldRodeo.com Manitoba Stampede & Exhibition Morris, MB ManitobaStampede.ca Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede Medicine Hat, AB MHStampede.com Medicine Lodge Pro Rodeo Medicine Lodge, AB MedicineLodgeRodeo.com Moose Mountain Stampede Kennedy, SK Facebook Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo Merritt, BC NicolaValleyRodeo.com

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

LISTINGS MCINTOSH ProLine GUT HEALTH JOINT SUPPORT RESPIRATORY All Products North American Made

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Alberta Whisky Cake Perfect dessert — ideal gift Heat-sealed for long shelf-life 2019 Made In Alberta Award

North Peace Stampede Grimshaw, AB NorthPeaceStampede.com

Stavely Pro Rodeo Stavely, AB StavelyProRodeo.com

Okotoks Pro Rodeo Okotoks, AB OkotoksProRodeo.com

Sundre Pro Rodeo Sundre, AB SundreRodeo.com

Oldstoberfest Olds, AB Oldstoberfest.com

Taber Double Down Pro Rodeo Taber, AB Facebook

Pincher Creek Rodeo Pincher Creek, AB PincherCreekProRodeo.com Ponoka Stampede Ponoka, AB PonokaStampede.com Pile O Bones Rodeo Regina, SK Facebook

STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ PAULROMMER

Red Deer Bull Riding Red Deer, AB Facebook

Teepee Creek Stampede Teepee Creek, AB TPStampede.ca Tofield Bull Bash Tofield, AB TofieldAlberta.ca Wainwright Stampede Wainwright, AB WainwrightStampede.com

Rocky Pro Rodeo Rocky Mountain House, AB RockyRodeo.com

White Lightning Dodge Pro Rodeo Crunch (Bull Riding) Oyen, AB Facebook

Saddle Bronc Showdown Quesnel, BC QuesnelRodeo.com

Wildwood Bronc Bustin’ Wildwood, AB Facebook

Strathmore Stampede Strathmore, AB StrathmoreAg.com

Williams Lake Stampede Williams Lake, BC WilliamsLakeStampede.com

cowboycountrymagazine.com

P: 403-256-1888 E: kmcgonigal@albertawhiskycake.com www.albertawhiskycake.com

Historic Reesor Ranch

Year-round Ranch Vacations Group Retreats • Horse Adventure Tours ATV Tours • Cherished Memories Ranch Hall Grill Grill & Bar

P: 306-662-3498 Book Online: ReesorRanch.com

Cowboy Cookie Mix Customizable cookie mix!

Less sugar — more flavour Original power bar of the prairies

P: 403-256-1888 E: kmcgonigal@albertawhiskycake.com www.albertawhiskycake.com

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51

RECIPE

COWBOY CHURCHES 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

PECAN CRUST ▸ 1.5 C Flour ▸ 3 Tbsp Sugar ▸ 3/4 C Butter ▸3/4 C Chopped Pecans Combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Add pecans, stir, then press onto the bottom and 1” up sides of greased 10” springform pan. Bake in 350F oven of 15-20 minutes until edge starts to brown.

Cool for 10 minutes.

CARAMEL LAYER ▸ 3 Tbsp Evaporated Milk ▸ 32 Caramels ▸ 1 C Chopped Pecans (toasted) Heat milk, stir in caramels until melted. Pour evenly over crust.

Sprinkle on pecans.

CHEESE LAYER ▸3 8 oz blocks of Cream Cheese ▸ 1 C Brown Sugar ▸ 2 Tbsp flour ▸ 3 eggs ▸ 1 C creamed cottage cheese (process in blender) ▸ 1.5 tsp Vanilla Beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Gradually add ingredients, beating after each addition until just combined. Pour over pecans and spread evenly. Bake in 350F oven for about 1 hour until centre is almost set. Run a knife around edge of pan to allow cheesecake to settle evenly. Cool completely in the pan.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE (GANACHE) ▸ 1C whipping cream ▸ 7 Semi-Sweet chocolate baking squares ▸ 1/4 C Chopped Pecans, toasted Heat whipping cream until bubbles start to form around edge. Do not boil. Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until melted. Let stand for 5 minutes. Pour over cheesecake, allowing glaze to drip down the side in smooth, even coating. Sprinkle on pecans. Chill for at least 1 hour. Cuts into 16 wedges.

52

Community Cowboy Church Every Tue., 7-8 p.m.

Niton Community Hall, Main St., Niton Junction, Alta., 780-728-9088 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., 7:30 p.m.

60 Liberton Dr., St. Albert, Alta., 780-459-2222 The Cowboy Church Every Fri., 7:30 p.m.

Sherwood Park Presbyterian Church, 265 Fir St., 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.

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.

Diamond C Cowboy Church Every Tue., 7:30 p.m.

208 Sidney St., Maple Creek, Sask., 306-662-0911 Cowboy Valley Church 4054 PR 432 Morden, Man., 204-822-9909

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

PHOTOS COURTESY TKTKTKKTKT

Turtle Cheesecake

Clearwater Cowboy Church Every Thur., 7 p.m.

Dovercourt Hall, Hwy 22, south of Rocky Mtn House, Alta., 403-845-5351

CLOWNIN’ AROUND | CRASH COOPER

cowboycountrymagazine.com

Ash Cooper Art and Ranch Gallery

53

If God Had Chosen Cowboys

BY STEVE LUCAS

If God had chosen cowboys, instead of those fellers herdin’ sheep To welcome the Baby Jesus while the world was fast asleep Would the Christmas story and the carols that we sing Be a little different; maybe have a different ring?

When the cowboys got the message from them angels heard on high They’d have ridden into town, shootin’ their pistols in the sky And thundered to the stable bathed in that star’s bright light I’m telllin’ you boys, it would not have been a silent night And little town of Bethlehem, you would not lie still When the cows, spooked by the angels, stampeded over the hill And that bunch of rowdy cowboys had to turn ‘em all around And not quit lookin’ until every calf was found Then come back into town, and belly up to the bar To buy a round for them kings who’d travelled from afar The next morning on the mountain, they’d tell outfits far and near About the angels, and the stampede, and the Saviour who’d come here

Steve Lucas, a native of Wyoming, and Margaret Ann, his wife, run ninety commercial Hereford cows and their calves on a farm near Charlottesville, Virginia.

54

PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ CHALERMCHONCHAN

“The Lord is my cowboy ...” would begin the most familiar Psalm, and The parable of the lost calf is the story that would calm The sad and lonely cowboy spending Christmas on the trail If God had chosen cowboys to headline the Christmas tale.

The

Alberta Ag Show with Dean Thorpe

When CFCW launched on November 2, 1954, we immediately harnessed the power of agriculture in Alberta. For over 65 years, CFCW has been devoted to the Ag business and the families that are the driving force behind it.

Wherever you live in the province, join us weekdays from Noon to 1:00pm for The Alberta Ag Show, with hosts Dean Thorpe and Cheryl Brooks. From market prices to the latest Ag news, and interesting features on those that make a living off the land… you won’t want to miss this Award winning program.