Two days of thrills at 2013 Pincher Creek Cowboy Show Ranch Rodeo

Takin' a ride - Kevin from Standoff Colony tries his first bucking bronc
C. Davis photos and video

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

According to organizers, Pincher Creek's annual Cowboy Show is the oldest Ranch Rodeo in Canada.  Judging by the 2013 iteration of the event held last weekend at the Pincher Creek Rodeo Grounds, the Cowboy Show is still a popular and vital part of this community.  Blessed by warm and sunny weather (except for a brief deluge during the final awards ceremony on Sunday evening) a sizeable crowd turned out to watch 13 Ranch Rodeo teams as they competed in a multitude of challenges.

Teams came from BC, Saskatchewan, other parts of Alberta, and from the Pincher Creek area to participate.


Prizes were awarded for placements up to the fourth place team.  A Western Art and Gear show featured local artists and craftsmen.  A raffle to win a custom saddle made by Steve Masson sold out.  Beer garden and concession sales were brisk.

Wild Cow Milking

True to its roots, the heart of the event was the friendly competition between cowboys, cowgirls, and the ranch teams.

Ed Russell

The Cowboy Show began Saturday morning July 27 with a Stock Dog Competition.  The Ranch Horse Competition filled the afternoon, with about 15 cowboys and cowgirls participating.  For that event the rodeo ground was divided into three sections.  To the west was the Roping Challenge.  To the east, the Cutting challenge.  In the centre 'ring' was the Extreme Cowboy Challenge, a course that included multiple challenges for horse and rider, including a noodle obstacle and a water box, both of which proved to be far trickier than one might suspect.

The noodle obstacle represented a forested situation which might be encountered while chasing down errant cattle.  Most of the horses balked at it at first, some outright refused to pass through it.  Worse, in the opinion of the horses, was the water box, a square water-filled container with a piece of plywood floating in it representing ice.  A rocking bridge also provided a chance to build trust between horse and rider.  Other aspects of the course were challenging as well, but none as much as those three.

Up and coming cowboy Kagen

Supper in the beer garden followed the Ranch Horse Competition, and was in turn followed by the Long Loop Contest, a lassoing challenge using dummy cattle.  After that, a session of picking and grinning.  This buckaroo was too tired to hang around for that, unfortunately.

The Disqualifier

Sunday's events began with Timed Ranch Roping, followed by Ranch Team Calcutta, winding up with a multitude of Ranch Rodeo challenges.  Bronc Riding, team branding (simulated branding, real team action), Team Sorting, Team Doctoring, a Wild Horse Race, Wild Cow Milking, and some more Bronc Riding rounded out a very entertaining day.  An unlikely star of the afternoon was the wily Calf Zero, justifiably named "The Disqualifier" by MC Justin Keely.  Calf Zero and his partner in escapism Calf 6 were responsible for a majority of the abundance of disqualifications in the Team Sorting event.  "I think he should be renamed 'Big Mac'," said one onlooking wag.  Only 3 teams out of 13 escaped disqualification in Team Sorting, quite unusual.

For the wild horse race, saddles and riders line up at one end of the arena, their boots mixed up and piled up in the middle, and their horses milling about with some perplexity at the other end.  A mad dash to the boots, then catch your horse in the melee, get it saddled, and get to roping.  Fun to watch and apparently a lot of fun to do.

As for the Wild Cow Milking event, the stark madness of it has to be seen to be believed.  Check it out in the mid section of the video attached to this story.  One team member ropes a cow and the rest try to wrestle it to the ground and milk it.  Thrills, spills, dust and more dust in the hot afternoon sun.

Bronc Riding is, of course, one of the biggest crowd pleasers at rodeo events like this one, and on this day we were treated to several good rides, a couple of great ones, and inevitably a few duds, horses that just didn't explode into the arena as expected.

The doctoring, cutting, branding, and roping events really illustrate what it's all about, really.  These are the events that demonstrate skills used daily on the ranches during the tough business of raising cattle.  As events they have their moments of glory, for sure, but their biggest significance, I think, is that they illustrate to those of us who encounter our cattle in the meat section of the grocery store what kind of effort actually goes into getting it there.  Hard work.  Often dangerous work.  A large skillset is required.  A willingness to get one's hands dirty, to be knocked down and get back up.

Chief Organizer Shelley Stokke and Pincher Creek Rodeo Queen Chelsea Stokke

Pincher Creek's effervescent Rodeo Queen Chelsea Stokke has been having a busy summer representing Pincher Creek at various events.  "I was at Medicine Hat Stampede, and we got to go to a bunch of lunches and then some concerts and then our big wave lap... they treated us so good.  First of all they had a sponsor dinner for us, and then we had a whole bunch of professional pictures done, and then we got to go on a bunch of the rides, and they got some amazing pictures on them.  The next day they got us up really early to go to a pancake breakfast for the military, and then we rode in the parade, which is about a two hour parade, and then they shot their cannon off to celebrate..."

"The night before that we got to go to Gretchen Wilson, that country singer.  It was good."

"I'm enjoying it a lot.  I love meeting new people.  We got back from the Calgary Stampede a few weeks ago and it was rainy and stormy... It was a bunch of fun, we got to be on national television in the parade."

Chelsea was excited to be helping her mom Shelley with the Ranch Rodeo.  "She does an excellent job of this."  She told me to make sure I mentioned how many people helped make it happen.  "I can't honestly tell you how many local people are helping out today.  They do such a great job."

"The wild cow milking is my favourite.  That's a fun one to watch."

Up next for Chelsea is the Console Saskatchewan Rodeo this upcoming weekend, followed by our own Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo, to be held August 16, 17, 18.    

Organizing Committee member Kelly McRae was pleased with how the weekend turned out. Highlights for her included "Seeing such a great crowd come out, the weather turned out good, lots of entries, lots of enthusiasm.  This is the first year we did the saddle draw, and that went over very well, sold out, and we couldn't be happier."

"I'm very excited to see the Ranch Rodeo doing as well as it did this year, and we look forward to another phenomenal year next year. We hope to see it grow and grow again."
   
McRae and her son Tayte are both silversmiths (you can visit their 'McRae Silver' page on Facebook at this link (click here).   They made some of the prizes handed out at the end of the rodeo.  He made the buckles for the first place winners and Kelly made a bracelet for the Cowgirl of the Day.

The weekend concluded with the awarding of prizes by chief organizer Shelley Stokke, assisted by her daughter, the aforementioned Rodeo Queen Chelsea Stokke, which was interrupted briefly by a short downpour.

Bruce Christie (left) receives Frank Marr Memorial Award

Awards:
Hard Luck Award - Ian Durrell
Local Cowboy Award - Ryan McGlynn
Cowgirl of the Day - Raquel Russell
Ranch Competition Top Cowboy - Riley Millar
Best Bronc Rider - Colt "20 Gallon Hat" Holoboff
Cowboy of the Day - Clint Stokke
Frank Marr Memorial Award (Top Horse) - Bruce Christie
Roping High Point - Bruce Christie
Trail High Point - Chad Seelhoss
Cutting High Point - Rob Palmer

Top Team: North Fork

Team Awards:
1st North Fork
2nd Rocking Chairs
3rd Willow Springs
4th Meadow Springs

Stock Dog Competition Open:
1st Tyler Strader
2nd CoBie Herr
3rd Danae Frew

Stock Dog Ranch Class:
1st CoBie Herr
2nd Clem Armstrong
3rd Kent Nelson

Clint Stokke, Dick Hardy, Blaine and Mary Anne Marr, Shelley and Chelsea Stokke

Special Award for many contributions to Cowboy Show Ranch Rodeo:
Dick Hardy, Blaine and Mary Anne Marr, Susan and Gene Earl

2013 Ranch Rodeo Teams:
Willow Springs, Bar C Ranch, Top Hand, WIPS Team, Wine Glass Ranch, Sawley Ranches, Jenkins Lazy U, Meadow Springs, Quill Ranch, North Fork, Esser Livestock, River Ranch, Robbins Team/Rocking Chair Ranch