Advanced Cattle Handling Driven by Impulse
Discover the Secret Code of Bronc Reins
E eo A K ? od T N R S IT MA K ro E P DO L AN AT A F WH BE TO
Bull Riding Trailblazer “Smokey” Snyder
b r o C d n u L New Musrice New Gen
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Welcome Back! Canada’s Heartland TV Post-COVID Branding & Improving Grass Use Calgary Stampede’s Ken “Goose” Rehill
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toll free 1-877-262-1253 Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
In This Issue
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 | VOLUME 24, NO. 2
21 THEY CALL HIM “GOOSE” Ken “Goose” Rehill standing outside of the Calgary Stampede’s well-travelled stock liner in 2011. Goose is the Stampede’s most famous behind-thechutes personality.
Advanced Cattle Handling Driven by Impulse
Discover the Secret Code of Bronc Reins
E eo A K ? od T N R S IT M A K ro E P DO L AN AT A F WH BE TO
Bull Riding Trailblazer “Smokey” Snyder
Features 14
Corb nd Lu ic New Musre New Gen
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Welcome Back! Canada’s Heartland TV Post-COVID Branding & Improving Grass Use Calgary Stampede’s Ken “Goose” Rehill
On the Cover Multi-award-winning singer/songwriter, Corb Lund
“Flat Nose” Curry
18
Corb Lund
25
COWBOY WAY
Corb Lund’s music has earned its own genre
Driven by Impulse Overcoming instinct for those in the saddle
Photo by Scott Slusher
Heartland Here to Stay The smash hit series is renewed for its 14th season
30 TRAILBLAZERS
“Smokey” Snyder
PHOTO COURTESY CALGARY STAMPEDE
Remembering bull rider “Smokey” Snyder’s World title
32
WHAT WORKS FOR US
Ranching Never Stops
The Secret Code of Taking Hold Two-time Canadian Champion, Clay Elliott, explains rein holds
OUTLAW TRAIL
True tale of the Canadian in Butch Cassidy's gang
28
40
42
WHAT DOES IT TAKE
Flank Men The lowdown from those who make an honest buck
Departments 4 My Point of View 7 In the Corral 12 Spirit of the West 13 Wheel to Wheel 16 Reflections 37 Pro Rodeo Canada Insider 44 Clownin’ Around 50 Cowboy Poetry
Post-COVID branding, and bringing water to native grass
cowboycountrymagazine.com
3
MY POINT OF VIEW
Made in Canada
C
writers. The only good part of this whole pandemic situation was that it was sure easy to contact folks! By now you’ve noticed that we missed one issue — our June/July. For our subscribers, we are simply adding one more issue onto the end of your subscription, so no worries there. For us, this was another complication of COVID-19. We extend a big virtual hug and thank you to everyone who renewed their subscriptions, sent emails and made phone calls of encouragement when you saw that we were pulling out all the stops to keep going during this crisis, and may I add that and my statement bears repeating: “I believe this will be our finest hour here in Canadian Cowboy Country.”
— Terri Mason, Editor
ILLUSTRATION BY LE STEVENS
anadian songstress and Hall of Famer Joni Mitchell said it first — and best — when she coined the lyrics to “Big Yellow Taxi,” her multi-award-winning hit song: “...Don't it always seem to go/ That you don't know what you've got till it's gone...” That was definitely the case here in Canada, and around the world. Out of this wreck, what I learned is that globalisation is not the answer — it damn near did us in. Perhaps the answer lies in going back to our roots when products and foods were locally grown/made. They could range from food to face masks, Canadian-owned beef processing facilities to … you name it. Through all of this, I can tell you that I missed my friends, and I missed my family, and I will never again take for granted the roar of a crowd. We’ve put together an interesting edition, which includes some cool information from behind the chutes at rodeos, plus the terrific columns from our regular
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@CowboyCntryMag
August/September 2020 Vol. 24, No. 2 Editor Terri Mason terri@cowboycountrymagazine.com Copy Editor Tamara Aschenbrenner tamara@cowboycountrymagazine.com Art Director Zuzana Benesova zuzana@cowboycountrymagazine.com Graphic Designer Erin Murphy erin@cowboycountrymagazine.com Publisher Rob Tanner rob@cowboycountrymagazine.com Sales Manager Kristine Wickheim kristine@cowboycountrymagazine.com Sales Representative Kathy Kelley kathy@ cowboycountrymagazine.com Subscription/Circulation Marie Tanner circ @cowboycountrymagazine.com Accounting Administrator Catherine Staszkiewicz admin @ tanneryoung.com Customer Relations Manager Marie Tanner marie @ cowboycountrymagazine.com Columnists Tim Ellis, Hugh McLennan, Billy Melville, Bryn Thiessen Contributors Dylan Biggs, CBC, Ash Cooper, Mike Copeman, Daryl Drew, Billie-Jean Duff, Clay Elliott, Tim Ellis, Hugh McLennan, Billy Melville, Rod Nichols, Tom Reardon, Vold Rodeo, Greg Shannon, Scott Slusher, Calgary Stampede, L.E. Stevens, Bryn Thiessen Tanner Young Publishing Group #430, 8170–50 Street, Edmonton AB T6B 1E6 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: $23 | 2 Years: $38 3 Years: $49 | 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 #430, 8170–50 Street, Edmonton AB T6B 1E6 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
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
CONTRIBUTORS Dylan Biggs Cowboy Way: Driven by Impulse page 25 Dylan is a wellregarded rancher who conducts cattle handling clinics across the West. TKRanch.com
Tim Ellis What Does It Take: Flank Men, page 42 Tim is a radio personality, rodeo reporter and the voice of hockey’s Camrose Kodiaks. CFCW.com
Clay Elliott The Secret Code of Taking Hold, page 40 Clay is the 2016 and 2018 Canadian Saddle Bronc Champion.
Billy Melville Trailblazers: “Smokey” Snyder, page 30 Billy is the historian and media personality for the WPCA. WPCA.com
Tom Reardon Living Legend: They Call Him “Goose,” page 21 Tom Reardon is a retired pasture manager.
6
Hank and Jimmy Snow
I was born and raised in Kentville, Nova Scotia. In 1942, my father joined the Army and was to be sent overseas. Kentville was next to Aldershot, the large Army camp and because German submarines were sinking ships off the coast of Nova Scotia, and there was concern that Aldershot may be bombed, so my father sent my mother, sister and me to live in Riverport, N.S. What a change to live in this small village. Back home, Kentville had the Capitol Theatre year-round and a second theatre in the summer. In the years I spent in Riverport I only saw one 8mm movie. One morning my mother looked out the window and said, “What is going on next door?” I looked too; across the field were many trucks. Me, then a curious eight-year-old boy went exploring. As I approached, a boy my age said, “Hi, I’m Jimmy Rogers Snow, and my father is Hank Snow.” I could not believe my ears. I had a picture songbook of Hank’s. I looked up, and Hank Snow was walking towards me. He said, “I’m Hank Snow.” We shook hands. His handshake was so strong, and I felt so honoured to meet him. Jimmy showed me his father’s white horse called Silver Star. It was Jimmy’s job to help care for him. Hank said, “Jimmy, his mother and I are going over to the field where we are putting on the show. Would you like to come with us?” Naturally, I said yes. The one road in Riverport was gravel, so Hank drove slow. Hank and his wife in the front seat and Jimmy and I in the back seat. People yelled hello as the side of his car said HANK SNOW THE YODELING RANGER.
Hank would yell back, “Join us at our show tonight and tomorrow!” At the “show” field, there was no tent — just poles to support canvas walls around the seating area. Jimmy and I became friends, and at the show, I helped him get his father’s horse ready. Hank would ride in, and then play lots of music. Afterwards, Hank drove us all home. The next day was a repeat. My mother invited Jimmy to have supper with us. I showed Jimmy my comic books, and he saw my piggy bank. He asked if I would lend him 50 cents. I only had 30 cents. He took the money and said he would pay me back tomorrow. We went to the last show, and I said goodnight to Jimmy. The next morning I slept in. When I looked out the window, the Hank Snow group was gone. This eight-year-old boy started to cry. My mother hugged me and said, “Your friend will probably come back next year.” The reason I was crying was that I knew I would never see my 30 cents again. —Doug Myra, Kentville, NS
Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
IN THE CORRAL NEWS, VIEWS & HAPPENINGS FROM ACROSS THE CANADIAN WEST
Grated Coconut Honoured
PHOTO BY BILLIE-JEAN DUFF
Renowned bareback horse Grated Coconut of the Calgary Stampede will be enshrined in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. Grated Coconut — who won a record-number of PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year awards — has no equal as a PRCA bareback horse. He was named Bareback Horse of the Year a record six times (2003–04, 2006–09) and was the top horse of the National Finals Rodeo in 2008. Now 23, the stallion lives on the Calgary Stampede ranch in Hanna, Alta. He is out of Calgary Stampede’s great mare, Coconut Roll, and the late Harvey Northcott’s stud, 2010 Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee, Wyatt Earp. Grated Coconut was inducted into the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Hall of Fame (2012) and the Ellensburg (Wash) Rodeo Hall of Fame (2013).
7
IN THE CORRAL EMPTY SADDLES
Bryan Clark Mandeville, Calgary, Alta. August 14, 1953 – March 27, 2020
Well-known in the rodeo world, Bryan Clark Mandeville was a steer wrestler, teamster (often in the movie industry), western wear mogul, promoter, and the thrower of the “best” Stampede parties. His mentorship helped many young cowboys and cowgirls that loved the sport. At his request, a rodeo scholarship was started in his name.
Miss Rodeo Canada, Alicia Erickson, and her horses on parade
EMPTY SADDLES
No parades, no rodeos — what is a rodeo queen to do? Get creative! Miss Rodeo Canada, Alicia Erickson, has decided to bring her version of a parade to those in seniors' homes. “I call it Two Horses, One Queen Parade,” she laughs during a recent interview. “I have two horses, and I find that one is calmer with the other one alongside,” she explains. “My one horse can do tricks; she can bow, and hug — things like that, so folks always like to see that. And at the seniors' home, they like to see the different colours of horses; they ask about their names and the history behind them. I love it.” In mid-May, the Miss Rodeo Canada committee issued a ground-breaking press release, advising that Alicia was asked to extend her reign for another year. Alicia was explicitly commended for the “unbelievable job she has done to represent as Miss Rodeo Canada in these uncertain times. She has continued to fulfil our mandate, promote our incredible sponsors, rodeos and athletes and has gone above and beyond in her social media posts. Her posts have touched us all in her sincerity, towards our elderly, front line workers, our rodeo fans, our sponsors, our Canadian rodeos, our athletes and our competitors and rodeos to the South. Rodeo truly has no borders.” As well, it was revealed that to ensure fairness for the Miss Rodeo Canada 2021 contestants, the MRC board is extending the two-year title deadline and the age limit by one year. This will ensure all those that were eligible to compete in 2020 will remain eligible in 2021. “I’ve always wanted to go down in history for something,” she laughs. “This is a great opportunity, and I’m pretty excited about it.” Continue to follow Alicia’s journey through Facebook on the “Miss Rodeo Canada” page and the website, MissRodeoCanada.ca
8
Jerry Sinclair, Stettler, Alta.
September 6, 1947 – April 28, 2020 Two-time Canadian Saddle Bronc Champion, Jerry Sinclair passed away April 28. In 1970 he was the North American Saddle Bronc Champion at the Calgary Stampede, was named Rookie of the Year, and earned the title of Canadian Champion Saddle Bronc rider. He went on to win Canada again in 1973, and earn three CFR qualifications (1974, 1981 and 1982). He served on the CPRA board as Saddle Bronc director in 1983 and 1984 and was on the board of the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Jerry was also an accomplished rodeo judge, pick up man, flank man, and hauled stock from B.C. to P.E.I.
Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
PHOTOS COURTESY MRC; CANADIAN PRO RODEO HALL OF FAME; MANDEVILLE FAMILY
Two Horses & One Queen
STOCKING THE HERD
Nash Bowhay Introducing Nash Gordon Stuart Bowhay, born March 16, 2020, and weighing 8 lbs 6 oz. Nash was born to Christa Lawrence-Bowhay and Carson Bowhay. A much-anticipated little brother for Christa’s firstborn, Colt Needham, who is pleased that his 4H speech about wanting a baby brother came true. Christa was 2005 Miss Rodeo Canada; Carson was the 2009 Canadian Champion Wild Cow Milker. Christa and Carson married in 2018 and make their home near Sundre, Alta. The winning scholarship art piece by Mikayla Castle is a masterful pencil sketch of well-regarded musician and cowboy, Rob Dinwoodie
PHOTO BY SILVER & SAGE PHOTOGRAPHY; IMAGE COURTESY CALGARY STAMPEDE; BCCHS
Kamloops 2021 is a Go! Stampede in Spirit The Calgary Stampede is always building memories in conjunction with some terrific people, and 2020 is the year that we were all forced to celebrate the Calgary Stampede only in spirit. Each year, the Stampede produces a highlycollectable poster, and the winning design for 2020 was from the youngest poster artist in Stampede history, Allie Clipperton. When the 2020 poster was revealed, the work at Lammle’s Western Wear began. Lammle’s is the Official Western Wear Supplier, and one of the many items they offer is the most iconic item in any year’s collection, the Calgary Stampede Poster Buckle. This buckle is a collector’s piece crafted by Montana Silversmiths for a Stampede we will only celebrate in spirit. To purchase the buckle and many other Official Calgary Stampede items, visit lammles.com.
cowboycountrymagazine.com
Although the 2020 Kamloops Cowboy Festival was cancelled, some things, just like ranching, kept right on happening. The best examples of the ongoing awards are the inductees to the Hall of Fame, the winner of the Joe Marten Award and the Student Scholarship winners. Congratulations to horseman and silversmith Richard Tenisch of Merritt on winning the Joe Marten Memorial Award for the Preservation of Cowboy Heritage in BC. The 2020 honourees for the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame include Allison Everett (White), inducted as a Builder of Western Culture. Allison is a well-regarded horse trainer and competitor who makes her home near Williams Lake. This year’s Ranching Pioneer is Frank Armes (1908–2002), a well-known rancher and businessman in the Cariboo. In the Ranching Pioneer & Century Ranch, the Hall of Fame honoured the Bayliff Family & Chilancoh Ranch, now in their fourth generation of ranching in the Chilcotin.
The Working Cowboy and Ranching Pioneer inducted in 2020 is Paul “Buck” Mammel (1920–1996), a very successful cowboy and rancher in the Cariboo region. The BC Cowboy Hall of Fame is a part of The Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin, located in Williams Lake, B.C. Be sure to visit the museum (Cowboy-Museum. com) and read the inductees' interesting biographies and see just why they were inducted. Congratulations to the two winners of BCCHS scholarships: Amy Baechmann of 100 Mile House for her short story titled “A Cowboy’s Dance” and to Mikayla Castle of Mission who won the art scholarship for her pencil sketch of well-known B.C. cowboy, Rob Dinwoodie. The winner of the Mike Puhallo Memorial Scholarship is Paige Ingram of Vancouver for her poem, “Grit Not Glamour.” Each of the winners received a $500 Student Scholarship. Tickets for the 2021 Kamloops Cowboy Festival (March 18–21) will go on sale Nov 1. For more, visit the BC Cowboy Heritage Society at bcchs.com.
9
IN THE CORRAL
Tim Ellis and his RAM Rodeo Report truck
Rodeo Reports doing at home, and I’m going to be doing a regular report with [Jeff] Robson of the CPRA. Every Monday I’m also producing a 'This Week in Rodeo' retrospective. While there’s not a lot of results content, there’s still plenty of relevant rodeo content for the shows.” Producing the daily Ram Rodeo Reports and broadcasting live coverage of the Canadian Finals Rodeo each November continues to be Tim’s passion. “For as long as I’ve been producing the Report, the focus hasn’t been [rodeo] results-oriented,” he said. “I always have the competitor telling the story behind the results, and the story behind the cowboy, so in the end, my focus hasn’t changed
reshol
–
20
Alberta
Where in the World 20
is Canadian Cowboy?
all that much. I’m still trying to find the story; the results just made it that much easier because I could begin with something like, “he won with a 90-point ride, and this is how he did it.” Along with his extensive career as a rodeo reporter, and live play-by-play for the Camrose Kodiaks hockey team, he also puts together a crew of professionals for the live broadcast of the Canadian Finals Rodeo from Red Deer. Tim has also been a columnist for Cowboy since 2005. The RAM Rodeo Report airs weekdays 12:35pm and 4:03pm on 840 CFCW. For more visit cfcw.com.
m,
Cl a
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For over three decades, the instantly recognisable voice of Tim Ellis has signalled the start of a great rodeo interview. His RAM Rodeo Report, heard twice a day during the week on 840 CFCW, is far more than rodeo scores, but features friendly interviews with the greats and soon-to-be-greats along the dusty trail. He covers it all — from high school rodeo through the amateur and professional associations, to the specialised PBR. During the trying times of late, it turns out that his Reports haven’t changed all that much. “I’ve done many interviews with rodeo committees this year,” says Tim. “I’ve contacted a bunch of the cowboys to see what they’re
Claresholm, Alta.
10
PHOTO COURTESY TIM ELLIS; BY TERRI MASON
The quiet ranching community of Claresholm in southern Alberta attracted ranchers to its lush grasslands. Later, it became a bustling RCAF flight training base for WWII and NATO pilots. After the base closed, the buildings were converted and housed various businesses, including Safeway trailers, the builder of crew housing for the DEW line workers in the high Arctic and, in the offseason, manufacturers of Claresholm’s iconic TeePee trailer. Each August, Claresholm Centennial Campground is the site of the Homecoming Rally, a celebration that attracts a wealth of vintage travel trailers and their interesting owners, including Core Stoski of Calgary, Alta. — shown here in the doorway of Terri Mason’s 1967 TeePee, the Miss Adventure.
Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
GIDDY UP
WITH GREG SHANNON Fave Interviews My CFCW co-host, Stella Stevens, and I recently had a great conversation with Miss Rodeo Canada, Alicia Erickson. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation: Do you have any mentors or coaches helping you stay on track and look for opportunities to bring joy to people? Alicia: “I find a lot of my positivity and strategies through quotes. I have this app on my phone, and every morning it brings a new quote up that makes me think or brightens my day and gives me ideas to spread to other people. So that’s something I’ve really been enjoying.” What are you doing to spread some of that cheer as Miss Rodeo Canada? Alicia: “So actually, since I can’t be face-to-face making personal connections like MRC usually would, I have the opportunity to be creative with my social media content. A lot of people are on their phone more than normal at this time so I have the ability to reach more people than usual. I actually just posted a video this morning, a positive quote and me singing ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ on the guitar. So I hope that will reach people.”
Life in the Chinchaga I received a series of three books written by JoAnne Potter: Trapping Alberta’s Chinchaga River Valley; Alberta Chinchaga Wilderness Ventures; and Chinchaga River Hunts Cookbook. Known as the “Amazon of the North” the Chinchaga is a remote area of northwest Alberta. The three books that I’ve called the Chinchaga “Trifecta” chronicles the fascinating stories of JoAnne, a competent farm girl, and her husband, Dennis, an experienced bushman. Together in the 1980s, this Canadian couple operated their massive trapline spanning over four townships. Potter's entertaining storytelling of a lifetime of guiding, outfitting and sheer survival truly brings to life the 20 years in Alberta's last frontier. Throw in her hard-earned wilderness cookbook, and you’ve got the full story of their extremely rustic life in Alberta’s far north. This is a terrific read for anyone who has ever felt the call of the wild, and for those who answered the call. You can purchase her books through Alberta Trappers Association at albertatrappers.com and also at Trapper Gord’s in Debolt, Alta., trappergord.com.
cowboycountrymagazine.com
Did I see on your social media that you took a couple of your horses to visit a Seniors' home? Alicia: I did, yeah. I loaded my horses for a “Two Horse, One Queen” parade and went to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Trochu, rode on the sidewalk and waved at the residents. The nurses brought some of them out with proper social distancing and I got to chat from my horse with these seniors. They were so excited to see some horses and get out and see some sunlight, so it was really nice. Alicia told us she plans on catching up with your favourite rodeo champions and competitors via interviews on her social media channels, and you can stay in the loop with her exploits at missrodeocanada.ca
— Greg Shannon, 840 CFCW Morning Show Co-Host
Email Greg with column suggestions: greg@cfcw.com Hear Greg Shannon & Co-Host Stella Stevens weekday mornings on 840 CFCW! 11
SPIRIT OF THE WEST | HUGH MCLENNAN Don and Carmen Howard at home on their ranch in 2018
Wild Garlic and Don-Sense
“W
These are the words of Don Howard, who along with his family, still operates the home ranch in the Hand Hills of Alberta’s dinosaur country. I called him recently for an interview for The Spirit of the West. “I’d like to record a few stories from your new book for my radio program.” “Oh, sure,” he said, and after an hour, I had more great stories than I had time to use. Here are just a couple of his wild adventures: “Our cows needed moving to a lease on the slopes of the Hand Hills,” he began. “Trailing them north on a back road, they knew where they were going, and they were on the run. I wanted to ride up and get a count before they got to the open gate. I never did get my count because there was a brand-new four-strand barbed wire fence that I was galloping beside, trying to get ahead of the cows. I felt my mare going down, and I rolled off her back. When I got up, my chaps were torn to shreds, but I didn’t feel the pain from the gashes in my leg till later. My mare was trying to get up, but the bottom wire was stretched tight across the saddle. It was so tight you could have played a tune on it. With the help of two other riders, we got her out, and we both were ok.” That led to another memorable wreck. “A neighbour phoned and asked if we 12
were missing a bull — there was one in his pasture alone,” Don continued. “My son Darren and I loaded up two horses for what should have been a simple job. I put my pony into a gallop and said, 'I'll open the gate.' I don’t know why I didn’t let my son do it. Next thing I knew I was groaning on the ground with the wind knocked out of me and my already injured shoulder driven into the ground. When I was able to get up, I checked my horse, and he was ok., but in the deep grass, we found a badger hole completely hidden.” “So did you get your bull back?” I asked. “No,” he said. “Turns out it wasn’t our bull.”
These are just a few of the many stories in his book that I found fascinating. I think Don is a little past 80 now and when we finished the interview, he said he had to arrange to get the 45 bred heifers he’d just bought home, and get ready for them to start calving. c Cattle rancher and horse trainer Hugh McLennan and his wife, Billie, run their cattle in the beautiful rangeland outside of Kamloops, B.C. Hugh is the host of the multi-award-winning weekly radio program, Spirit of the West, heard across Canada and the U.S.
Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
PHOTO BY TERRI HUXLEY OF WEST OF THE FOURTH PHOTOGRAPHY
hen I’m out here on a horse, I realise the land, and only the land, hasn’t changed at all. I love it... the land, being a cowboy — that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
WHEEL TO WHEEL | BILLY MELVILLE
Empty Wagons
T
he sport of chuckwagon racing was born at the Calgary Stampede on July 9, 1923. The success of the first races of 1923 saw many other communities throughout Alberta and abroad adding chuckwagon races to their local rodeos and fairs in the years to follow, which became the basis of the WPCA Pro Tour as we know it today.
PHOTO BY PAUL AND CAROL EASTON
For nearly 100 years the chuckwagon races have been part of the summer prairie landscape. Over that time, nothing could silence the “Thunder from the North,” as the races have been affectionately called. There was the Great Depression of the Dirty Thirties, combined with the Dust Bowl — a severe drought that crippled the prairies. There was WWII in the 1940s, and even the National Energy Program combined with a worldwide recession in 1980. It didn’t matter what severe circumstances the world or the West was facing, the wagons continued to roll. But on March 5, 2020, Alberta recorded its first case of COVID-19, and in subsequent
weeks public health orders closed down much of public life, and for the first time since 1923, no chuckwagon races will be run in 2020. “We didn’t make the decision to cancel the season,” explains World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) President Ed Wittchen. “The decision was made for us.” As the worldwide pandemic grew, local states of emergency were declared, schools were closed, non-essential businesses were ordered shut down, and public gatherings over 15 people were banned in the province of Alberta where the bulk of the WPCA Pro Tour stops take place. Major shows such as the Grande Prairie Stompede, the Ponoka
Stampede and Calgary Stampede regrettably and formally cancelled their events in 2020. Without fans being permitted in the stands, economic uncertainty everywhere, and major events cancelling by the week, it made it nearly impossible for other venues to host chuckwagon races, resulting in the cancellation of the entire 2020 race season. “The number one priority of the WPCA has always been and will continue to be the safety of both humans and horses,” says Wittchen. “This is the first time that a disease has threatened the safety of our horses, our drivers, outriders and our fans. We have to trust the experts that they are doing the right thing, so we have 100 more years of chuckwagon racing.” In 2020, the wagons will be empty, and the thunder from the north will be silenced. But it will only be temporary. All the people who embrace the chuckwagon races are very resilient, and there is a spirit that comes with the chuckwagon races that will kill the last vestige of gloom. Watch out 2021, the wagons are rolling! c Billy Melville is an author, noted historian and chuckwagon colour commentator on Rural Radio (SiriusXM Ch 147) and CBC Sports. He is the grandson of Orville Strandquist.
The wagons making their practice turn at the 2019 Calgary Stampede
cowboycountrymagazine.com
13
OUTLAW TRAIL
“Flat Nose” George Curry A Canadian Cowboy in the Wild Bunch By DARYL DREW, PHD
G
eorge Sutherland Currie was known for his cowboy skills, but as a young man he fell in with bad companions. He became a key member of the train and bank robbing Wild Bunch and an associate of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Born on Prince Edward Island to Nancy and John Currie on March 20, 1871, he was the second of six children of Scottish ancestry, probably from the Dumfriesshire area. His first home was a mixed farm on the Little Pierre Jacques River near the West Point area of P.E.I. Farm produce on P.E.I. was plentiful, and the local market was limited while high shipping costs reduced profits for off-island sales. However, the Currie family could sell all the beef they could raise. Cattle seemed the way to financial success, so they moved to Chadron, Nebraska to take up ranching where grassland was available for homesteading. George grew up working on local ranches, but while developing his cowboy skills, there were rumours that he might be rustling unbranded stock. His alleged activities eventually caused him to leave Chadron, and at 15 years of age, he headed west, turning his hand to rustling cattle and horses full time. At some point, he was kicked in the face by a horse flattening the bridge of his nose resulting 14
in his alias of “Flat Nose” George Curry. By this time, he was using the Irish spelling of Curry to avoid tarnishing his family name. George Curry likely met Butch Cassidy at Hole-in-the-Wall, Wyoming and expanded his operations to the more lucrative robbing of banks, post offices and trains shortly after. His cowboy skills were essential because members of the Wild Bunch hid their real identities by living as working cowboys between criminal activities. They had to be expert horsemen to stay ahead of the law until they could reach a hideout or work undercover on a ranch. In the late 1890s, they worked at the William French ranch near Alma, New Mexico. George’s skills with horses were such that he mentored Harvey Logan (Kid Curry) the most violent of the Wild Bunch along with Harvey’s brothers John and Lonnie — who also adopted the Curry name. In April of 1897, the outlaws were operating around the north fork of the Powder River and encountered Deputy Sheriff
William Deane. During the ensuing gunfight, Sheriff Deane was shot and killed. “Flat Nose” George took part in robbing the Butte County Bank in Belle Fourche, South Dakota on June 28, 1897. The gang was captured in Fergus County, Montana and placed in the Deadwood Jail but soon escaped. They stole horses and made their way back to Montana. In October a posse engaged them in a gunfight in the Bears Paw Mountains. The outlaws escaped, robbing two post offices on the way back to Hole-in-the-Wall. Curry participated in the Wild Bunch raid on the Union Pacific Overland Flyer at Wilcox, Wyoming, on June 2, 1899. Converse County Sheriff Josiah Hazen formed a posse, but on June 6 during the chase, Hazen was killed. The gang returned to the safety of Hole-In-The-Wall. A posse, led by Charlie Siringo, located and penetrated the hideout. A gunfight took place, and again, the outlaws escaped. They headed to Robbers Roost in Utah after getting
Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
LEFT: The Wild Bunch, ca. 1901. Back row from left, William Carver, he took part in six train robberies; “Kid Curry” (real name Harvey Logan) was the deadliest of the “Wild Bunch.” Front row from left, “The Sundance Kid” (real name Harry Longbaugh) was known as the fastest gun in the West. Ben Kilpatrick, alias “The Tall Texan,” was second in command. “Butch Cassidy” (real name Robert Leroy Parker) was the leader of the Wild Bunch. CENTER: Death photo of “Flat Nose” George Curry, 1900 BOTTOM: Historian Daryl Drew at the Outlaws Cabin on Robbers Roost Ranch, Utah
PHOTOS COURTESY DARYL DREW
At some point, he was kicked in the face by a horse flattening the bridge of his nose resulting in his alias of “Flat Nose” George Curry. supplies at the ranch of the female outlaw, Ann Bassett. The Wild Bunch did not live glamorous lives, but they have been glorified in movies and novels. They chose to be thieves taking from honest ranchers, and most came to violent ends. In the film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Sheriff Bledsoe summed it up best with the line, “You‘re still nothing but two-bit outlaws on the dodge... you’re gonna die bloody, and all you can do is choose where.” “Flat Nose” George Curry was killed by a posse led by Sheriff Jesse Tyler on April 17, 1900, on Rattlesnake Creek in Grand County, Utah while he was rustling cowboycountrymagazine.com
livestock. Initially buried nearby, his father had George re-interred in the Greenwood Cemetery in Chadron, Nebraska. Upon hearing of Curry’s death, Harvey “Kid Curry” Logan, vowed to get revenge for the shooting of his mentor. In May, he rode from New Mexico to Utah and took his revenge by killing Sheriff Tyler and Deputy Sheriff Sam Jenkins in a gunfight. On June 9, 1904, Kid Curry died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being trapped by a posse near Parachute, Colorado. c
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PHOTO BY STOCK ADOBE.COM/NICOLAS DIEPPEDALLE
REFLECTIONS | BRYN THIESSEN
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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
Tirando de Toros (Pulling Bulls) /// I’m writing these words as the snow is still receding from the winter that just keeps giving. It’s late April, the wind is blowing, frost is coming out, and calves are starting to appear back here on the Helmer. None of this is unusual, but decisions made months back will dictate how long this goes on — namely, when/if I pulled the bulls. Most folks run the bulls with the cows 42–45 days (2 cycles), but depending on terrain and bull-to-cow ratio, they may go longer. I know one outfit where the bulls go out July 1st and are pulled August 15th, regardless; even if the wife’s sick. Another runs a high cow-to-bull ratio but makes up the difference by leaving them together for about six months. There’s even those who only pull the skulls of the carcass once the bull has expired, sometimes with lead intervention. When the bulls are pulled is a personal choice, sometimes yours, sometimes the bull's. A lot of older bulls, once they’re done breeding, are content to find some deep, cool timber and hole up. (Much like an unelected senator.) Once you find them, you’ve got to get them moving. Often just your presence, and maybe a dog, is enough. When it’s not, you need to add some motivation. In the timber I like to break off a small tree (8-12 ft.) for a lance. One of my most memorable adventures was when I was riding in Parker Valley. I’d found a neighbour’s bull, and I figured I could just trail this bull down the road and load him in the trailer. I worked my way around through the timber, and when I popped out
on the road, the bull lit out. I followed, and after about a mile, he was winded and backed up in some regrowth pine. It was thick, so I broke off a lance and prepared to do battle. As I lowered my lance, the bull charged. I missed his nose so I turned my horse. The upshot was that the bull rammed the colt, which pitched me down, landing on my leg before exiting the fray. Short story long, the bull was next seen on Christmas day at Cougar Crouch’s cabin. In early March, he walked in and through the main corrals on the Bar 75, spent the summer in some lease to the south and I finally pulled him in August, later than planned, but I succeeded. I can’t see the future, but I imagine things may not be what we want. Some might even have had enough and are ready to quit. The decisions the government made back in March, (just like your decision, when/if to pull bulls) and the resulting aftermath, will affect us for a long time. If you’re growing weary, or even if you’re not, read 1 Kings 19. In chapter 18, Elijah has done some major miracles, and in 19 is close to quitting. When he said “I’m throwing in the towel,” God threw it back and said, “Wipe your face, you’re almost done.” (My words.) So my prayer is that your family’s safe, your grass is growing, and your horses are sound. When the time is right, saddle up and pull your bulls. If it doesn’t go quite like you planned, wipe your face and go back at it — you’re almost done. c
Bryn Thiessen is a rancher, poet, cowboy and preacher at Cowboy Trail Church in Cochrane. Bryn and his wife Bonny market grass-fattened beef from their Helmer Creek Ranch southwest of Sundre, Alta.
cowboycountrymagazine.com
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PHOTO BY SCOTT SLUSHER
CORB LUND Agricultural Tragic By TERRI MASON
H
is is a multi-storied lineage that is told and retold through his music every time he strolls on stage. His family tree includes rodeo record setters and rodeo royalty and a breed of people that defied the odds and headed across the desert to the Promised Land. “Unique” is a pale word to describe this cowboy, whose campfire stew of musical influences and genres could only be summed up by coining a new subcategory: Agricultural-Tragic. This is Corb Lund. “Yeah, Agricultural Tragic is also the title of the record [released the end of June],” said Corb. “I never have quite fit in any of the music genres. We’re not pure western, we’re not really a radio country band, we’re not really outlaw country, but there’s a lot of western stuff on it. So I told people that I had to invent my own subgenre that I call Agricultural-Tragic,” he said. “It also reflects, as probably most of your readers that know me know, I read a lot about Western life in this part of the world and in my family background. It’s important to me. The bulk of my writing has that thread running through it.” In normal times, touring is purposely done in the comfort of the van. “That’s one of the things I’m most proud of over the last five or six years is the growth of our audience in western U.S. It’s been a long time coming, but they’re finally really starting to get it, and they’re rabid about it,” he says. “It’s pretty cool.” While he is focused on the western U.S. for upcoming tours, Corb has toured internationally a number of times and has encountered a few surprises. “D’you know Colter Wall? He’s this Canadian prairie kid from Saskatchewan. He’s doing a great job. He’s like, 24 — and he’s huge in Europe. The first time I actually met him was in Amsterdam and he was playing all these old cowboy songs that we all know, and he’s playing them to these hipster kids. He had them eating out of his hand. It’s like, how did this happen?” he laughs. Like everyone else in the entire world, Corb and his band, the Hurtin’ Albertans, had their lives severely disrupted in early spring. They were on tour and playing dates in Colorado when Canada put out the call to go home. Here’s where he’s been ever since, at his place in Lethbridge, on the family ranch near Cardston and regularly visiting (and social-distancing) with his mom, Patty, on the home place near Taber. Like everyone else listening to a new album, there’s always that one song that captures your heart, and on Agricultural Tragic, for me, that song is “Never Not Had Horses.” It was written about his mom, Patty, who for all time will be in the Calgary
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Discography
Stampede record books as their first barrel racing champion in 1959 — and then again in 1960. “I’ve written lots about dad,” he says. “He pops into my songs a lot and so do my grandpas, and I’d been wondering, what about Mom? It happened that the last of her horses were too old to make the winter, and she needed to put them down. She was reflecting that ever since she’d been born in Cardston, she’d never not had horses, so her phrase became the song,” he explained. With the new album and a string of enthusiastic venues, Corb and the band had months and months of touring lined up, and then all hell broke loose. “Yeah, things went sideways. Our last show was in Greeley just outside of Denver, and then we had to just get in the van, drive home and cancel everything,” he said. “I make records, but the main part of my job consists of getting large groups of people together in a small space to get sweaty and listen to music, so it’s going to be a while before that comes back.” Out of this pandemic has come the incredible reinvention, repackaging and sheer creativity folks are using to keep in touch with clients, friends and fans. “A lot of us musicians have been working pretty hard at being connected by doing live internet performances. I’ve also been doing fun little prep tips and videos where
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AGRICULTURAL TRAGIC 2020
COVER YOUR TRACKS (EP) 2019
THINGS THAT CAN’T BE UNDONE 2015
COUNTERFEIT BLUES 2014
CABIN FEVER 2012
LOSIN’ LATELY GAMBLER 2009
I tell people about books I’ve been reading — that kind of thing,” he offered. “I’ve also been writing quite a bit,” he continues. “It’s funny because usually I have to kind of fight for writing time but here it is on a silver platter. I’m making the most of it and writing a bunch of music.” Even now, it’s all about finding that balance between career and home. “I tour so much that I get behind on my life stuff,” he says. “With all the rodeos and festivals cancelling I’m going to be home for the summer, which is really unusual. Aside from the career part of it, I’m actually enjoying it. This is the longest turn of time I’ve had at home uninterrupted for quite a while.” But with 10 studio albums chock-full of cowboys, horses, cattle and stuck trucks, plus a family ranch, there will be an agricultural reality check somewhere. “Yeah, I’ve still got seven miles of fence to check,” he laughs. “My long-term to-do list is shrinking, but I still have to get out there and check that fence.” Check out Corb Lund & the Hurtin’ Albertans' new album, Agricultural Tragic, and all the rest of his tunes, his cool merch and great photos at corblund.com. c
HORSE SOLDIER! HORSE SOLDIER! 2007
UNFORGIVING MISTRESS 1999
HAIR IN MY EYES LIKE A HIGHLAND STEER 2005
MODERN PAIN
FIVE DOLLAR BILL 2002
1995
MUSIC AND MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE AT
CORBLUND.COM
Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
LIVING LEGENDS
They call him
GOOSE CALGARY’S SWISS ARMY KNIFE
By TOM REARDON
PHOTO BY BILLIE-JEAN DUFF
Goose packing the Calgary Stampede’s custom-made bronc halters back to the truck after the performance at Hand Hills Stampede
cowboycountrymagazine.com
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LIVING LEGENDS
T
he folks at the Sweetgrass/Coutts border crossing know him as Ken Rehill; that's what his passport says, but to everyone else, he's “Goose.” Officially, he's the Calgary Stampede’s Livestock Coordinator — unofficially, he's their Swiss Army knife.
want ‘the A-Team’ while others use the up-and-comers. For the actual Calgary Stampede, he makes umpteen trips from the ranch to the city or vice versa. Shortly after Strathmore Heritage Days, he takes a load of ‘feature broncs’ back across the line to the Pacific Northwest for five weekends of rodeo — that trip takes over six weeks. Throw in the convention rodeos that Calgary hosts, the Canadian Finals Rodeo (8-10 days) and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas (three weeks) and Goose is gone lots. But when he gets home, he truly is home. “It’s where I was raised, it was my Dad’s and it was Grandpa’s before that. My place (15 miles north of Hanna) has been in the Rehill name since 1921.” Peggy, his bride of 37 years, keeps the fires burning at the homestead. Together they have three grown children who live
nearby, and there’s three lucky young‘uns that have a ‘Grampa Goose.’ When quizzed on that he confirmed, “Yeh, that’s what they call me.” When asked about his nickname he chuckled and related, “It goes back to the country school days at Netherby School. We did a play, and I had to carry the golden goose across the stage. A classmate started calling me Goose, and it stuck. Later I had teachers ask me at the end of the year what my real name was.” At one time he was pulling a cattle liner for wages. That led to taking Calgary’s stock to the WNFR (Wrangler National Finals Rodeo) in 1992, and he's made that trek every year since. For a while, he hauled several loads a year on a per-trip basis. Then with the Stampede’s bucking horse program in demand farther and farther from home, it became obvious Calgary needed their
Almost the calm before the storm, behind the chutes at the Wainwright Stampede, Goose is organising the equipment needed for Calgary’s superstar horses
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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
PHOTOS BY BILLIE-JEAN DUFF
He hauls their bucking stock, loads them, unloads them, feeds them, sorts them, sets and pulls their flank strap, keeps their health papers and border crossing documents in order, assures the truck is serviced, and the trailer is clean. When he’s on the road, he practically lives with them, and he’s on the road nearly eight months a year. There’s the three-month winter run: Denver, Ft. Worth, San Antonio, The American and Houston. Then it’s back to the ranch south of Hanna, Alta., where the broncs can go back to nature and play horse games on the endless prairie grass. In mid-April, he loads up (not always the same horses) and heads to California for Red Bluff and Clovis, returning in early May. After another breather, the season starts in Canada, and most weekends Calgary horses are bucked somewhere. Some rodeos require the old veterans, some
own truck. The Stampede set the wheels in motion in 2003 when they bought a highway tractor and hired Goose to drive it. It takes some planning (rest stops, feed stops, paperwork) to haul bucking horses, and Goose credits the late Stampede manager Winston Bruce with an easy transition: “Winston taught me a lot.” After a pause, he finished his thought, “He was an honourable man.” Goose is quick to give credit where credit is due. He said, “I’d like to point out that Tyler Kraft (ranch manager), his wife Vanessa and hired man Charlie McKinnon always have everything ready for me.” Then he continued, “Pretty much everywhere I go Gary Rempel (award-winning pick-up man) is either ahead of me or behind me, so we work together for the loading, unloading or sorting. I’ve got four stud gates in the trailer, so when we load a stallion, he’ll walk in, turn sideways and wait for us to close the gate. They become pretty savvy. After the stallions are in place we load the rest, still one at a time, we turn one to the left and the next one to the right and so on until the liner is full and they’re all standing crossways, nose to tail. In total, we haul 24 horses. Having Gary makes it pretty easy.” Because Goose is wired like the Energizer Bunny, he needs something to keep him occupied when he’s home. It only makes sense that he’d run a dozen bucking horse mares and a couple of studs. Of course, this means a dozen yearlings around the place, another dozen two-yearolds and ditto for the threes. Schedule-wise he doesn’t have time to play the futurity game, so he sells them privately. They’re scattered around in several different outfits, and they’re freeze branded on the left shoulder with a K over W. If you see a bronc packing that brand you know it’s a product of Goose’s program. Still giving credit, he says, “I’ve got those elevated round bale feeders and when I’m gone my neighbour fills them once a week.” When Goose is home, he messes with his herd, and this spring he’s been bucking the three-year-olds with rave reviews. He summed it all up when he said, “I lead a real interesting life, I just love it! The people are so great. Whether it’s their annual rodeo or just an overnight stop for feed and water, they treat us like family, every time.” c
cowboycountrymagazine.com
Goose pulling the flank strap on Calgary Stampede’s X-55 Xena Warrior with Jake Watson of Hudson’s Hope, B.C., onboard
If you see a bronc packing that brand you know it’s a product of Goose’s program. Goose behind the chutes at the Pendleton Roundup. Dressed appropriately for the “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” day, he’s wearing a shirt from the Horse Heaven Roundup at Kennewick, Wa.
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Weathering Canadian Cowboy Country magazine is one of the lucky publications — so far, we have weathered the storm. For over 25 years, we have worked hard to represent the interests and passions of the Canadian West, to feature the folks who chose a lifestyle noted for its ups and downs in market prices and returns, who constantly teach us all how to weather the storms. They’re still out there, and Canadian Cowboy Country is still here.
To our advertisers and subscribers, we thank you for your encouragement and your renewals. We thank the writers and photographers for their expertise, and we thank our friends and families for their continued support. In many, many ways our lives have been changed forever, but one thing remains the same: wherever you are, you are in Canadian Cowboy Country.
PHOTO COURTESY STOCK.ADOBE.COM/BEN
the Storm
COWBOY WAY
PART 1
OF TWO
ADVANCED CATTLE HANDLING
Driven By Impulse By DYLAN BIGGS
PHOTO COURTESY STOCK.ADOBE.COM/CAVAN
T
he majority of cattle handling problems stem from instinctive human behaviours. Producers must become aware of these tendencies around livestock so they can avoid the unintended consequences of their actions. Once people are aware of and in control of their instinctive behaviours working cattle, then they will be more equipped to handle cattle in a manner that will enable them to get the job done more efficiently. 25
COWBOY WAY
We evolved as predators, and we tend to behave like predators when we work cattle. Predators want to circle, they want to get behind to close the distance, and when cattle run, predators want to chase and at least control, if not capture. Human predator instinct and behaviour is very strong. Our instinct is so strong that it commonly overrides our powers of logic and reasoning. The majority of problems we encounter working stock are a result of letting our instinctive behaviours and urges guide us concerning where we position ourselves and how we pressure the stock. Unintentionally we end up pressuring at a position, at a time and in a counterproductive manner. An example of this is our behaviour when we get cattle close to our destination; be it the gate, the corral, the barn or the back of the stock trailer. The closer we get, the more pressure we instinctively want to apply.
Just when the animal is right at the threshold is when we feel the strongest urge to rush the cow, to slap, poke, or prod her to “make sure” she goes. Whether she goes or not, we communicate to her that the closer she gets to where we want her, the more pressure she’ll experience, or in other words, the more unsafe her life becomes. We teach our cattle unintentionally that the places we want them to go are not safe because of the stress we create for them in these places. Even if we do get them this time, we usually have done an excellent job of training them not to want to go there again. We create negative associations with the crowd tub or the corral gate or the creek, or the bridge, or the squeeze chute, and then we assume that the cows don’t want to go there because they are afraid of ______ [fill in the blank]. We do a good job of making “the right thing difficult and the wrong thing easy.”
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PHOTO COURTESY TK RANCH
Our instinct is so strong that it commonly overrides our powers of logic and reasoning.
The ideal is that the cattle learn as they go to accept where we ask them to go. They go quietly and calmly where we ask. Don’t conclude from this though that it is wrong to pressure cattle at gates or the back of the stock trailer; it isn’t. Still, we need to learn where, when, how and how much to pressure, to get the job done in a way that will make the cow easier to handle the next time not more difficult, that will communicate to her that where we want her is safe enough that she can handle it without having to panic and run off. Another example of counterproductive instinct is sorting at a gate or in an alley. How often have you had an animal coming down the alley or to the gate that you don’t want to let by, so you step across in front of it and step forward to stop it and as you do it speeds up? Then you start waving your arms and or yelling and stepping forward more, and in the end, it charges past you, eyes closed, full speed ahead anyway. Years ago, that cow would have gotten an old hockey stick right across the bridge of the nose. We do a good job of training her that the next time when she eventually decides to muster up the nerve to come by us again, she makes darn sure she is going 30
miles an hour. We certainly aren’t training her to walk by us. I would much rather sort cattle at a walk than cattle that feel they have to run. When you step into a cow coming down an alley, and you get more speed from the cow, she is telling you that stepping into her is only going to get you more of what you don’t want. She is also telling you that your best chance of stopping her is to back up, thereby gaining position and releasing pressure. Stepping back away from a cow to stop her is not an instinctive reflex, but if you can learn to do it, you can be much more effective. The other thing to realise is that cattle that are nervous and flighty in corrals are behaving that way due to the residual nervousness of the pasture gathering, moving and penning experience. The behaviour in the corral is an indication and reflection of what went on before the corral. If the milk is spilt getting to the corral, it's tough to remedy how the cattle behave in the corral at that point. How you work them can make it worse; however, even if you are very conscientious, the cattle won't necessarily calm down right then and there. c
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Heartland Here to Stay By TERRI MASON
T
here was some good news from the East this spring when in early May, CBC announced they have renewed the multi-award-winning TV show, Heartland, for a recordsmashing 14th season. To the one million+ fans from around the world that tune in every week, that announcement is sweet music to their ears.
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Heartland is a Canadian family drama television series which debuted on CBC on October 14, 2007. The long-running series is a multigenerational saga that’s set on the fictitious Heartland Ranch in the rolling foothills of southern Alberta. It follows Amy Fleming (Amber Marshall), her older sister Lou (Michelle Morgan), and their grandfather Jack (Shaun Johnston). Together, they confront the Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2020
PHOTOS COURTESY CBC
Amber Marshall, who plays Amy Fleming
Graham Wardle, Amber Marshall and Shaun Johnston possess a believable and powerful screen presence
Graham Wardle, Amber Marshall and Ruby Spencer, who plays their child, Lyndy Borden
PHOTO COURTESY
From left: Graham Wardle, who plays Ty Borden, Amber Marshall, and Alisha Newton, who plays Georgie Crawley
challenges of running the ranch that has been in their family for generations. Season 14 of Heartland is set to debut on CBC this coming winter. Heartland is the longest-running one-hour drama in Canadian television history; it is a multi-generational family drama that is much loved by fans of all ages, not only in Canada but all around the world. The show has made its way into the hearts of families in more cowboycountrymagazine.com
Shaun Johnston, who plays Jack Bartlett, and Shea Johnston
than 119 countries. Not including its upcoming fourteenth season, Heartland so far has amassed 214 one-hour episodes and a 2-hour Christmas movie. The beloved series is based on the bestselling series of books by Lauren Brooke. To learn more about the series, the actors and much more, be sure to visit their website. You will also enjoy some great video interviews with cast members from the hit show. If you’re one of
the few who haven’t yet enjoyed spending time on the ranch, be sure to tune in. New social media analytics shows that Heartland was one of the most-watched family dramas during the pandemic. c For more on the hit series, visit cbc.ca/heartland. For more on Amber Marshall, visit her website at ambermarshall.com.
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TRAILBLAZERS
PEOPLE WHO SHAPED THE WEST
“Smokey” Snyder Rodeo Superstar By BILLY MELVILLE
A
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Smokey did not grow up in a rodeo family, but he was exposed to the sport through many of the ranchers around Kimberly. When he was 15, Smokey entered the rodeo in Hussar, Alta., and won the bareback event. Smokey decided at that time that he wanted to be a professional rodeo cowboy. That decision, however, did not sit well with his parents. His mother, Anna, was so upset with him that she never spoke to him again. Smokey competed almost exclusively in the rough stock events — saddle bronc, bareback, and bull riding — and briefly tried steer decorating. At one rodeo, Smokey was introduced to a young lady named Opal Leona Baker, or “Doll” as she was affectionately known. Smokey and Doll ultimately fell in love, and the two were married in 1931. That same year at the Calgary Stampede he won the bull riding and was runner-up in the Canadian Saddle Bronc event. By season’s end, Smokey Snyder had captured the World Title in Bull Riding — the first world title won by a Canadian cowboy. In 1932 he repeated as World Champion Bull Rider and added the World Bareback Riding title as well — the first year a World Champion was declared in that event. In 1934 30
Smokey travelled to Australia and won the bareback event at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, and then to London, England, where he won first place in both bareback and bull riding. He would win the World Bull Riding Championships in three consecutive years from 1935 to 1937, and added a second World Bareback Riding Championship in 1936. His five World Bull Riding Championships was a record that would stand for 20 years until it was broken by Jim Shoulders in 1958. In 1939, the Snyders had made California their permanent home and welcomed daughter Terryl into the family. In 1945 at a rodeo in San Diego, the bronc Smokey drew kicked through the arena fence, , and the horse got tangled up and ultimately landed on Smokey. He was knocked unconscious and suffered a severe concussion and a broken collar bone. Lingering effects of the accident saw Smokey’s equilibrium thrown off severely, as well as an eye that would continuously tear up. It appeared that his rodeoing days were over, but Smokey’s determination to get back in the arena was realised in July of 1946 at the rodeo in Reno, Nevada. Smokey covered his first Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
PHOTOS COURTESY TERRYL LAURICHA
lbert Edward “Smokey” Snyder was born June 1, 1908, in Cripple Creek, Colorado, to William and Anna Snyder. William was a miner by trade, and when Albert was very young, the family moved to Kimberley, B.C., so William could work in the Sullivan Mine. Albert's appetite to try and burn other kids’ shorts using a magnifying glass landed him the nickname “Smokey,” and the moniker would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Smokey’s last bull ride at Reno in 1946
Smokey winning first on Sheep Ranch at Molalla, Oregon, in July 1944
bull, but on his second bull something “popped.” Smokey came off the bull like a rag doll, hit the arena dirt flat on his shoulders, and broke his back in three places. Although he would recover from his injuries, Smokey Snyder never rodeoed again. Smokey continued to serve rodeo as a fan and promoter of the sport. On October 24, 1965, the rodeo in Taft, California had “Smokey Snyder Day,” and Smokey was there to enjoy the celebration. While commuting on a notorious stretch of road back to his home, Smokey lost control of his vehicle, drove up an embankment and plunged 20 feet to his death. He was 57 years old. In the pioneering days of professional rodeo, Smokey Snyder was arguably the sport’s first international superstar. In addition to his seven world titles and major wins in England and Australia, Smokey won many of the biggest rodeos of the day in New York
City, Salinas, Cheyenne, Boston, Calgary, Fort Worth, Denver, Los Angeles and Tucson. He was a founding member of the Cowboys Turtle Association in 1936, was among the first directors of the Turtle’s board of directors and served for several years, and is even credited with inventing the handle in a bull rope. In 1977 he was just the third representative of Canada to be inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. In 1979 he was in the inaugural class of members inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, and in 2020 he will be inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame in Fort Worth. Smokey Snyder was a man of exceptional physical strength in addition to being known as a very kind person. He stood only 5’ 6”, but Smokey Snyder was a giant of a man. c
PHOTO BY DEVERE HELFRICH
Smokey came off the bull like a rag doll, hit the arena dirt flat on his shoulders, and broke his back in three places.
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WHAT WORKS FOR US
Ranching Never Stopped This time around, we are combining two important ranch functions: branding and grass management. The grass interview I did with the Bohnets well before the pandemic. The branding interview was done just as we were starting to open up, and everything was up in the air. Regardless, while some felt the world “came to a stop,” that certainly wasn’t that case on any place that depended on livestock for their living.
Due to COVID-19, the Faulkner family chose to do a series of smaller brandings, utilizing minimal ground crew, and exchanging their traditional “wrasslers” with ground constraints. Pandemic or not, training the next generation of ranchers is an ongoing reality. On horseback from left, Hanna Faulkner, Sara Bandy, Kate Bandy. Ground crew from left, Alan Bandy, Gord Faulkner.
PHOTO BY TERRI MASON
These are their stories.
By TERRI MASON
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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
BRANDING IN A NEW AGE CHARITY FAULKNER
“
Normally, we have about 30 riders that gather. I cook breakfast for everyone, and when everything’s gathered, they grab some breakfast. I cook up about 12 pounds of sausage, there’s buns, some treats, and lots of coffee, tea and water. Everybody takes a break and has breakfast. For branding, we usually feed between 50 and 60 people. For dinner, I cook a big roast (18 lb) a ham, meatballs; I put out any leftover sausage. I do potatoes and gravy, peas and make my own baked beans, veggies and dip, fruit, and I do eight different salads, plus cheese, pickles, the basic stuff. Then for dessert, I usually make up about four pans of Mississippi Mud, plus some pies. The crew used to come into the house and dish up, then they’d take their plate to tables I set up in the back yard. For 2020, we’re starting with a series of little brandings with crews of 10–15 people. If the little brandings are working, we’ll probably carry on. I won’t be cooking breakfast. There won’t be a big gather, the crew will simply bring up what’s paired up; probably 50 in a bunch. There might be 10 riders and no wrestlers this year. The ropers will just hold the calves with their horses. Hopefully, after the branding, everybody will come to the yard for something to eat. Hannah and I cleaned up our shop; I’ll have tables set up in there and some outside. The meal is probably going to be a roast or ham, Hannah is going to make her famous buns. Everything is going to be in small baggies; cut veggies with a little container of dip, some fruit. Dessert might be cookies or brownies, something that I can wrap individually. It’ll all be on disposable plates, cups and cutlery — everything will go in the garbage. We’ll be doing this for each of the brandings. In all the years I’ve done our branding (14 years), I’ve never been stressed. But this is stressing me out. Even
Cobble Rock Cattle Company Owners: Corbett and Charity Faulkner, daughter Hannah
my very first branding, I was seven months pregnant with Hannah. I remember crying, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?’ I phoned Fern Yarshenko, and she came over and helped me. After that, I have never been worried. But I’m stressed this year.”
CORBETT FAULKNER
“
Traditionally, our crew size varies from year to year. We’re getting close to 40–50 people, but our terrain is pretty rugged. I like to go to brandings; I like helping the neighbours, and I like seeing fat cattle. It’s nice to go somewhere there is some. I went to a neighbour’s branding, and for the first time, I saw a fat cow. [He laughs.] Normally, I go to about 15 brandings, and they come here; many bring two or three reps. With the traditional brandings, it’s so much easier to pick one day and do it — you get everything done. Whereas now, we’re going to have to be watching the weather forecast, and if everybody is doing a half-dozen smaller days, then we’re not going to be able to go to everybody’s branding, just the local ones. I feel out of my element talking about this. I’m worrying and wondering how it’s going to work. Technically I could probably do it myself, but I still want to go and help other people. We did a small, clean-up branding last year and we had the girls roping [Hannah (then 13) and the Bandy girls, Kate (11), Sara (9) and Addie (6)]. A couple of the guys were ready to rope too, but those girls started dragging calves in so fast and steady that I didn’t have enough frickin’ irons in the fire; the irons were going cold. By the end of this branding season, those girls are going to have gained enough confidence to ride into a pen, and just rope and drag. The more you do it, the better and more confident you get. They’re going to be just so much better by the end of this. That’s my vision. So maybe last year was our practice — we proved we can do it that way.”
Brand/Location: Bar over C reverse F (LR); YU over a quarter circle down (LR)
Nearest town: Maple Creek, Sask. Established: Early 1970s Elevation: 916–1,287 m (3,707–4,222 ft) Annual Precipitation: 223.3 mm (9 inches) Cattle breed: Commercial; Hereford/Angus
cowboycountrymagazine.com
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WHAT WORKS FOR US
COOL, CLEAR WATER RANDY AND KATHRYN BOHNET
“
We rotate our cows through our pastures throughout the year. Our winter ground is 10 quarters and the cows graze all winter, but we do supplement them with feed. Some years we start putting out hay the first of December; some years it’s the first part of November. Around the first week of April we move them to our calving field; it’s about a section. Kathryn set up a protocol for vaccinating cows, tagging calves and turning pairs to the next field when calves are about 1 week old. This field is about three sections in size. This is done on horseback, like most of our cow work. We only drive on the grass when absolutely necessary. Because they’re not crowded and the calving pasture is only used once a year, the field is clean, so we don’t get a lot of scours or sick calves. It has quite a bit of tame grass which comes up early. They stay in the next pasture until branding, and then the first of July they get moved over into the breeding field, which is all native 34
grass. There are five quarters there, so it’s not that big, but we only use it for the first cycle so the bulls have a really good run at the cows. As the grazing season progresses, we move the cows further south to higher and higher elevations. It’s a little cooler and there’s more moisture up in the Cypress Hills. In our highest field closer to the [Cypress] Park, there is a wet area that covers a couple of acres. Since I [Randy] was a kid, I always admired it. So, we got a grant from the Farm & Ranch Water Infrastructure program and consulted with John McGee, a water pipeline expert from Carmichael, Sask., and we installed the gravity-fed pipeline. Up until then, we depended on spring runoff to fill dams to water cattle. Now we have close to seven miles of shallow buried pipe that operates with simple gravity, and it provides ice-cold, pure drinking water to four troughs — three are managed with float valves, while the fourth simply maintains its level with an inflow and outflow, and empties back into McShane Creek. To build it, we hired an excavator. Kathryn walked out onto the top of the marsh, jumped up and down and the ground shook for five feet all around her. “Dig here,” she said. Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
PHOTO COURTESY BOHNET FAMILY
Digging the pipeline with minimal disturbance
PHOTOS COURTESY BOHNET FAMILY
Construction and one of the finished water troughs
There is a 600-foot drop from the spring to the last trough but still, travelling over seven miles, it took a few days for the water to reach the end of the pipeline, but when it did and was free-flowing back into the creek — what a moment that was! The pipeline does not extend the grazing season; what it does is this: it puts water in areas where the cows didn’t normally graze, so they utilize the grass much better. There’s always wildlife; we’ve got deer, elk, antelope, many bird species, and we’ve got quite a few sharp-tailed grouse leks [mating grounds]. Now we’ve got water parceled out so far, the wildlife definitely use the troughs and the cows prefer them because the water’s so clean, fresh and cold. At the end of the season we simply turn off the valve at the top culvert, let it drain for a couple of days and then blow out the line with a compressor. In its history, this area was popular with First Nations as there are many teepee rings. But the only way you’d be able to see them now is if the land was overgrazed, or a fire went through. My mom and dad spent their lifetime paying for this ranch, and now it’s our turn to improve it and add to it. But we’re careful cowboycountrymagazine.com
Lazy RH Ranch Owner: Randy Bohnet and Kathryn Bohnet, DVM; sons Mathew and Lucas Nearest Town: Maple Creek, Sask. Established: 1978 Size: 11,000 acres Elevation: Rises from 847–1,010 m (2,780–3,300 ft) Annual precipitation: 10 inches (255 mm) Breed: Commercial, mainly Hereford Brand: Lazy left R over H (RR)
to protect our grasslands, and we’re happy you can’t see the teepee rings because they’re covered up with good grass — and we hope that no one will ever see them again — and that’s what works for us. c
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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
Pro Rodeo
CANADA
INSIDER
HALL OF FAME! This 2005 photo shows Grated Coconut and three-time Canadian Bareback Champion, Davey Shields. Together, the two earned their spot in the record books with this spectacular, record-setting 95-point ride — a record that still stands today. The stud will be inducted into the Pro Rodeo Cowboy’s Assoc., Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Co. Photo by Mike Copeman
RODEOCANADA.COM cowboycountrymagazine.com
CANADIAN COWBOY COUNTRY AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 37
Pro Rodeo Canada Insider
CPRA Members As of June 24, the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association, Westerner Park and the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce made the difficult yet important decision to postpone this year’s Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR47) until 2021. With the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 related health guidelines and the cancellation of many qualifying rodeos this summer, all three partners determined the standard of excellence and quality of experience that fans and competitors expect from the Canadian Finals Rodeo would not be achievable this year. And, as you all know, we are down to only a handful of regular events remaining on the 2020 rodeo schedule. I am still hopeful we can have a few rodeos but there is no guarantee that it will happen. Your Association has continued working behind the scenes to ensure we are ready to move ahead with events as soon as we receive the green light while at the same time, being fiscally responsible. The CPRA has
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reduced its hours of operation and all staff have taken a reduction in either pay, hours or both. The Pro Rodeo Canada team is working on many initiatives including partner agreements, media pieces, event guidelines/ conversations in and around COVID19, sponsorship and the future of the sport of Rodeo in Canada. The board of directors and our management have taken the necessary steps to ensure that our association will survive this pandemic that is financially crippling many organizations and businesses throughout the world. As we continue to navigate these challenging times, we know that all of us want to see the sport of rodeo return and continue to grow and be sustainable as we move forward. To help with this endeavour, we invite you to purchase your 2020 Membership if you have not already done so. Regular membership provides you with continued access to: • Canadian Pro Rodeo Sport Medicine Team • CPRA Cowboy Benefit Fund • Edmonton Rodeo Cowboys Benevolent Foundation • Annual subscription to Canadian Country Cowboy magazine • Continued access to benefits for injuries at CPRA events • The opportunity to attend the 2020 CPRA Annual General Meeting • The opportunity to compete at or work at any events that may be held in 2020
And rodeo fans, we offer Associate Memberships as well, that allow you to stay engaged in our sport in several ways. Please see rodeocanada.com for details. We hope to see each of you very soon along the rodeo trail! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, or a member of the the CPRA Board of Directors and/or management. We are all in this together!
Terry Cooke, President, CPRA
For up-to-date information about the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association, check out our website at rodeocanada.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @prorodeocanada. We’re also on YouTube under RodeoCanada.
Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
C.P.R.A.
ROAD TO THE CFR
LAYTON GREEN ALL HEALED UP By TIM ELLIS
I
F THERE WAS ANYONE WHO MAY HAVE NEEDED A DELAYED START TO THE 2020
RODEO SEASON, IT WAS LAYTON GREEN. THE 26-YEAROLD SADDLE BRONC RIDER LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN READY TO ENTER THE SCHEDULED SPRING STOPS IN MEDICINE HAT, CAMROSE AND COLEMAN HAD THEY NOT BEEN
PHOTO BY MIKE COPEMAN
RESCHEDULED OR POSTPONED. “I went to about six or seven winter rodeos before I separated my shoulder,” reveals Green, who won close to $14,000 at those U.S. stops. “They called it a Grade 3 separation and gave me about an 85 per cent chance of full recovery without surgery. It was a good time to be hurt with all the rodeos shutting down. I was back training by the end of March. Now I’m looking to get back and be better than ever.” Green’s return to action in the winter came after a seven-month hiatus due to a broken leg. “We were west of Turner Valley with Tyler Thomson moving some cows in a forestry area,” begins the 2017 Canadian Saddle Bronc Champion. “We were riding out of there when my horse tumbled. He caught himself, wiped out and pancaked on me. I heard the bones break and knew it was bad. I’ve broken my leg a couple of cowboycountrymagazine.com
Layton Green on Duffy Rodeo’s Bootilear at 2017 CFR in Edmonton
times before, but this dang sure felt like the worst. I knew then it was probably a done deal for the year.” His premonition was correct. Green not only missed his scheduled appearance that night at the Daines Ranch Rodeo north of Innisfail, Alta., but also the rest of the season. “Luckily, the horse fell at the opening where we were riding through to the truck. A forestry helicopter landed about a hundred yards from where I was. It took about three hours to get there. That was my first helicopter ride. I’d like to go for another ride sometime without being strapped to a backboard.” “Things were going really good,” says the Meeting Creek, Alta., cowboy of his season at the time of the injury. “I had (Kesler’s) Copper Cat drawn that night. I’d been waiting a long time to get on that horse.”
Perhaps worse than that pain was the anguish Green felt “sitting at home with a rod in my leg for the rest of the summer.” “Oh ya, there’s nothing that will light a fire in you more than watching your buddies rodeo,” suggests Green, who had qualified for the Canadian Finals Rodeo in four consecutive years prior to last season. “It makes you crave it. I want to hit the road as hard as I can and come back better than ever.” Until that time comes, Green continues to help around the family ranch with a herd of 65 bucking horses. “It was a fun hobby started with my dad when I first turned pro,” says Green, who set the CPRA single-season bronc riding earnings record in 2017. “I don’t know if I overly want to be a stock contractor. But I sure like raising bucking horses.” c
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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider Clay Elliott spurring over his rein at Strathmore in 2016 on Calgary Stampede’s M-2 Mad Money, who takes X + 5, measuring your fist from the swells, and then you add the full width of your hand, plus your thumb. “Double D from C5 Rodeo and Mad Money from Calgary Stampede take X + 5,” said Elliott.
material. You could grip it really good, but it was coarse. Since they’ve evolved, it’s still a nylon or poly material, but it’s kind of stringy and really loose — it’s a bit more silky and smaller diameter. It’s a lot softer so that when you grab one of these reins, your hand really sinks into them.”
BRONC REINS DEMYSTIFIED By TERRI MASON
N
ot all bucking horses are equal. Some horses buck with their head high, while others are nearly rooting the ground with their nose, so naturally, some take more rein than others.
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I called two-time (2016 & 2018) Canadian Saddle Bronc Champion, Clay Elliott to get the long and short of it, and he explained it in great detail — and also gave examples of bronc rein measurements in use on some of today’s top broncs. Special thanks to Clay, and I hope you enjoy. HAS THE BRONC REIN EVOLVED? “From when I first got involved, guys were using a heavier, tighter braided bronc rein. It would be about two to three inches in diameter and quite a tight braid. It’s quite a handful. But things evolve, and now guys are going to a lot smaller rein with a looser braid. From when I first started the old school rein had some kind of a grass-type
HOW DO YOU MEASURE A BRONC REIN? “With the horse in the chute and the bronc rein attached to the halter, you pull your bronc rein up to the back of the swells. You pull it fairly snug, so your horse is still comfortable, but there’s tension on the rein. Then, the measurement depends on the bronc you drew. When you are getting on a horse you’ve never seen before, generally, the stock contractor will tell you what those horses take; they usually know the stud and mare the bronc came out of too.” c
Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
PHOTO BY BILLIE-JEAN DUFF
THE SECRET CODE OF TAKING HOLD
WHAT IS THE SIZE OF THE NEW BRONC REIN? “Originally, the bronc rein went from a 12-strand braid up to a 60. Now, the spur guard is made of parachute cord and is about ¾ of an inch in diameter. It runs about 18 inches from the halter to where the handhold starts. The spur guard is braided into the bronc rein, which jumps to a 30 or 40-strand loose braid. It would probably be two to three inches in diameter, but when you grab it, it’ll go down to about an inch, or an inch and a half. My rein is quite small. It’s kind of squishy, and I feel like I can get a better grip. Before the new reins, back in the day when they were very tight braided, anyone that stuck a finger in the braid … well, it’s not coming out. But now as the braids are looser and the material itself has gotten smaller; guys can put in a finger through it and it’s not as risky. Your finger(s) can come out if need be. I’ve seen guys put their pointer finger and middle fingers through and braid their fingers through the rein. That’s crazy to me, and I wouldn’t recommend that to anybody.”
C.P.R.A.
How Some of the Greats Measure Up 1. Clay Elliott shows how a bronc rein is attached to the halter. You can also see the tightness of the spur guard braid and the looseness of the bronc rein itself. 2. FIST: Just your fist against the swells with no thumb extended; you take hold at the end of the fist. 3. SHORT AVERAGE: Get Smart of NorthcottMacza is a Short Average; a fist with only your thumbnail barely pointing out. 4. “X” OR AVERAGE: Tokyo Bubbles of Calgary Stampede and Bootilear of Duffy Rodeo is an X or Average; your fist against the swells with your thumb fully extended.
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5. *AVERAGE ON THE THROAT: Pedro of Vold Rodeo is an Average on the Throat. instead of attaching your bronc rein to the ring on the bottom of the halter, it is attached to the halter’s throat latch. To compare, On the Throat, a Fist is the same as an Average, and then you go from there. An X or Average measures out as X + 4; etc. *Note: Often, horses that began their career in Bareback use the Throat measurement, so the halter doesn’t affect their performance as much. 6. X + 2: Spanish Pair of Kesler’s and Rubles of Big Stone Rodeo are both X + 2; that’s your fist against the back of the swells with your thumb extended, and then you add two fingers. 7. X + 4: Stampede Warrior of Calgary Stampede, Evening Mist of Franklin Rodeo and High Valley of C5 Rodeo take X + 4; your fist from the back of the swells, with your thumb extended, and then you add four fingers. 8. DOUBLE X OR DOUBLE AVERAGE: Lunatic Party of Outlaw Buckers takes a lot of rein. You make a fist with both hands with your thumbs extended. At the end of your hand furthest from the swells, that’s where you take hold.
PHOTOS COURTESY CLAY ELLIOTT
9. DOUBLE X AND A BRAID: Lunatic Fringe of Burch Rodeo; that horse takes a lot of rein as his head goes way down, so he’d be a Double X + the width of the bronc rein.
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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider WHAT DOES IT TAKE?
FLANK MEN PULLING THEIR WEIGHT By TIM ELLIS
T
HE STOCK CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING HIS BEST ANIMALS TO A RODEO;
THE COWBOY HAS THE TASK OF RIDING THAT STOCK TO THE BEST OF HIS ABILITY. THE MIDDLEMAN, WHO PERHAPS IS THE LEAST KNOWN AMONG THAT TRIO, IS THE FLANK MAN. BUT WHILE THOSE WATCHING THE ACTION FROM THE GRANDSTAND MAY NOT BE PAYING ATTENTION TO WHO’S PULLING THE FLANK STRAP,
The flank strap is a sheep-skin lined leather strap. That strap acts as a tool that the horse or bull associates with performing when the chute gate is opened. “I’m pacing back behind the chute worse than the cowboys,” chuckles Tyson Cardinal, whose first rodeo as the flank man for Vern McDonald’s C5 Rodeo Company was the Calgary Stampede. “That’s my job. If the flank falls off or I screw it up, it’s my fault. I don’t think many people realise how much rides on the flank man.” Cardinal knows the pressure that comes with pulling the flank for one of the most decorated bareback horses in the world. “He’s a little more special, everyone loves him,” suggests Cardinal when asked 42
Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
PHOTO COURTESY VOLD RODEO
EVERYONE IN THE RODEO ARENA IS.
PHOTO BY BILLIE-JEAN DUFF
C.P.R.A.
about McDonald’s 1,600 pound, 12-year-old superstar, Virgil. “I’m more excited than anyone when it comes to flanking him.” “I can tell what type of trip he’s going to have by the way he’s loaded. If I put the flank on him in the alley, he gets mad and starts kicking, and he’ll have a harder trip. If I can keep him calm while putting the flank on him in the chute, he’ll usually have that sweet 90-plus trip everyone loves.” Knowing each horse that’s loaded in the chute is a key to being a successful flank man, according to Shane Franklin. “Some horses take a tighter flank, usually those that travel and have been bucked a lot,” offers Franklin, who oversees operations on the 15,000-acre home of the Franklin Rodeo Company near Bonnyville, Alta. “Young horses will over kick and fall down with a tight flank, and that can hurt a contestant.” “It’s a fine art. If you’re too slow, you’ll pull the flank over their hips, and that means you’re hanging on too long. Most horses sit on the back slide. They get a hump in their back as they brace with their front feet to get ready to leave the chute. The flank gets tight, and you can’t pull the leather if it’s already tight. When they leave, it gets loose. By then, you’re pulling it over their butt. It’s called double-hipped.” There’s more. “Some horses are fish-bellied — built heavy in the front and sloped from their belly back to their flanks. With those horses, I try to take a step ahead so it helps keep the flank ahead of the hips. I think every horse takes a different flank.” Franklin is among the “elder statesmen” of flank men on the Canadian pro rodeo trail along with the likes of Duane Kesler, Bruce Sunstrum and Ken “Goose” Rehill of the Calgary Stampede. “My dad and I had a pretty good thing going,” begins Franklin, who was the pickup man for his father, Vern, during the early days of the company. “He’d put the flanks on, and I’d take them off.” cowboycountrymagazine.com
ABOVE: Tyson Cardinal flanking C5 Rodeo’s High Valley with Sam Kelts aboard at the 2018 Calgary Stampede. The length of the flank strap is adjusted with a buckle for each horse’s preference to ensure the flank is not too tight or too loose, which would negatively impact a bronc’s performance. OPPOSITE PAGE: Nansen Vold setting the flank
“I wished I would have listened to him more. One thing he did say was it takes supreme hand-eye coordination. You’ve got to pull as the horse is leaving the chute. If you pull too early, usually the horse jumps ahead and he’s got nowhere to go because the gate’s not open yet. In my opinion, the best way for guys wanting to flank is to go where horses are being bucked with dummies or learn at a practice session with young horses who aren’t blowing out of the chute.” Like Franklin, Nansen Vold also grew up in a rodeo family. “We started raising bulls over 20 years ago, but I only started flanking horses about three years ago,” explains Vold, who now flanks for Wayne Vold Rodeo. “It’s more technical I would say.” “With bulls, it’s just a straight-up nylon rope with a ring on the end of it. You pull it tight and tie it off while the bull is in the chute and leave it. It was a little tricky learning the differences at the start.” Both know the good and bad when it comes to being a flank man. “There’s nothing better than flanking a horse that bucks hard and a cowboy is 90 points,” says Vold. “It’s a great feeling of accomplishment.” “When a horse doesn’t buck, the first person they look at is the guy pulling the flank because it’s obviously his fault,” snickers Franklin. “Especially at the big rodeos, you can’t crawl under the bucking chutes fast enough.” “After all these years, I’m still learning.” c
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CLOWNIN’ AROUND | CRASH COOPER
Ash Cooper Art and Ranch Gallery
“I find it helps with social distancing.”
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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
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 Clearwater Cowboy Church Every Thur., 7 p.m., Dovercourt Hall, Hwy 22, south of Rocky Mtn House, Alta., 403-845-5351 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
Has been bringing you spellbinding conversations, the clear, crisp music of the west, horse training advice, Baxter Black and great cowboy poetry each week on a network of great radio stations since 1992. And now you can watch and listen any time on YouTube and download the show as a podcast. Get the details at HUGH-MCLENNAN.COM
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
It is not what we have in life, but It is not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters. who we have in our life that matters.
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., 306‑662‑3431 Cowboy Valley Church 4054 PR 432 Morden, Man., 204-822-9909
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Shopping for the Westerner! This year, trade shows and western events are out of the question, so we've thrown open our gates for a Trade Show Marketplace! Here you'll find a collection of unique and gorgeous handcrafted artworks and collectibles, plus some essential buys for the ranch.
TRADE SHOW MARKETPLACE
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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2020
A Canadian Classic
This delighful prairie favourite is passed on to us courtesy of photographer, gold panner, and geocacher Donna Smith of Vernon, B.C. She and her partner, Jerry Steiner, are popular photographers of the Kamloops Cowboy Festival.
Lemon Flapper Pie For the Crust
For the Filling
1 1/3 cups graham crumbs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
3 tbsp flour 3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
2 tsp lemon zest
For the Meringue
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt 2 egg yolks (reserve whites for the meringue) 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1 tbsp butter 1/4 cup lemon juice
sugar, the graham crumbs, en, in a bowl, combine Th . er. 5˚F lat 37 for to e n erv ove e res th to op out 2 tbsp For the crust, preheat til combined, and sco for 6 to 7 un n x ove Mi n. ted mo hea na pre cin e th melted butter and pie plate and bake in mb mixture into a 9” . Press the remaining cru e temperature to 425˚F oven, and increase th e th m fro ve e sugar, flour, cornmo Re . d minutes t. To the bowl, ad th hea m diu me and r ove ler a double boi stantly until it thickens For the filling, create water, and whisk con g lin red boi pa d pre an e ks th o yol t, egg d pour int starch, lemon zest, sal ter and lemon juice, an heat, and stir in the but e th m fro ve mo Re boils. the ile mixing, slowly add pie crust. l until foamy. Then, wh h bow a wit in ing s ite fill wh pie e egg th o t tw m, then top For the meringue, bea g until stiff peaks for tin e gu bea e rin nu me nti e th Co r. kle rta rin . Sp sugar and cream of ta ks as you spread it out wned , creating decorative pea bake until lightly bro and n ove e th in the meringue mixture pie e th ce pla en th , mb mixture with the reserved cru re, and serve. ol to room temperatu Co ). tes nu mi (about 5
Directions
cowboycountrymagazine.com
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Headin’ In By ROD NICHOLS
Some fellers favor sunup just before their day begins, while others favor evenin’ when their day is at an end. But this old cowboy’s dif’rent it’s the way I’ve always been, cause the time that gets me smilin’ is the time for headin’ in. With a day of work behind me and before the sunset ends, it’s a quiet and peaceful feelin’ on the trail while headin’ in. There’s a breeze that often comes up as a warm, southwestern wind, and a glow across the prairie as I’m slowly headin’ in. Above a hawk is wheelin’ swoopin’ down then up again, as if he wants one final look ‘fore he too is headin’ in.
Someday this’ll all be over just the prairie, grass and wind, I hope He’ll let me pass this way when it’s time for headin’ in.
Cowboy poet Rod Nichols (1942–2007) of Texas published three volumes of his poetry. He was at the forefront of the resurgence of interest in the art.
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PHOTO COURTESY STOCK.ADOBE.COM/JEANNE
My saddle pal don’t say much but he tells me with a grin, he feels about the same as me with our ponies headin’ in.
TIM ELLIS’
RODEO REPORT
Proud to be the official voice of the CPRA & the CFR cowboycountrymagazine.com
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Take Care Lammle’s Western Wear is open for business in-store and on lammles.com We are ready to serve you, safely, and have the durable clothing and footwear to get your most important jobs done. In these trying times the work you do in rural communities is more important than ever. Thank you to all first responders, producers and ranchers, customers, family and friends for their support during this time.
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