Pro Rodeo Canada Insider Francis Rodeo Stock horses are raised in the beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley of Saskatchewan
BRONC FUTURITIES NEXT-GEN WINNERS BY TIM ELLIS
I
T MAY BE CONSIDERED A HOBBY BY SOME. FOR OTHERS, IT’S AN INVESTMENT WITH LITTLE RETURN. AND FOR MANY, IT’S A PASSION. WE’LL CALL IT
AN EXPENSIVE, PASSIONATE HOBBY.
Shawn (Shawn-Boy) and his father, Art Francis of Francis Rodeo Stock. In the chute is one of their young bucking horses with the “dummy” strapped onto its wither and above the flank.
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“The end goal for us is to sell our bucking horses,” says Shawn Francis, who, along with his dad, Art and sister, Marnie, operate a stock contracting outfit on the Piapot First Nation, north of Regina, Sask. “We’re competing in futurities with the hope of getting those horses to the National Finals Rodeo.” “Just before COVID, rodeos were in decline with rising costs and a lack of volunteers, so a lot of our contracting jobs were going away. We still have the infrastructure to raise these bucking horses, so it makes sense for us.” Canadian Cowboy Country June/July 2022
