Bronc Futurities

NEXT-GEN WINNERS

BY TIM ELLIS

IT 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 ITAN EXPENSIVE, PASSIONATE HOBBY.

“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.”

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.

Frank Wyzykoski put his money into his breeding program while he was still working in hopes of helping with his semi-retirement.

“I wasn’t in it to make it a full-time job,” confirms Wyzykoski, who still has a halfdozen horses left on his operation near Eckville, Alta. “I don’t have the land base to be a contractor, so the futurities are a great way to find out where your breeding program is at.”

“It gets to be like a job, but it’s something I really enjoy. Sometimes you do a little horse-trading, and everybody improves their herd. It kind of gets to be a way of life.”

Travis Reay began raising bucking horses while he was still riding them in the rodeo arena. And the 2013 Canadian Pro

Rodeo All-Around champion has built his herd up to over 100 horses.

“I started out raising bulls, but they’re hard on fence,” chuckles Reay, who just last season won the Wildrose Rodeo Association steer wrestling championship at the age of 42. “Rodeo has been my life, and I want to carry it on after I’m done competing.”

“When I was six years old, my mom timed at all the Howard Thompson rodeos. Howard would take me to help him sort. Guess he put the bug in me way back then. And now it’s been twenty-some years I’ve been doing this.”

For several years, Ash Cooper has been heavily involved in rodeo as a clown and barrel man. He’s now in the bucking horse business for a different reason.

Above: Frank Wyzykowski’s mare, 571 Rodeo Code was purchased by Western Rodeo of Idaho. The mare is being dummy bucked — the “dummy” is the apparatus strapped over her flank and wither. When about eight seconds are up, the riggings are tripped to open, and the dummy is bucked off.

“My dad and brother, Cam, started the operation,” begins Cooper. “I took over when my brothers died in a plane crash about 11 years ago.”

“I was raising bucking bulls at the time. I sold all of them to take over for the family. I thought my dad and brother put in too much sweat equity and there was too much sentimental value to have it not continue.”

Cooper believes raising bucking horses is more difficult than raising bulls.

Cooper Clan horses in the pasture

Cooper Clan Buckin’ Horse Company up-and-comers on the homeplace near Senlac, Sask.