contents

Out West

8 PUBLISHER’S NOTE

10 LEAD LINE

Meet a mother and daughter duo who build each other up (both literally and figuratively), to achieve success in the barrel racing arena.

12 OUT WEST

A re-creation project for a Yellowstone origin story.

14 OUT WEST

This year represents 100 years of pancake breakfasts at the Calgary Stampede. Read about the new children’s book coming out that celebrates the true story behind this wild tradition.

16 FACEBOOK FEEDBACK

She borrowed her Daddy’s pick-up horse and turned him into a jumper. The WHR Facebook fans loved it!

16 WESTERN INSIDER

A new AQHA rule will debut in June 2023, concerning leased horses.

Western Culture

17 GEAR & STYLE

Five things you’ll want to add to your barn this spring.

18 GOOD WORK

Megan Weir is an artist who truly paints to the beat of her own drum.

20 WESTERN FOODIE

If you’re typically an Eggs-Benny type breakfast person, this incredible dish is about to blow your mind.

24 HEULE REINING HORSES

Promoting and sharing the sport of reining with the Canadian public is a family endeavour in the Heule family.

Features

28 CANADA’S UNMATCHED RANGELAND DERBY!

An except from 100 years of gripping, chuckwagon racing stories.

32 WOMEN IN THE FIELD

Meet three ladies who are dedicated to preserving Canadian agriculture.

40 SPRING TIME HUES

Our newest western fashion editorial combines classic vintage finds with new looks that are guaranteed to keep you warm at night and chill during the day.

46 PIRATES OF THE PRAIRIES

Rabbit rodeos were cruel, but necessary. Here’s how communities combatted irresponsible land management, depletion of prairie grasses and other plagues of the dust-bowl era.

50 BACK FORTY

Lee McLean and a mishap in the kitchen.

On The Cover

The World Class reining stallion, Shining In Town and his rider/owner, Jennifer Neudorf. For breeding information visit www.heulereining.ca. Photo by Waltenberry.

Tara McKenzie Fotos

Recently, our family acquired some bottle calves. Their purpose is multifaceted. For one, they are helping to get our children out of bed earlier in the day, and for two – they give the kids another reason to stay off screens. The calves mean we have one more thing to worry about, care for and protect, but our family have never been shy of responsibility. For us however, it’s typically been foals, puppies or kittens in the past. Therefore, we never expected to fall in love with some little calves as easily as we did – yet here we are.

Helping the kids coordinate bottles twice a day and shuffling the youngsters in and out of their stall morning and evening, has given me another appreciation for the men and women who ferociously support agriculture. On page 32, you’ll read BAR XP PHOTO’S story about three women who are literally in the trenches of the industry. These ladies explain why it’s now, more important than ever that agriculture remains appealing to younger generations. And why proper avenues of support need to remain accessible to everyone.

Agriculture endeavours are also often family endeavors. On page 24, you will meet the Heule family, a young family of four who have made it their mission to share and promote the sport of reining with the public. Hubert and Cara Heule are based in Abbotsford, BC, and along with their two young daughters and some exceptional horses, they are making their mark on the industry.

Then on page 28, read an excerpt from The Rangeland Derby, 100 Years of Chuckwagon Racing at the Calgary Stampede. One the book’s quotes that really caught my eye was the following:

In 2005, Chris Turner wrote, “That’s why real, live rodeo is so refreshing: it’s decidedly underhyped – in fact, it’s kind of ridiculed in many circles – and yet it’s genuinely, heartracingly, holy-crap-that-chuckwagon’s-gonna-tip-over-andkill-us-all, exciting.

“Not for nothing are the chuckwagon races the headlining act of the Stampede: this is one wild freaking ride. This is NASCAR meets Ben Hur, with Clint Eastwood directing.

Author Glen Mikkelsen does a fabulous job of researching chuckwagon racing and is truly an artist in prose with this book. I hope you enjoy the read as much as I did. As always, we hope you enjoy the issue!

~ Jenn Webster

Ride For The Brand

Rancher boots started early 2020, with the need for quality boots in Canada. Dana Herr designs all of her own boots with whimsical patterns and bright colours that truly show off one’s original style. She also developed the Cowhide Lechara shorty style – an original to the Rancherr boot brand.

403-627-9666 rancherrbootco@gmail.com www.herrwildrags.com