Rodeo is a very unpredictable sport. On the first night of the Ponoka Stampede, for example, all eyes were on the epic battle between world-famous horse C-5’s Virgil and bareback riding sensation Rocker Steiner.
When they first met in Montana two years ago, the two shared the world record of 95 marks. That scene is captured on the Ponoka Stampede poster for this year.
As it happened, they ended up going on a Tuesday night date to Ponoka. But this time, the two-time World Champion Bareback horse emerged victorious in the conflict.
The Texas child was outmuscled and thrown off balance by The Grey, as he is nicknamed among the cowboys. Before the allotted eight seconds were up, Steiner ended up on the ground.
“I assumed he was going to mount that horse,” said C5 Rodeo owner Vern McDonald. I considered it all day and even entertained the possibility that he would break the arena record. It’s not what I had anticipated, but I suppose things happen.
It’s a rodeo. You can never predict what will occur. “He is aware of the throng; he feels it. McDonald remarks, “He might have wanted to win today too,” in reference to his renowned equine. Steiner said, “That’s the strongest trip I’ve ever seen that horse have.”
The largest regular season ppl rodeo in Canada, now in its 88th year, got began. Orin Larsen of Manitoba continued where he left off in June of last year, winning the bareback riding class with 86.75 points on the C5 horse Cat Nap.
“That horse is going to give you every opportunity possible with every jump, and it did not let you down.” After battling a knee and groin problem throughout the winter and early spring, Larsen adds, “It worked out good.” “I’m only now getting started. I feel fortunate that things are going well and am quite pleased to be getting healthier.
We need to occasionally put these youngsters in check because I can’t let them take over,” the 33-year-old jokes.
Emily Beisel had to make a last-minute race to Cody, Wyoming for her next rodeo, reaching there with only thirty minutes to spare after leaving Ponoka last July first with all the barrel racing championship trophy.
However, it paid off because Ponoka’s paycheck made it possible for her to travel to Las Vegas. The Oklahoman cowgirl was overjoyed to return, as her horse, Chonzo, loves the Ponoka ring. At Ponoka, the two once more set the early pace with a run of 17.38 seconds.
Beisel laughs, “He’s got good taste in rodeos.”
She remembers how, on her first visit to Ponoka in 2019, she didn’t think her horse would be suited for the large arena. She remembers, “I thought he would be running for the track at the far end, past the first barrel.”
“When I ran him, I was really anxious, but he just went with the flow, and he has done that on every run since. I think this is one of his best performances to yet. He adores being here. “We have to make one of the most significant rodeos of the year,”
With an 8.9-second run, Didsbury’s Morgan Grant leads the pack early in the tie-down roping competition. When you add it to his run in the slack in the morning, he leads the average as well (19.6 seconds). Braden Brost and Levi Schmidt, two young guns, put up the best combined time total of 12 seconds in the team roping following the first day of competition.
Cardston, Alberta steer wrestler Layne Delemont overcame some anxiety in order to nod his head in recognition of the renowned Ponoka long score. But with a 5.5 on his opening steer and a 7.0 in the evening, he leads with 12.5 points overall.
“I won’t lie, the PTSD was a little bit real this morning,” Delemont, who has just lately started acting again, admitted. “I was glad to finish that first one because I was packing to leave here last year. Even though this has always been my favorite rodeo, I was a little more anxious after what transpired the previous year.
During the 2023 Ponoka Stampede’s opening act, Delemont sustained a partial hamstring tear, both meniscus tears and an MCL and ACL blow to his knee in one collision. “I was unable to walk for four months, and now, a year later, here we are.”
“It felt fantastic tonight after going well this morning and removing the cowbwebs. Not only did I feel greatly relieved, but my family did as well. With an 86.5 on C5’s Bannock Slap, Montanan Sage Newman cemented himself as the leader of the saddle bronc riding rankings.
According to Newman, “that horse was just really good.” It need some coaxing and simply remained in front of the bucking chutes, allowing me to flaunt my sense of flair. It was great fun, and we truly fit each other. Overall, the bronc ride was enjoyable and the pen of broncs was excellent.
After the bull bucked him off at Innisfail, Cody Fraser, an Australian who moved to Alberta, met up with Angry Bob for the second time this month. This time, Fraser made the whistle and 86.25 points, for the Ponoka lead. “I had a bit of redemption on his today,” says Fraser.
“He bucked a lot more rider-friendly today, for sure. Last time it was in the rain and the mud, and he was pretty hard to get along with.” Fraser has only been in Canada for eighteen months. He was raised in a ranch and rodeo stock contracting family on the south coast of Australia.
Most of that time has been spent recuperating, after as a bull rider in June of last year, being trodden on. His lung puncture and broken ribs took time to heal, and he continues to have some stiffness. However, that vanishes following a trip such as he took in Ponoka. It’s fantastic. This is the largest rodeo I have ever attended.
Wednesday at 1:00 pm is the second show of the Ponoka Stampede rodeo. At 6:30 pm is the opening night of the pony and WPCA Chuckwagon races. Leading contestants return for the Showdown Round and first finals in July.
Dianne Finstad is an expert in communications who has a strong interest in all things farming. She worked as a reporter and broadcaster for more than thirty years, covering rodeos and agriculture in particular.
She was up on a ranch in southern Alberta and managed to turn her talents in communication and agriculture, which were sparked by 4-H, into a fascinating profession.
She started her career at CKRD-TV and radio in Red Deer. Throughout the province, her show “This Business of Farming” was a mainstay in many rural homes. In addition, she was a regular rodeo reporter and daily farm report writer for KG Country Radio.
At the Calgary Stampede, Dianne is employed as a show announcer and a rodeo reporter. She is an honorary member of both the Alberta Human Ecology and Home Economics Association and the Alberta Institute of Agrologists, and her work has won multiple accolades. Currently, Dianne travels the nation doing speeches, writing, and rodeo gigs.
