Weekend Rodeo

Part of the series: Experiencing Saskatchewan


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This weekend, I was invited to a casual "Rodeo". (AKA games and roping)  



Even though I don't really ride, I decided it would be nice to get out into the fresh air. Of course, the first thing that happened as soon as I got there was that I got put on a horse and went for a trail ride - a first for me!

Thankfully, the riders I was with yesterday were very patient with me, making sure that someone was always behind me during the ride, which consisted of winding our way through some bush, jumping up a hill, riding across the top of the valley for a while (practicing my trotting again - I am REALLY not good at that - very bouncy!!) before winding our way back down the hill through some fairly thick brush and back to the farm.

After lunch, the games continued, with a variation of a barrel race in teams, Team Doctoring, and Team Penning being the highlights. I watched, much to Fred's dismay - according to him, the games are done at each riders own pace... which is very nice, but my pace is a slow walk, preferrably without steers running around me in circles.

The barrel racing consists of three teams racing back and forth between a course of 4 barrels - from the starting line past the second barrel, back to the first barrel, past the third barrel, back to the first, past the fourth, and then back to the starting line, where they tap hands with the next team member, who takes off.

Team Doctoring is a team of 5 people - two ropers, two doctors, and a horse keeper. A steer is chosen from the herd, a rope is dropped over its head, and a second over its foot, the two doctors jump off their horses, hand the reins to the horse keeper, and push/pull the steer over it before "doctoring" (in the game, just touching it with a hand after it is down). The timer starts when the rope is dropped over the head, and stops when the doctoring is done.

Team Penning is a team of three - one girl minimum - who have to cut a steer from the herd and then get it into its pen. Time starts when the team leaves the starting line, and ends when all three riders have the steer penned and raise their hands. There was one team of all girls, and they beat the guys soundly. I was watching from outside the pen behind the starting line, and the most exciting part of that game for me was when the people who were supposed to be stopping the steers from running into the starting block didn't and so the steer crashed through the barbed wire beside the gate where I was, and then Fred ran into the fence and got knocked off his horse by the fence. That action got just a little to close for comfort!!!

I have made a committment to go out to the farm more often and practice so that I am comfortable running... should be very interesting.