Next, it was on the C-Train back to the Stampede. Wow, we are becoming regulars on this thing. It is ever convenient to use.
The Stampede midway is much like the one in Toronto. I feel right at home. Later we watch the "Human Cannon Ball" |
| No, he didn't fall short of the net. |
There is an agricultural section just like the Royal Winter Fall. I try my hand at some of the activities...
We decide to give our feet a rest so we went into the Saddledome to watch some of the events. Man, did we luck out. The "Cowboy Up" event was about to start. This event required the rider & horse to complete typical activities a cowhand and horse could encounter during a working day. There were about 13 different activities; everything from a simulated snow storm to picking up a rider & dropping them off at a different location. The most challenging part involved the rider carrying a bucket of water while traversing a moving bridge, then a pile of logs on the ground, then a stationary platform, finishing by placing the bucket on a barrel. All this is done while riding the horse bareback! One rider fell during this segment & was taken to hospital. Each rider was timed & bonus points were awarded for ingenuity & style. Excellent!
The next event was "Penning". Thirty cows were held in a group by two riders. When the bell sounded, 3 other riders had to cut 3 cows with the same number out of the herd & chase them into a pen. If a cow with a different number than the one called ended up in the pen they team was disqualified. It was funny how some cow groups cooperated, while others were extremely difficult to get penned. Excellent horse skills were required to get the job done as quickly as possible. One team was disqualified for taking more than a minute to pen the 3 cows. The winning team consisted of a family. The father, the daughter and grand daughter. Cool!
I was a little disappointed with the chuck wagon races. I liked the wagon part of the race, but the outriders were kind of Mickey Mouse. In the old days the riders were cowboys. Now the cowboys are dressed like jockeys with helmets & no leather chaps. Bummer! Crap! They didn't look like they belonged at all. What a stupid idea. They could at lease glue cowboy hats over the helmets & wear chaps. When my Dad & I watched the chucks in the old days, they were real cowboys & real working horses. Now they us retired thoroughbred horses to pull the wagons & as outrider mounts. That's okay I suppose. At least they save the horses from the glue factory. You can also bet on the outcome of the race. There probably was some betting in the past, but now it just sounded like going to the races at Mohawk. Not what I expected at all. Mind you the wagons sliding on the mud looked spectacular. Hey, they got 4 wheels & they are racing. What can I say?
In this video watch the screen in the scene first.
