By Angela Brown

North Battleford rodeo proves rush for competitors

Apr 30, 2017 | 12:07 PM

There was plenty of exciting action again at the North Battleford Kinsmen Indoor Rodeo Saturday night.

Contenders showed their merit in everything from team roping to barrel racing and bull riding.

Casey Bear, visiting from Whitewood, Sask., was taking part in the novice bareback event.

This is the 16-year-olds third rodeo of the season. Bear has been performing bareback riding for about three years.

“It’s pretty rough. Bareback is a lot more physically demanding than a lot of the other sports.”

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The dedicated youth said he has partaken in many different competitions over the year.

“I used to ride steers. Then, I went into the bull riding. I got knocked out too many times, so I just decided to start getting on bucking horses,” he said.

“It’s a lot faster. They are stronger animals and they don’t try to kill you at the end either.”

Battleford youngster Ameris Wasmuth took part in the wild pony riding event during intermission Saturday.  

“The horse, it pulled a lot and I never knew if I was going to be able to hang on to it that long,” said the eager 12-year-old, adding she finally managed to get on the rambunctious animal with a little effort.

“This guy had lots of energy and he was running really fast,” she said.

Luckily the pony calmed down for about five seconds – just enough time for Wasmuth and one of her teammates to jump on. The novice said she was a little scared with the whole adventure but had a lot of fun taking part, and would gladly do it again.

“Getting on bucking horses is kind of my thing,” she said.

From Byemoor, Alta., Clayton Bunney participated in the bareback competition Saturday and had the best score among both the Friday and Saturday participants.

The soft-spoken cowboy also has friends in North Battleford.

One of Bunney’s close buddies, Monty Koopman, originally from North Battleford, has travelled with him for quite a few years on the rodeo circuit.

For Bunney, riding bareback is “quite a rush.”

“You have got to be quick on the draw and know what you’re doing in a hurry,” the fit rancher said.

One of the most difficult parts about bareback bronc riding, sans saddle for the uninitiated, is that riders must hang on to the horse’s rigging with only one hand while the horse bucks. In competition, riders need to stay on the horse, without touching it with their free hand, for at least eight seconds to qualify for the event.  The horse also has to do some work in the competition.

“They all buck and stuff, but your horse has to perform as well as you,” said Bunney. “So you have to work together.”

Bunney has 16 years experience bareback riding but retired from the sport for the past three years.

He was thrilled to get such good results on his first day back in competition.

To stay safe, riders constantly need to watch how they are seated and must stay focused during the ride.

If they don’t get their feet set back properly on the horse in time before the horse’s feet hit the ground when it is bucking “that’s when you are in trouble. You’ll get thrown over the front.”

Bunney said he had some close calls himself.

A horse flipped over backwards on him in 2013 and as a result, he broke a couple of vertebrae in his back.

“Injuries are just part of the sport,” he added. “I really love riding. Once I was healed and got back into shape, was feeling right and got the ok, I came back out.”

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW