July 6th, Saturday

Another great day at the Stampede ! We didn't start quite as early today - caught the 11:15 shuttle instead of the 7am. Met up with Bernie's cousins again for a short visit and then on to the Rodeo. There are two shows - the rodeo and the clown and entertainers. He kept everybody entertained between and during the bull riding, bareback riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc, barrel racing, and our favourite the wild pony races and the little girls that gathered up the ponies.

The teams are three kids between the ages of 8 and 12 and one has to ride the wild pony. Hilarious ! There was also an amazing hoop performance by a First Nations Group.

We then met up with Mark and Kayley for a short visit. It is raining again and cold. What is with this Calgary weather. At 5pm the Kubota group gathered and we visited the Chuck Wagon horse barn. Kubota is a sponsor for a chuck wagon driven by Chad Harden. We met Chad and his horses and he went thru the story of chuck wagon racing, the horses, the training, the care of the horses, the rules of racing, etc. While we were there the Vet and assistant came around for his daily check of the horses. Each horse has a chip which keeps track of where they are, when they have raced, etc. Very regulated. The sun is out again ! A little time in the hospitality tent and then onto the chuck races. Chad came a very close second in his heat.

The rest of the evening we toured the booths in the BMO centre, relaxed in the wine garden, people watched and loved the fireworks. Home on the midnight bus - what a great 2 days at the Stampede. One of my favourite pics from the chuck races