The powerful limited edition print by international artist Kim Penner which appears on the colorful 2016 Ponoka Stampede poster features multi-talented and perennial champion professional bareback rider Jake Vold doing what he loves best in rodeo infields throughout Canada and the United States before thousands of avid fans each and every summer.
Always a keen competitor from high school rodeo to pro
In the bareback riding event the horse and rider are both scored equally on their performance; they face off against each other, yet at the same time they’re partners. The better the cowboy rides and the harder a horse bucks the higher the score. When the right match comes along, the one where both were just born to try best each other, the end result is an incredibly explosive ride.
Jake Vold was born in Ponoka, Alberta and his favorite rodeo is his hometown rodeo, which he also happened to win in 2013. He is a six-time Canadian Finals Rodeo qualifier, a two-time Canadian champion and a 2014 National Finals Rodeo qualifier. The “hardest built horse” Jake claims he’s ever been on is the infamous big grey Mucho Dinero. This phenomenal horse was named Canadian Bareback Horse of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
Jake Vold is a third generation rodeo contestant with two of his biggest fans and teachers being his father Lawrence and grandfather William- both of whom also competed riding broncs. The Vold name is ever-present in the sport of rodeo and on both sides of the border. At most rodeos you can be rest assured you’ll hear about a Vold relative either riding in it, working behind the scenes or supporting it in one way or another. Jake truly was raised with rodeo blood running through his veins.
The young Vold worked his way through the ranks of high school and college before turning pro. He competed in the bareback, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, tie-down roping and team roping in high school and college rodeo. He won the Canadian Intercollegiate Rodeo Association bareback riding title in 2007 competing for Olds College. (where he studied land reclamation), he then transferred to Montana State University in Bozeman (where he majored in business) and qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo in 2008.
Throughout his career, Jake has set the goal for himself to be number one, but success has not come easy as he has continuously been forced to battle injuries. Jake joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 2010 after he had been sidelined for 14 months with a broken collarbone and fractured right arm-his riding arm. In 2011, he broke his leg and had to sit out for three months. In 2013 he missed three months with torn ligaments in his left elbow. After acquiring separated cartilage in his ribs following a nasty spill coming off a ride in 2014, the young cowboy says he can now feel the pain during every jump a horse makes. “I always say, it’s mind over matter…just clear it out and worry about it later.”
In spite of his struggles this competitor is known to never be counted out of the running and his resolve and grit have ultimately paid off for him. His love for rodeo, impressive skill and professionalism, in-and- out of the arena, serves as true inspiration for the next generation of bareback riders and for fans of rodeo as well.
- with contributions from Inge Sybrandi