The Future Champions Challenge competition, which ran Oct. 24 to Nov. 1, wrapped up its last few days with a couple of interesting events.
The first was the ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) Canada bucking bull futurity that took place at the Calnash Ag Event Centre on Oct. 29.
Ponoka’s own Nansen Vold Rodeo Company had the top three bulls in the two-year-old futurity — 427 in first followed by 792 and 467. Saskatchewan’s K-Rose Ranch’s Speckled Shot and Grumpy wound up fourth and fifth respectively.
High River based Wild Hoggs’ bull 815 captured the yearling futurity, followed by 178 from Ponoka’s Big Luck Ranch and Foley Bucking Bulls of Lloydminster 801. Third and fourth went to 1818 and 8112 from Forster Boys out of Strathmore.
Wild Hoggs 815 and 710 won the team challenge over Nansen Vold’s 839 and 792.
Next was the timed event challenge on Oct. 30, where competitors take part in different rodeo events. The men go through steer wrestling, heading, heeling and tie down roping, while the women have heading, heeling, barrels, goat tying and breakaway roping.
Top spot for the men went to Kale Peterson followed in second by Trey Gallais. Kegan and Cole Schmidt finished in third and fourth respectively.
Prize money was also awarded for first and second place in each event for the two qualifying rounds.
In the steer wrestling, the first round saw Joe Guze and Logan Spady take the top two spot while Glen Nash and Peterson were one and two in the second round.
The first round heading prizes went to Gallais and Ty Livingstone with round two going to Lane Purdie and Tyler Popescal.
The heeling rounds went to Travis Speer and Tyrel Ward in the first with Purdie and Josh Harden in the second.
It was Speer and Jeff Heggie in the first round of the tie down roping, while the second went to Spady and Luke Skocdopole.
For the women, Cassdiy Weber finished first with Katelyn Ellis taking second. Third place went to Kendall Piersen with Taylor Flewelling in fourth.
The qualifying round results were: First round - Breakaway: Bobbie Henderson, Cassie Robinson; Heading: Cassdy Weber, Cassie Robinson; Heeling: Maddie Bews, Cassidy Weber; Barrels: Gina Flewelling, Payton Smith; Goat Tying: Katelyn Ellis, Kyla Kelly. Second round - Breakaway: Dawn Branden, Baily Hines; Heading: Maddie Bews, Dawn Branden; Heeling: Payton Smith, Cassidy Weber; Goat Tying: Katelyn Ellis, Taylor Flewelling.
On Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, the Alberta Reined Cow Horse Association hosted the Canadian Snaffle Bit Futurity.
John Swales on Never Giving In won the open class by a single point over Dale Clearwater and Cody McArthur. Taking top spot in the limited open was Amos Abrahamson on Roadside Whiskey. On the non-pro side, Jim Dobler on Twist My Arm won the open with Julie Parsonage winning the limited class.
Clearwater on Cat San Belle won the open derby with the limited class going to Tyler Darroch on Spooky Cat, while the non-pro derby winner was Clayton Hines on Northern Guns.
Lastly, on Nov. 1 was the Canadian Dummy Roping Championship which features kids from under five right up to 11 years of age attempting to get a rope on a team roping dummy.
Every competitor goes away with something, but the grand prize winners of a trophy saddle this year were Briar Blanchette who competed in the girls six and under class as well as Rance Coates in the boys seven to nine class.
