One of the hardest titles to win at the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) is now in the hands of a Ponoka cowboy.
Luke Butterfield walked out of Northlands Coliseum Nov. 13 with the gold championship buckle, a few other prizes and a lot of money after winning the all around Canadian championship title at the CFR.
Butterfield earned marks on all six rides in the saddle bronc event, earning over $46,000, as he held off two other challengers for the title. Cowboys that earn money in two separate events in three different rodeos throughout the season — Butterfield competes in both saddle bronc and steer wrestling during the year — earn the right to compete at the CFR and are eligible for the all-around championship.
He is pleased with winning the title, something he classifies as the hardest Canadian championship to get.
“I rode good on every horse, I’m really happy,” Butterfield said following his final ride.
“Overall, I had a good year even though my start was a bit late. It’s always been a goal of mine to win the all-around as it’s a very coveted title, so this means a lot to me.”
He added with cowboys working so hard in specializing in one event, that makes it even tougher to cash a cheque in both saddle bronc and steer wrestling at three rodeos.
“I’ve tried for some time and never made it through before,” Butterfield said.
“Fortunately, I was blessed that at this, and the other rodeos that the chips fell in the right place, and that all my events went off without a hitch.”
With that goal behind him, Butterfield has a new one set — making it to the biggest rodeo of them all, the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) that runs in Las Vegas every December.
“I want to go and make the NFR. I’ve come close a couple of times,” he explained.
“Now that I’ve made it here, I want to do it right and take a serious run at the NFR over the winter.”