And so in the middle of November in comes the last big event of the year for me... Canadian Western Agribtion & the Candian Cowboys Assoication Finals! Agribtion is an amazing time for anyone that loves livestock agriculture. There is trade shows, auctions, and demonstrations that fill up the entire Evraz Place. Building after building, from corner to corner, there is no lack of things to see when it comes to livestock agriculture. The demonstrations range from working cow horse, to milking, to dog shows, and it gives an excellent opportunity for those who can't see these interactions in their life to be able to see it. It is evident by the large amount of inner city school tours that participate with the Agribition that there is a large audience for this education. It is an amazing experience, and not one I would miss any year if I can. Every year this is a new piece that I want to see. This year's included a colt starting program, and the dog agility show [I have never watched dog agility before, and it was sure neat to see]. I also had a great giggle at the sheep riding competition, which was sponsored by Cabela's. The fact that non-agricultural direct sponsors are apart of Canadian Western Agribiton gives a true hint to just how big, and important, the whole week is to the city. The rodeo that followed every night after the daily events was an amazing show every night. This year it was extra special being the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Cowboys Association. The opening ceremonies were even more special as a history of the association was shown on the big screen, and the whole arena buzzed with an extra energy. The announcers did an amazing job that night keeping everyone in a good party mood, with the help from the amazing rodeo clown of course. On Saturday, the closing day, it was family day and you could see the pride of those in the arena as they had their kids join them. In a display like that it is very apparent the importance, and respect, that family really has in the rodeo world. This being a major final event, I once again did not bring my camera to capture the event. I worked hard to challenge myself to catch what I could with my iPhone camera along with just sitting back to take in the event. All three days I took in the rodeo were amazing. This was due not only to great talent that was on display, or due to it being a finals competition, but also because the amazing energy that came from the crowd. Each day the arena showed a great attendance, and from regions all over the world. The entertainment throughout the entire night keep everyone upbeat, and excited for more. The clown did an amazing job as always providing hilarious jabs to keep the audience entertained as those working behind the scenes did their best to keep everything rolling smoothly, and quickly. The charity portion of the night with the football toss was also very entertaining to watch, along with seeing all the great support that came out for the cause with all the balls thrown. The 50/50 showed great numbers, and I am sure the high school rodeo association was happy with the funds they raised through it. My favorite part of the intermission shows was the wild pony race challenge that took place. Watching the kids work so hard to ride the ponies was thoroughly entertaining. I have seen wild horse races, which never disappoint in giving a great show, but there is something extra special watching the kids work the ponies the same way I have watched grown men and women work horses. And as always the night ended with the big display of bull riding. On the Thursday night performance there was also a bull fighter's challenge. It was amazing to watch as each bull fighter took on each bull in an attempt to show off their skills. And boy, skills do these guys have. It was amazing to just sit and watch them do their thing, without the extra distractions that usually go along with their job. It is awesome to see some special attention paid to these excellent people that help keep the cowboys safe. The bulls every night gave an excellent show of their talent, along with the people that ride them. It was definitely a great performance to watch, and send out my year of rodeo chasing with. Those beautiful animals never disappointment me, but it is great to know I will have great memories of the event to hold me over to next season. There were some rough rides for some of the cowboys, but thankfully they got out of the situation safely thanks to the great efforts of everyone on the ground. No one was majorly hurt, and thankfully the paramedics didn't have to work too hard [or at least not in arena]. The Canadian Cowboys Association Finals at the Canadian Western Agribition are always a great time. If after reading all my blogs of this past summer you decided you only want to go to one event, these finals definitely should be at the top of your list. It gives an excellent show not only from the amazing talent, but along with all the great light, along with fire, shows. There is no lack of big city entertainment in at these finals. The energy you feel while sitting in the crowd is at high, and will keep you enthralled with everything the night through. I have made the Canadian Cowboys Association Finals a family event, and it is the one time a year I bring out my entire family to come enjoy the sporting event that holds my heart. They are never disappointed when they come for their once a year rodeo intake, and I am sure you won't be either! So I encourage you to mark your calendars in November to take it in, along with all the other great things you can see while also taking time to enjoy the Canadian Western Agribition during the day. There is no doubt something for everyone to enjoy between the two great shows.
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Saturday of Yorkton Grain Millers Harvest Showdown started early. The morning started out with some ropes, and some very good looking cattle. Some great local people came out to show off their roping skills that morning. After watching morning of great skill in the area it was time watch some great skill in the upstairs room. The skill I got see was an excellent show of auctioneer greatness. It was an awesome time. The stories that were shared about their favorite charity event were very entertaining, and it was a restore faith in humanity type of entertaining. After that event it was time to see some of the great entries in all the ribbon judging. The many of things that were judged ranged from vegetables, jams, canning, to forage, and grains. Nothing reminds you that you from a rural community more than seeing ribbon judging events. After all the great festivities of the day it was time to enjoy that evening's performance of rodeo. The second night like the first night displayed some great talent, and some great entertainment. The colors were displayed, the anthem was sung, and honor was given to veterans. That night there was also a special moment to give thanks to the hardworking, and dedicated, individuals that make the whole event such a success. It was interesting to see all the faces that work behind the scenes to make the event what it is. After the beautiful opening it was onto see those broncs, and cowboys, do what they do best. That night was no exception. The Whiteline horses gave their best, and even got a little more than frisky at times. The riders put on a great display of skill, including the pickup men that got them off in a timely, and safe, fashion. The ropers that night were all on their top game, and concentration to do well was in high demand that night. Some even took the time to get some extra practice in before their run. To say the least, it was very interesting to see how fast their hands can work. All in all the ropers, both calf & team, did a good job that night. The livestock also did an excellent job giving it their all so they would not be tied. The steers gave the steer wrestlers a hard time as they did their best to make sure they would not be taken down. They ran good and hard, and when wrestling with the cowboy you could see the determination in them as they didn't want to go down. It was great to see so much feisty attitude that night. You could definitely tell these past couple nights the hard work, and toil, it takes from these excellent cowboys to get the job done. The entertainment between the events was excellent as always. The clowns put on a great show of music, and furry talent as they pulled a rabbit from a tuba. The rabbit didn't seem at all fazed by the interaction, or being pulled out of the tuba in front of a crowd of people. He just sat calm in the hands of the clown, and seemed to nonchalant to care. The Fanastic 4 Trick Riding team came out to show off their stuff, and their rider pride in that performance. With their glittery Saskatchewan Football pride they put on an excellent show of skill as always, and the youngest member looked as cute as ever. The excellent entertainment continued the whole night as the barrel racers gave another night of face paced entertainment. Their horses gave it their all, along with the ladies on their backs, and determination could be seen from miles away. All round there were some fantastic runs that night. And as always, my heart was stolen at the end of the night by the excellent show of the bulls. That night everyone did their best, and it was an excellent display of bull riding. My heart fell for one specific guy that night with some blond curls [you will see him to the far right below]. I wanted so badly to be able to take him home so I could be able to pet those curls. I think my love for these animals gets stronger and stronger every time I see them. The whole weekend was amazing, and the Whiteline stock did an amazing job. Everyone there gave it their best, as always, and without a doubt gave some great entertainment to the packed arena. I can't wait to experience the entire event again, along with the other Harvest Showdown events. It was a great local weekend, and it made me very proud to call myself a local. If you haven't been before I strongly suggest you go, because it is amazing time, along with an excellent opportunity to learn things on a small scale. It was a definitely a great primer weekend to Canadian Western Agribition, and gave me a whole new surge of excitement for that weekend to come. On the 1st day of November I was lucky enough to be able to capture some amazing landscape shots while on my way to rodeo. The colors in the sky were amazing that night, and it was made even more special by the lack of snow that was on the landscape at the time. Lack of snow in November is not the norm in Saskatchewan. The day got even better when I got to the rodeo that night in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. The seat I got to enjoy rodeo from was a pretty amazing spot. It gave me a great vantage point to shoot some awesome birds-eye-view shots from "behind the chutes". It was a great time to see all the cowboys getting prepped before they jumped on the backs of their ride. The broncs that night really gave a great show as they twisted, and bucked, their bodies in the best ways they knew possible. It was a special night for all the novice riders as they got to really give a last great show of all their talents. It was an amazing thing to watch these young riders take on these amazing animals. The steers also gave a good run for all those that were taking the chance to wrestle them. They gave it their all, and fought hard against those who tried to get them down. The ropers also had an equally challenging time as they did their best to rope them in their fastest times. It made for a face paced action show on a Friday night. The barrel racers also helped with this action by giving some great runs on some beautiful animals. I once again got to enjoy an excellent show from the Fantastic 4 Trick riders. They showed off their impressive moves, and horses. The outfits they wore that night were beautiful. The ladies brought some new tricks to the table that night, and they were fantastic. I really enjoyed their star trick on the beautiful horse Onyx [which you can see the bottom right]. It looked amazing, and the only thing I regret is not being in a better position to better capture the beauty of that trick. The end of the night of course ended with an amazing show of skill by the bull riders. The bulls were in full spirits, and that night ended on a great note. As always, all those that are in charge to make sure everyone stays safe did an amazing job of it. They got in fast, and where they were needed, to get all who was in harm’s way out of it. It is always amazing to watch the excellent work the ground safety crew does to keep everything flowing smoothly throughout the evening. The Yorkton Harvest Showdown Canadian Cowboys Association performance was an excellent way to start off my November. This performance was a special one for me since it was the first time I have been actually able to make to Yorkton for this event. It did not disappoint, and I am looking forward to showing up next year. It is definitely one of the best ways to start closing off the rodeo season. They say you should save the best for last, and this was definitely the case of this rodeo event. |
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