Calgary Stampede Results: Miniature Nationals and Working Cow Horse

CALGARY STAMPEDE CANADIAN NATIONAL MINIATURE HORSE SHOW

Lord Sterling Cup

Champion – Circle J Zachary & Circle J Dezigner Genes – Charlene Gale, Cochrane, AB

Reserve Champion – The Governor & The General – Peter/Terry Holt, Morinville, AB

CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Canadian National Pleasure Driving

Champion – HCM Warpaint Feelin’ Groovy – Louise/Kim Locke, Calgary, AB

Reserve Champion – Enchanted Acres Shadow Fax – Christine Tilleman, Airdrie, AB

Supreme Halter Horse

Champion – First Knights Platinum Princes – K. C. Pappas, Calgary, AB

Senior Mare

Champion – First Knights Platinum Princes – K. C. Pappas, Calgary, AB

Reserve Champion – Visa Valleys Gold N Reflection – Holly Whyte, Tomahawk, AB

Roadster

Champion – HCM Warpaint Feelin’ Groovy – Louise/Kim Locke, Calgary, AB

Reserve Champion – Enchanted Acres Shadow Fax – Christine Tilleman, Airdrie, AB

Senior Stallion

Champion – San Sujos Midnight Wrangler – Lena McMurtry, Saanichton, BC

Reserve Champion – Lucky Four Santafe Beau Bey – Kaycee Lunde, Airdrie, AB

Junior Stallion

Champion – First Knight Shot of Champagne – K. C. Pappas, Calgary, AB

Reserve Champion – Imprint Phantoms Fancy Red – K. C. Pappas, Calgary, AB

Senior Gelding

Champion – Circle J Champs Li’l Chief – Louise/Kim Locke, Calgary, AB

Reserve Champion – San Sujos Midnight Butero – Lena McMurtry, Saanichton, BC

Junior Mare

Champion – First Knights Southern Belle – K. C. Pappas, Calgary, AB

Reserve Champion – Holwill Wow That Was A Surprise – Holly Whyte, Tomahawk, AB

Calgary – For Charlene Gale, showing and winning with miniature horses is something between a habit and a family tradition. After driving Circle J Zachary and Circle J Dezigner Genes to yet another Lord Sterling Cup, Charlene admitted she couldn’t remember how many times she’s won it. “Quite a few times,” is her guess.

Charlene’s father, Merv Giles, started the miniature program at his Circle J Ranch near Cochrane in 1981. “By about 1982 or ’83, Dad was chair of the Miniature Horse Committee at the Calgary Stampede,” she recalls. “There’s been one of us on the committee ever since.” Giles was also responsible for persuading Lord Sterling, whose wife and daughter showed miniature horses back in the UK, to sponsor the multiple hitch class at the Stampede.

The Circle J program isn’t as big as it was, but there are still just under 40 miniature horses on the ranch. Charlene and her daughter Kendra Gale are responsible for breeding, training and showing and can point to a respectable number of successful show horses that can boast of Circle J bloodlines.

Miniature horses are indeed a separate breed, not midget versions of other breeds. The little beauties are descended from the pit ponies that were used in mines, deliberately bred to be small to fit into the narrow confines of the mines of a couple of centuries ago. Today’s miniatures are somewhat different from their ancestor, since the original pit ponies were a much stockier horse, almost like a miniature heavy horse. Modern-day miniature horses are shown different ways, some are led around obstacles and over jumps, while others pull scale carts and wagons.

Some miniature horses display an early aptitude for being driven, Charlene says, and are introduced to the idea when they are two year-olds. “Depending on how well-developed they are, we might possibly put them on a cart as a three year-old and do some driving.” Maturity is a benefit, though, and she points out, “On our show string here this weekend, the youngest horse is 15.”

Showing and driving is still fun for her, Charlene admits, adding, “Sometimes, when you’re going to bed after midnight and getting up at 4:30am to get back in here to feed the horses, you question it. On a day down here when it’s over 30 degrees and humid, if you didn’t love it, you wouldn’t be here.”

CALGARY STAMPEDE WORKING COW HORSE CLASSIC

Open Bridle

Champion – Maximum Echo, Owner Flo Houlton, ridden by John Swales

Reserve Champion – Pure Latigo, Owner Bob O’Callaghan, ridden by Clint Swales

Limited Champion –Smart L’il Boonlight, Owned and ridden by Kent Williamson

Open Hackamore

Champion – HR Chic Nic, Owner Bruce Bamford, ridden by Clint Swales

Reserve Champion – Red Hot Jade, Owners Bart & Terri Holowath, ridden by Cody McArthur

Limited Champion – Annies Playin Cat, Owned and ridden by Veronica Swales

Limited Reserve Champion – Me and Lena, Owned by Sanford Big Plume, ridden by Kent Williamson

Non-Pro Bridle

Champion – Genuine Brown Gal, Owned and ridden by Suzon Schaal, Calgary, AB

Reserve Champion – Pickachiclet, Owned and ridden by Terri Holowath, Cayley, AB

Novice Champion – Smart Sassy Date, Owned and ridden by Greg Gartner, Sherwood Park, AB

Novice Reserve Champion – Mates Irish Hickory, Owned and ridden by Lorne Bodell, Cremona, AB

Calgary – Two volunteers, members of the Calgary Stampede Western Performance Horse Committee, watching from the sidelines in the Agrium Western Event Centre, summed up the domination shown by the Swales family in the Working Cow Horse Classic. “They really set the benchmark,” said one. “They sure do,” replied the other.

In the Open Bridle class, John Swales of Millarville won his ninth of the 14 Classics he’s entered, riding Maximum Echo, owned by Flo Houlton of Caroline, AB. More remarkably, Swales also qualified another mount for the five-horse final and had to ride them one right after the other. “You don’t have long to prepare the second horse,” he commented. There isn’t much time for the rider to reset for the different qualities of the next horse, either. “They all have their own strengths and weaknesses,” Swales observed. It was on his second ride, though, that the multi-time champion scored a remarkable 299 to take the buckle and $5,440. The Reserve Champion, just four points in arrears, was John’s younger brother, Clint, from Longview, AB, who earned a cheque for $4,080.

Clint’s Stampede was somewhat redeemed by his Open Hackamore win astride HR Chic Nic, owned by Calgary’s Bruce Bamford, earning $4,620 in the process. John had two horses in this class, too, but difficult cows sabotaged his runs. Cody McArthur of Strathmore, AB, rode Red Hot Jade, owned by Bart and Terri Holowath of Cayley to a $3,850 payday.

You don’t have to be named Swales to dominate a class in the Working Cow Horse Classic. Calgary equine veterinarian Suzon Schaal proved that when she rode her mare Genuine Brown Gal to earn her fifth Stampede buckle and $3,164. Every one of Schaal’s victories has been on the same mount. “She’s my first cow horse,” said Schaal, who has only been competing for seven years. “I was very fortunate to luck into a good one right off the bat.” Terri Holowath added another Reserve Champion title to her collection, taking home $2,486.

The Stampede’s Working Cow Horse Classic continues a tradition of skilled horsemanship dating back to the earliest days of working stock from horseback. Horse-and-rider teams are judged on their authority, discipline and precision in two distinct areas – reined work, or dry work, and cow work, also known as fence work. Reined work, labeled “Western dressage” by some, is based on a predetermined pattern of manoeuvres, including figure-eights, straight runs, sliding stops and 360-degree spins. Cow work, the exciting, action-packed portion of the show, sees the horse-and-rider team first box a steer, then send it at full tilt along the fence, heading it off and turning it both ways, before finally circling it once in each direction in the centre of the arena.

The Stampede’s Working Cow Horse Classic hosts bridle and hackamore divisions for fully-trained horses and four- and five-year-olds, respectively, with open, non-pro and novice designations for various levels of rider experience. Six championships were up for grabs — Open Bridle, Open Hackamore, Non-Pro Bridle, Limited Open Bridle, Limited Open Hackamore, and Novice Non-Pro Bridle.

About the Calgary Stampede

The Calgary Stampede celebrates the people, the animals, the land, the traditions and the values that make up the unique spirit of the west. The Calgary Stampede contributes to the quality of life in Calgary and southern Alberta through our world-renowned 10-day Stampede, year-round facilities, western events and several youth and agriculture programs. Exemplifying the theme We’re Greatest Together; we are a volunteer-supported, not-for-profit community organization that preserves and promotes western heritage and values. All revenue is reinvested into Calgary Stampede programs and facilities.