Even after you have won a Calgary Stampede title two of the last three years, a rider is still nervous when they go into the working-cow horse finals at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Suzon Schaal of Millarville can breathe a sigh of relief as she and her horse Genuine Brown Gal are now three for four after winning the non-pro bridle crown on July 15 at the Calgary Stampede.
Schaal was leading after the first go on July 13 with a score of 296.0 a slim five points ahead of Doreen Koroluk of Calgary.
Schaal admits to having some butterflies as she and Genuine Brown Gal entered the arena with the small lead going into Sunday’s final go round.
“I was really happy with how I did Friday and I knew if I got a good cow I should be okay,” Schaal said. “I was the last one going out on Sunday and there were some good runs before me — I was very nervous.”
She proved it’s good to have some pre-championship jitters.
Her score of 299.0 on Sunday was the highest of the Stampede in the non-pro bridle category. Schaal’s two-day total was 595.0, 14 points ahead of Koroluk. Schaal won $2,310.
Working cow horse has horse and rider being judged by two officials on a reining pattern, which consist of sliding stops, spins, circles and others. They are then judged by two judges on how they work a cow. Both elements have a maximum of 70 points, meaning the maximum score is 380 per go round. Schaal said her score of 299 on Sunday was one of the top scores she has ever had since buying the horse in 2007.
“Genuine Brown Gal is really good at the rein work,” Schaal said. “She is so consistent. She is a really good stopper and doesn’t ever try to cheat me.”
Genuine Brown Gal also proved she can work a cow like Rowdy Yates from Rawhide fame in the working cow portion of the competition.
“You have to hold the cow at the end they turned it in on,” Schaal explained. “Once you have shown you have control of it, then you take it down the long-side of the arena and turn the cow at least once.”
Horse and rider then has to take the cow to the centre of the arena and coax it into doing two small circles, one in each direction.” Genuine Brown Gal proved to be “cowwy.”
“She is very cowwy,” she said. “Basically, it’s the horse wanting to work the cow without any direction from the rider. It is kind of like a border collie on ship — they have the desire to do it themselves.”
Terri Holowath from Cayley was third. She was riding her own Pickachicklet.
Schaal won the non-pro bridle Stampede title in 2009, 2011 and now 2012. She was runner-up in 2010.
The champion has been taking riding lessons from John Swales for a number of years.
“He is a big part of my success,” Schaal said. “He has been a great teacher and he always there to support me.”
This is definitely not a case of those who can’t do, teach.
Swales won the Open Hackamore championship at the Stampede on July 15 on board Shining Peptolena. He scored an impressive 298.5 on the second day to clinch the title with a 592 aggregate.
Shining Peptolena is owned by Ron Stuckert and Diana Runge of Calgary. Swales won $3,690.
Jesse Thomson of Longview was second in the open hackamore division with an aggregate score of 579. He took home $2,952.
Swales’ brother Clint of the High River area was second in the Working Cow Horse Classic in Calgary. Clint was making a comeback since breaking his leg during a quading accident 13 months ago.
