At only 22 years old, Keifer Watt was one of the youngest competitors at this year’s Airdrie Pro Rodeo.
But the Hardisty, Alta. native, who recently moved to Airdrie, didn’t let that fact intimidate him. The saddle bronc rider even drew the same horse, Announcer, that won him the Grande Prairie Stompede in May.
Unfortunately, on day three of the Airdrie event, June 30, the horse was stubborn coming out of the gate and didn’t earn him a score.
“She stalled pretty bad, then when she left she just didn’t want to buck,” Watt said. “Not good at all, really. Not what a guy wants to draw at all. I’ve seen that horse before and won in Grande Prairie this spring on that horse, so I was pretty happy to draw him. Then when he has a night like tonight, it’s pretty disappointing.”
Watt then earned a re-ride on Bear, but once again couldn’t ride long enough to earn a score.
“I got a good start on her but my reign was a little short, so she pulled on me a little bit,” he said. “And once you get behind, it’s pretty tough to get back to bucking.”
He said his win in Grande Prairie was the best part of his year so far, but that he’s been struggling to retain a level of consistency since that point.
“It’s been pretty slow actually. I haven’t had the best year like I have in the past, but hopefully things will come around for me sooner or later,” Watt said. “Tomorrow (July 1) we’ve got Williams Lake, so we’ve got a 12-hour drive ahead of us tonight, then back to Ponoka for Saturday (July 2).”
He said the recent move to Airdrie was for a job, but came along with the added bonus of being in the heart of rodeo country.
“There’s lots of cowboys around here,” he said.
“It’s central to the rodeo world, so it’s pretty easy to go.”
Following Ponoka, Watt will head to several rodeos in Saskatchewan. And at such a young age, he knows he still has plenty of goals to accomplish in rodeo.
“I’ve been doing this since I was in Grade 10, so as far back as I can count,” Watt said. “My dad was a bronc rider, so I grew up as a bronc rider. Bronc riding has been very good to me since I very first started, so I’m going to keep on going with it and hopefully progress through the years.”
