Airdrie’s Soderglen Ranches, owned by Stan Grad, claimed all three top spots at the Calgary Stampede’s Heavy Horse Pull last weekend.
Driver Randy Dodge, a veteran from Oregon, took the reins for the lightweight division, middleweight division and heavyweight division, July 15, 16 and 17 respectively – and won all three disciplines under the Big Top.
Horses Ben and Roy, weighing in at 5,134 pounds, pulled a 13,000-pound sled the full 14 feet, earning a winner’s cheque of $3,000. They then eclipsed the existing heavyweight division weight record of 13,200 pounds by performing another full pull of 13,300.
“Randy is a top teamster in North America,” Grad said.
“They don’t build ’em any better than Randy. I think the world of him and I think this is spectacular. Being successful in this game, it’s not only the horses. A lot of it is driving. If you don’t do everything just right, especially on those last loads – the horses are so hot and wired up – if you don’t get ’em working together, you’re in trouble. It’s being smart enough to know when they’re ready to go – it’s all split-second timing.”
The nine-team heavyweight pull was down to two teams by the time the sled was loaded to 12,500 pounds.
And if not for a great second effort, Ben and Roy would have been forced to take a measured pull at that weight. But they dug deep and found the few inches required for a full pull, Dodge said.
“(The sled) was in a bad spot, a loose spot, and in a bit of a hole,” he said.
“It just had to go three, four inches to get it across. They handled really nice and did a nice job for me. Grad wanted to give me a hand and have me drive his ‘A’ team, so I gladly agreed. This is an amazing feeling. This is great. I didn’t think it would ever happen, but it did. That’s hard to do, win three (divisions) at Calgary.”
This year’s Stampede Heavy Horse Pull, the richest in North America, drew teamsters from as far away as Oregon, Washington, and Saskatchewan, with outfits primarily featuring Belgian and Percheron horsepower. The teams of the Stampede’s heavyweight division tipped the scales at a combined two-horse weight of 3,501 pounds and more.
The Calgary Stampede’s International Youth Livestock Show featured several local winners as it wrapped up on July 16.
Irricana’s Keltey Whelan and Rocky View resident Cameron Olson both earned $2,000 IYLS post-secondary scholarships and were introduced and recognized during the Grandstand Show at Stampede Park. Sarah Nixdorff of Irricana also won a $1,000 scholarship.
The week-long show concluded July 15 in Olds, after drawing an estimated 350 competitors and about 600 head of livestock from all over Western Canada.Youths exhibited animals in three species classes – sheep, dairy and beef.
Youth champions were crowned on July 11, under the Big Top, to conclude the four-day Calgary Stampede International Youth Heavy Horse Show.
In the intermediate category, Balzac’s Jared Couch (beef), as well as Cochrane’s Cassidy Matthews (beef) and Megan McLeod (beef), earned $500 IYLS scholarships.
Acme’s Jarrett Davis was the reserve breed champion for Limousin at the Calgary Stampede’s 29th annual UFA steer classic, July 16.
With 98 entries from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, it is the richest steer show in Canada, with $5,000 to the overall winner.
