Celebrating the Cowgirls of the 2019 RAM Rodeo Tour: Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Trick Riding & Roping at the Brooklin Spring Fair
Edge of your seat excitement. Fast. Fierce. Finesse.
These words and more came to mind as the crowds in the stands were wowed by the cowgirls of the RAM Rodeo Tour who competed in both the Barrel Racing and Pole Bending events at this year's 108th Annual Brooklin Spring Fair the showcase event of the Brooklin Agricultural Society. This year was the first time the Fair had hosted a Rodeo event in their history of not only being one of Ontario's longest running premier local agricultural fairs but the fair that gets the province's busy agricultural fair season underway.
Barrel Racing and Pole Bending are timed events which require riders to beat the clock as they work their way on their horses through a set pattern of obstacles in an often tight arena space. Success is determined by how the rider and her horse work together to get around each obstacle in the tightest and quickest way without knocking over any of the barrels or poles. Essentially, which rider can be the best at 'turning on a dime' multiple times on top of a 1000 pound plus animal. Fastest time wins the event.
Barrel Racing: What is it?
Riders race their horses into the arena to run a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels and out again. The goal is to have the fastest time without knocking over a barrel. An electric eye connected with an electronic timer and a judge with a stopwatch record the time. The rider is given a running start into the arena and her time begins once she passes the start line. It ends when she crosses it again, after running a long stretch back from the third barrel located at the opposite end of the arena. The rider's horse may touch and tip a barrel but knocking one over will add five seconds to her time.
(Source: http://www.ramrodeoontario.com/2018/01/rodeo-101.html)
Riders under fifteen can also compete in barrel racing and this event is called Junior Barrels. Junior Barrels provides young riders with the chance to give the world of rodeo a go while learning to manage their horse in front of a boistrous and cheering crowd while trying to get through the course in the fastest possible time.
Pole Bending: What is it?
Pole bending is a timed event that features a horse and one mounted rider, running a weaving or serpentine path around six poles arranged in a line. The rider will take up a gallop and run past all the poles turning at the last pole. The rider and horse will make a serpentine path through the poles, that is, passing on alternating hands and leads through the poles. When the last pole is reached, the horse and rider continue in a mirror pattern through the poles back to the first.
(Source: http://www.ramrodeoontario.com/2018/01/rodeo-101.html)
Much like in barrel racing, any pole that is knocked over while the riders work through the course will result in five seconds being added to the rider's time. If the rider actually misses a pole and goes off course, she is disqualified.
What is the RAM Rodeo Tour
The RAM Rodeo Tour is a non-sanctioned Ontario-based professional rodeo tour that provides women and men the chance to compete for prize money in multiple events that not only include Barrel Racing and Pole Bending, but also roughstock events that include Bareback Riding (and Junior Bareback), Saddle Bronc Riding (and Junior Bronc Riding), and Bull Riding (and Junior Bull Riding). Traditionally, men have competed in the Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding and Bull Riding events while women have only competed in Barrel Racing and Pole Bending. With that said, because the RAM Rodeo Tour is non-sanctioned, women are not prevented from competing in any of the Tour's roughstock events. All events on the RAM Rodeo Tour have equal amounts of prize money available to be won.
For every event, riders earn points for each dollar they earn in winnings on the RAM Rodeo Tour. The points earned at each event cumulatively count toward their current standing in the Central Rodeo League (CRL). Rider success also determines who earns a spot in the Newmarket RAM Rodeo Championships at the end of the season as well as a spot in the Toronto Royal Winter Fair Rodeo. The more events that a rider can compete in, the greater the chance for a higher place in the CRL standings. As is often the case on the Tour, once a young rider is able to afford her/his own truck and horse trailer and can get themselves to more of the Tour's events, the greater chance they have to compete in the Tour's final Championship event.
2019 RAM Rodeo Tour Schedule
Want a chance to catch the professional cowgirls and cowboys live in action this summer and get a first-hand experience of the sites and sounds of a rodeo, here is the RAM Rodeo Tour's schedule of events:
Sept 7-8 – New Tecumseth/Alliston
Sept 19-20-21 – Int. Plowing Match (West Nippising)
October 18-19-20 – Newmarket RAM Rodeo Championships
Trick Riding and Roping - A special feature of the RAM Rodeo Tour
In addition to the Rodeo's many roughstock and racing events, this year's RAM Rodeo Tour also features the talents of Off Kilter Equine Entertainment, a brother and two-sister team who wow the crowd with their amazing riding and rope-handling skills. Sisters Mackenzie and Brittany Vallans and brother Noah's show highlights their talents including how masterfully the trio ride their horses in the rodeo arena, twirl ropes at crazy speeds and sizes and show they can even split a rose with a horse whip with awesome precision and accuracy.
Athlete Gallery - Highlights from inside the rodeo arena at the Brooklin Spring Fair
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