Alberta bronc rider sets new world record

“You get to pick your horse for the final four based on high score going in, so I got to pick first,” he noted. “She was the one every one of the guys in the final would have picked. Zeke (Thurston) was 93 on her to win it last year and she’s the rankest horse I’ve ever seen.”

Xplosive Skies is a 12-year-old mare from the Calgary Stampede’s Born to Buck program and is equally proficient in both saddle bronc and bareback riding as evidenced by her 2021 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year Award.

“With a horse like her, it’s gonna work maybe 50 per cent of the time and the other 50 per cent you’re gonna hit the ground and you don’t even know what you did wrong,” Hay pointed out. “I didn’t know from about the second jump on whether I was going to make another jump or not. It was a fist fight the whole way, and I honestly didn’t know what it looked like. But she was fast and electric, just a flat-out great bucking horse and I figured we were going to be a bunch. I guess it must’ve looked pretty good.”

The older of the brilliant Hay brothers combination knew he had eclipsed the previous record as soon as he heard the score.

“I was there when my brother (Dawson) equaled the record, so, yeah, I knew. I was shocked at first and it still hasn’t totally sunk in, but it’s cool to be part of history and I’m proud for sure.”

As for what the win and the remarkable July successes mean to the Canadian talent, he was very clear.

“It’s relaxing to know I’ve probably got both finals (CFR and WNFR) made so it’s going to be fun for the rest of the season but my plan doesn’t really change. I’m home for one day and then it’s back on the road. I might be able to take a week or so in the fall to do some hunting but other than that, I’ll be going hard right to the end of the year.”

On a weekend that saw major changes to the standings in virtually every event, another Canadian cowboy who made a big move was Stettler, Alberta tie-down roper, Beau Cooper. The second generation med event hand, who has worked alongside and under the tutelage of 2013 World Champion and four-time Canadian titleist, Shane Hanchey, hit the pay window at all three Canadian stops on the weekend’s rodeo schedule.

Two of those rodeos—the Medicine Hat Stampede and the Strathmore Stampede—are part of the SMS Equipment Pro Rodeo Tour. Cooper recorded an 8.0 second run for the win at Medicine Hat and $2952 and followed that up with an 8.4 to top the field at the historic Bruce Stampede for another $1664. He equaled that 8.4 at the iconic (and lucrative) Strathmore event to add a fourth-place cheque of $4318, to bring his weekend haul to $8934. Cooper entered the weekend in 25th place in the Canadian standings but will see his name among the top 10 in the updated standings courtesy of his productive end-of-July successes.

Head over to rodeocanada.com to view the latest results and standings.

This week’s CPRA action will take rodeo athletes to Regina, Saskatchewan (SMS Equipment Pro Tour Rodeo) August 5 and 6, Grimshaw, AB August 6 and 7 and La Crete, AB August 9 and 10.

* The Pile ‘O Bones Regina Pro Tour event will be live streamed at FloRodeo.com.

by CPRA

Alberta bronc rider sets new world record

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