Bullfighter in the making
Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter
Being a part of the rodeo has become a passion for Christian Chase, 12.
He has competed in the Wild Pony races for the past four years at the Strathmore Stampede, and now that he has aged out he is far from done with the rodeo scene.
“I want to do steer riding, I want to do Running With the Bulls and I want to do bronc riding and bull riding, so pretty much everything,” said Chase.
“I think I will enjoy it and it will give me experience to do different things.”
His Wild Pony career began after he and his family moved here from Ontario. They went to the rodeo for the first time, and he was instantly hooked.
“Because I saw them doing it the first year I came here and I was like hey mom I want to do that,” said Chase.
Next year Chase will be old enough to steer ride, something he is looking into. His end goal, though, is to become a bullfighter.
“I just like the bull wrestlers,” said Chase.
“I love the fact that he’s into that, it’s a good thing to keep in and that keeps him busy and off the streets and the wrong paths,” said Michelle Chase-Samuels, Christian’s mom.
“I tell my kids all the time as long as you set goals in life and you head towards them it will always lead you on the right way.”
Over the years of competing in the Wild Pony races Chase has made friends with some of the bullfighters, always asking them questions about their chosen profession.
“He wants to take their clinics, he talked to them all weekend about it. He’s done his own little researching on it. He’s not old enough yet, you have to be 16 we found out,” said Chase-Samuels.
“Because he has the relationship with those guys he really wants to go there to do it with them.”
The clinic is in Saskatchewan and is something that Chase and his mom are looking into. She said it’s all about baby steps, look at the big goal and then do all the baby steps to make sure you know what you’re getting into.