Strathmore family performs at Stampede

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

One of the great families of rodeo wrapped up another week of dazzling shows at the Calgary Stampede.
The Stewart family, from just outside Strathmore, have the glory of knowing they are the longest running professional rodeo show at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. This year’s rendition of the Hearts of the West show was the 14th-straight for the Stewarts.
“To have the longest running show at the Stampede is an unbelievable honour and a huge kudos to the kids and their great skill. They are a great bunch and it’s always a great time at the Calgary Stampede,” said their father Gordon.
Kaitlynn is the oldest of the bunch and is 25. She is joined by her sisters Sisko (23), Taylor (21) and Korrie, who is 20-years-old. Lachlan is the only male in the show and he is the youngest at 15-years-old.
“Family is the most important thing for us. We love going out there and performing as a group. Without them, there wouldn’t be a show,” said Taylor.
The Stewart’s show began when Kaitlynn was five and the rest have followed suit when they came of age.
Performing eight shows at Stampede, the Stewarts emptied their bag of tricks at the Northern Lights Arena.
The half hour show begins with the kids warming up the crowd with a dance routine that they choreographed themselves to get the people going. From there, they bring out their trick ropes and whips to entertain the crowd with a variety of performances on foot and on horseback. After that, the show really picks up with the Roman and team Roman riding, as each kid comes out riding a horse while standing upright. From there, they cycle several horses at a time in and out of the arena, performing a variety of stunts that dazzle the crowd.
“If the horses are slow on show day, the kids aren’t too happy. Seeing what they do at the speed they do it is the amazing part,” said Gordon.
The Stewarts take their stunt riding and travelling show all over Alberta, to parts of B.C. and even a couple states. In a season, the Stewarts will perform at 10 to 12 different locations and perform at least three shows at each stop.
No matter where they go, the Calgary Stampede will always be their favourite for a number of reasons.
“Performing at the Calgary Stampede gives us the biggest rush of adrenaline. The crowds are fantastic and it’s the best feeling racing into the arena on a horse,” said Taylor.
For Gordon, his connection with the Stampede goes back to the 1960s, where he helped his grandfather race in the chuckwagons.
That got the ball rolling for his horse business and his family now trains and rides all kinds of horses. It wasn’t a big leap for the Stewarts to get into trick riding, as they are constantly on horses and trying out new things.
The Stewarts also have the Strathmore Stampede and Heritage Days circled on their calendar and love performing in front of all their family and friends.
The family show has shown no signs of slowing down and will only expand as they years go by. The latest edition to the family, Loresa, a two-month old baby girl is only a few years away from carrying the torch that Kaitlynn started nearly two decades ago.