Bronc battle

By Melissa Piche Times Contributor

The second annual Gunners Bronc Battle, hosted by the Gleichen & District Ag Society, will take place at the new location beside the Gleichen Arena on June 14.

“A year ago, we moved the Gleichen rodeo grounds into the Village of Gleichen,” said Marci Wilson, a volunteer with the Gleichen Ag Society.

Last year was the inaugural saddle bronc riding competition, which had a great turn out and Wilson is hopeful that this year will be just as successful.

The saddle bronc riding competition is a major fundraising event for the ag society; not only can people see some professional bronc riding, but they can also purchase tickets for a pre-show barbecue beef dinner. The money raised will stay within the Gleichen area to help local organizations. 

While the evening won’t feature other typical rodeo events, the solely saddle bronc format will feature 30 or so of the top riders in Canada and the US.

The stock for the saddle bronc riding will also be some of the top in the country, coming from the Calgary Stampede, Big Stone Rodeo and Northcott Yule Rodeo. 

“It’s a PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association) and CPRA (Canadian Professional Rodeo Association) (event) … approved by both associations,” said Wilson. “(We’ve) doubled our prize money – doubled it from last year. It’s one of the Top 5 paid (saddle bronc events) in all of Canada.” 

Besides the pros, there will also be novice bronc riding, a Calcutta event and wild pony races.

Thirteen-year-old trick rider Piper Yule, who has performed at the Calgary Stampede and the Canadian Finals Rodeo, will also provide exhilarating entertainment.

 “That particular week there is another very big bronc riding competition up in Wild Wood, Alta,” said Wilson of the weekday event. “So, we wanted to play off of that, hoping to draw more of the top guys up here so they could come to both of the bronc riding events.

“We had a fantastic crowd last year; the word has been pretty positive.”

Tickets to Gunners Bronc Battle are $25 for people 12 and up, while kids younger are free. To purchase tickets, you can call 403-901-9104 or you can buy tickets online (www.eventbrite.com)  by searching Gunners Bronc Battle. 

To make the event more fun, there will be food trucks, beer gardens, free parking and free camping.