A total of 14 contestants gathered at the Smithers fairgrounds last Saturday for the Extreme Horsemanship Challenge, run in conjunction with a horsemanship clinic by Fort St. John area rancher Glenn Stewart.
Stewart is well known for his horsemanship, having won the first ever competition during last year’s Calgary Stampede. He’s been running clinics in Smithers for several years, but is expanding the Extreme Horsemanship Challenge into a series covering four provinces so far.
The Challenge involves tasks riders must complete with their horse, some mounted, and some on the ground. Riders on Saturday were required to pull a sled a short distance, take their horse through a gate and close it behind them, and back their horse through hay bales, among other tasks.
“The broader your foundation is with your horse, the more you can do,” he said.
Points are awarded for completing tasks within a time limit, but also for performing those tasks in a smooth manner.
“You can’t win it on being fast alone,” he said. “A lot of people really like competitions, but I wanted to have a competition that really involved all kinds of horsemanship skills.”
At Saturday’s Challenge, the first place finisher was Judy Carter. In second was Carla Cleveland, followed by Katja Wagner in third, and Shirley Hamblin in fourth.
Stewart will be back in Smithers in August for another clinic, as well as a full-day Extreme Horsemanship Challenge. He expects that competition to draw about 30 riders from across the province.
