Thursday, August 25, 2022

Off to the Races!

 I have long been a fan of chuckwagon racing. It's exciting, it's dangerous, yes, but it is also a sport that gives a new career to thoroughbreds who didn't make it on the track, or whose owners moved on to the next prospect. It's a family affair too, with many generations involved in the care, training, and driving. It isn't unusual for a beginner to be following in the footsteps of his granddad, some even great granddads. 

Here are some clips from the final race of the night- a close up of Obrey Motowylo's wagon, and keep your eye on him at the start (1st video) and the finish line (2nd video)




It seems to me that this is a particularly Canadian sport. There is some chuckwagon racing in  the US but not at this level; correct me if I'm wrong but it's usually pony chucks, not thoroughbred racing. 

There are signs of fall approaching. The horses are starting to blow their summer coats, there are geese starting to move, and the swallows are gathering. 

That's a lotta birds!

The cool mornings are welcome, and since we have river on 3 sides of us, we have been getting morning fog. 


There is a Beamer in there! You can see the sad state of the fence in his pen; it's safe enough for now but needs to be totally redone. 


So much grass! The girls are looking a little *fluffy* these days! I do regulate their grazing. Close them in at night and let them out during the day. Their night pen does still have some pickings in it. They trampled it down at first, now it looks like a hay crop that got hit by hail! But they can still pick at it. 

We are really enjoying the wildlife here. We have plenty of white tail deer in the yard, coyotes howl across the river, owls silently wing overhead in the morning after a night of hunting, and there are a lot of variety of birds. The little grey kitten is very entertaining too. Once I get my real cameras figured out (I need parts) I want to get some video of his/her antics. 

6 comments:

Far Side of Fifty said...

I bet the chuckwagon races are fun to watch! I enjoyed the video. I watched Sulky Races one time in Nebraska and that was very interesting. Up here the "horse people" do something called omoksee where they have different events and then there are Smokin Barrels. One of the neighbor gals is always active with her horses.
Little grey kitten...sounds like a new friend:)

Linda said...

It sounds like your new location is a better fit. Lots to do and so much green grass for the horses. It’s beautiful. What do the winters usually look like up there?

Shirley said...

The winters are the price for living here....
While in Creston it only dropped to -20C once in the 14 years we were there. Here, you can get -30C for a week at a time and sometimes colder. What I refer to as stupid cold!
However, Ted grew up in this province and we have lived here for many years before this so it's nothing new.

M said...

i've always loved the calgary stampede

Ruth said...

That chuck racing looks absolutely mad - four horses!? It looks like a thrilling thing to watch, though! I love those foggy morning photos too. I love being out on mornings like those.

Sherry Sikstrom said...

looks like you are settling in well