Bull riding, petting zoos and chariot races just some attractions for Sask. rodeo

A sure sign of summer, that’s how the start of Saskatchewan’s rodeo season in Pilot Butte could be described.

Running from June 16 to 18, organizers say the annual Pilot Butte Rodeo couldn’t have gone much better.

“Our grandstands were full, behind the grandstands, in the concession, in the kid’s play area, it was always 300 to 400 people,” Rob Fouhse, a committee member, told CTV News.

“It was an outstanding turnout.”

From bull riding, to a petting zoo, to a performance from Gord Bamford, all the essentials were covered for the weekend long event.

However, the event that seemed to draw the most attention was the chariot races.

The sport can be traced all the way back to ancient Rome, but has deep roots in the province, according to committee member George Galloway.

“It’s not very often that folks still have chariot racing and its one of the oldest sports in the province,” he said.

“Its pretty neat that you’ve got one man standing in basically a barrel on wheels and horses racing around the track at 30 to 40 miles an hour. It’s pretty exciting.”

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While some who attended were new to the rodeo circuit, many travel far and wide to attend events like the Pilot Butte Rodeo all season long.

“We’ll be home only three or four days a month basically and then be on the road constantly,” attendee Klai Longman explained.

“We have a lot of fun. We’re just travelling the road with our buddies and we always have a good time,” Judd Colliness, a bull rider, told CTV News.

“I got a pretty good bull tonight so we’ll see how that goes.”

With any rodeo, the highlight for some were the abundance of four legged friends all weekend.

“My favourite part is the animals,” Longman said.

“The people around it, like everyone supports everyone and the animals are just amazing creatures.”

Many who were Pilot Butte over the weekend will pack up and do it all over again next weekend.

The popular consensus seemed to be that no one would have it any other way.