'Fire-breathing dragons': Indian relay team from Sask. starts gearing up for Calgary Stampede

Colten Poitras describes Indian relay as an extreme sport.

It's a three-horse exchange race. A single bareback rider races around a track, dismounting and switching from one horse to another — and then another — between laps, backed up by a tight support team.

A lot of people don't really know what it is, "but it's a growing sport," he says.

Drawing on their years of successful racing experience and shared passion, Poitras and his partner, Charlie Nolin, co-founded a new Indian relay team in 2025 with their friend Jay Peeaychew.

They call it Black Bear, and it did so well last year that it drew an invitation for 2026 from the prestigious Calgary Stampede.

Poitras, who is from Saulteaux First Nation, serves as the team's setter, catcher and back holder.

Recruiting their closest friends — all experienced in Indian relay — they acquired their own horses and formed their team after deciding to go for it in the fall of 2024, Nolin said.

"I think it was kind of a collective decision," she said. "We felt like there wasn't really anything left for us to accomplish or to prove with relay. We wanted to do something for ourselves and for one another."

It was the best choice for them, she said. 

"It's a lot of fun and we're really close with Jay and [team members] Trey and Owen and Bubba and everyone who's a part of the team. We're all just like one happy little family."

As the sole female member, she's adopted a maternal role, mapping out the relays they compete in and making sure everyone gets to where they need to go.

Riding without a saddle takes a lot of strength, endurance and training — for people and horses. 

"We use retired race horses. So these aren't just some quarter horses or rez brumby, these are like full-blown athletes," Nolin said.

"Like, it's not as easy as some people can make it look. They're extremely high strung. They're like fire-breathing dragons."