Lady Warrior racer lives her dream of competing at Calgary Stampede
CBC
A new bareback horse race inspired by traditional Indigenous horsemanship is joining the Calgary Stampede this year.
The Lady Warrior race is a chance for women to show off their skills in a one-lap bareback race around the track.
"When I was a little girl, I always wanted to compete at the Calgary Stampede," said Lita Crawler, 21.
"I never thought I'd be here riding in the races."
Crawler, from Chiniki First Nation just north of Calgary, got her start on the rodeo circuit around the age of 10 and said she was intrigued when she first saw bareback riding.
"I just saw how fun it looked and I just wanted to give it a shot. I've been racing ever since," she said.
The Lady Warrior race joins the Indian Relay — sometimes called Indigenous Relay or just relay — which first came to the Stampede in 2017 as a chance to showcase Indigenous horse culture to the massive Stampede crowds.
While this is the first time the Lady Warrior has been at Stampede, women have raced Indian Relay in the past.
Tonya Crowchild, manager of the TK Farrier Services Indian Relay team which includes Crawler, said she thinks the inclusion of the women's-only event was inspired by an incident last year when a relay rider was injured and the team needed to rely on their emergency backup rider.
"She [Logan Redcrow] jumped in and did relay with the guys and I think that's how it came about because everybody was so in awe," said Crowchild, from Tsuut'ina Nation near Calgary.
So far the response to the women's race has been "phenomenal," Crowchild said.
"They cheer loud for relay but they cheer louder for the Lady Warrior," she said.
Both events are rooted in tradition. In the past, Crowchild said, races were held between tribes who competed over items like buffalo hides, horses and tools.
Being able to share this culture is a point of pride for Crowchild.
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