The cowboys in the chutes and a new golden age for Alberta saddle bronc

It's a Friday afternoon on a balmy summer day in Ponoka, Alta. Atop a hill at the edge of town, a red-and-white gleaming grandstand frames a huge dirt ring. Flags from around the world flutter in the breeze. The place is packed. 

The boom of the announcer's voice reverberates out across the arena, while the clanging of corral gates echo from every angle. But below the din, a cowboy speaks quietly to a horse.

"Tch, tch, tch," he says, offering a warm greeting to the animal that'll soon do its best to fling him to the ground.

The cowboy gets his feet in the stirrups and grabs the rein in one hand. The sounds of the rodeo rattle on around him, but he doesn't hear a thing. He gives a nod and the gate of the bucking chute swings open.

"Everything kind of zones out and you don't hear much … [until you] circle back to the bucking chutes and then the boys are all whoopin' and hollerin'," says 24-year-old saddle bronc rider Ben Andersen.

If you're a fan of saddle bronc in Alberta, there's a lot to holler about right now. 

The province has been the proud home to its share of stars over the decades — including hall of famers — but for the last four years, it has produced a third of the top 25 best riders in the world. It's a feat veteran observers say has ushered in a new golden era for the sport in Alberta.

"[We've] always been known for good bronc riders … but the last 10 years or so has just been phenomenal," says Duane Daines, of Innisfail, Alta., a retired championship saddle bronc rider, and the first Canadian to win the $50,000 Calgary Stampede title in 1990. 

Consider this: Zeke Thurston, 30, of Big Valley, Alta., who is currently ranked eighth internationally, is the reigning saddle bronc world champion, and has won four National Finals Rodeo (NFR) titles in the last eight years.

Logan Hay, 27, Andersen's cousin, holds the world record for the best saddle bronc score, a feat he accomplished last year at the Hardgrass Bronc Match in Pollockville, Alta.

Seven Alberta riders have qualified for the Calgary Stampede this year, including Andersen, as well as Hay's brother, Dawson, who was the rodeo's champion last year.

For those at the top, the cheques at stake are big money.

The winner's purse at the Calgary Stampede is $50,000, and the best riders can make $200,000 to $400,000 in earnings throughout the year. 

For the uninitiated, saddle bronc requires a cowboy to hold onto a rein with one hand and complete an eight-second ride on a horse trained to buck hard.