06/01/2026
When I first contacted Hand Hills Lake Stampede to see if we could hold Davey Shields Jr.’s induction during their rodeo, I knew I wanted to support Connie and the rest of the committee however I could. She was so kind and accommodating through the entire process that I had to pay that back somehow.
Then I arrived Saturday for performance one, and she further cemented just how much care and love goes into Hand Hills, and just how right I was to commit to the full rodeo weekend.
See, Connie greeted me with this GORGEOUS leather-bound commemorative book that I have absolutely fallen in love with. It’s full of the exact kinds of pictures and memories that I live for.
Hand Hills held their first Stampede in 1917 on Jack Miller’s Ranch “for the exclusive benefit of the Red Cross,” and honestly, I would urge you to either contact Hand Hills to purchase a copy of the book or come to the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and check out our newly gifted copy, because there is something different when you see the pictures from the very first one. Men standing around in the arena dirt in full suits and ties while cowboys hit the dirt right at their feet.
The different weather events this stampede has survived through the years is incredible too. From mud wet enough Ben Anderson would have been practicing his arena dive, to algae blooms and fog rolling in so thick the visibility in the arena became impossible for timed events to continue, sheerly due to the judges being unable to see or communicate with each other. The committee did an amazing job preserving all of that history in a truly spectacular collection of pages that you will be flipping through again and again.
I quickly found this picture of who I’m pretty sure is everyone’s hero, Winston Bruce, Tie-Down Roping at the 60th Annual Hand Hills Lake Stampede in 1976. Which, because I am me, immediately had me asking, “how many Canadian Champion Saddle Bronc Riders also had side careers as calf ropers?
I mean Winston Bruce was my inspiration for writing this, and was the first Canadian Champion on this list. And look at that man, not only are we still staring at his picture 50 years later, but every single person standing around that arena that day was locked in on him too.
When you talk about All-Around cowboys, I think you’d be hard pressed to not have Tom Eirikson’s name show up. He may have never won a Canadian Saddle Bronc title, but if he couldn’t ride it, he roped it, and his four All-Around titles are qualifiers if for no other reason than it’s my in progress list, and I want him on it.
Duane Daines is another great example. Three time All-Around Champion and 1991 Canadian Champion Saddle Bronc rider, he truly gave rodeo everything he had, and succeeded every step of the way. And even now, 31 years after a tragic saddle bronc accident that left him paraplegic, Duane is still finding ways to give back to the sport. Whether it’s announcing alongside Tim Ellis for the Ram Rodeo Report at the Canadian Finals Rodeo or through his continued sponsorship of the Hall of Fame, his impact on the sport never slowed down.
But then you have guys like Clay Elliot. 2016 and 2018 Canadian Champion Saddle Bronc Rider, and when injuries sidelined him from bronc riding, he didn’t let that stop him. Instead, he made a hard, yet obviously fitting, pivot into calf roping. When an injury sidelined him from Saddle Bronc, he didn’t let that get him down and he did a hard, and obviously fitting pivot into Calf Roping. Something he is still competing in today… or technically tomorrow during the second performance of the Hand Hills Lake Stampede.
So if you can make it out tomorrow, I truly suggest heading to Hand Hills. Come enjoy the rodeo, watch current cowboys adapt and evolve as they continue down the trail in new ways, and help me celebrate the first 2026 Inductee, Davey Shields Jr., when his induction is made official during the intermission, while I get to help honor yet another cowboy carrying on the traditions that built this sport, and if you know of any other Canadian Champion Saddle Bronc riders who became Tie Down Ropers, y’all know a girl ~ Amber Hay
