Oyen, AB: Two Time Canadian Novice Saddle Bronc Champion Coleman Watt of Irma, AB was one point better than 2008 Canadian Champion and NFR Qualifier Dusty Hausauer of Dickinson, ND in the Short Go of the 6th Annual Travis Winquist Memorial Bronc Riding for the win and a $7,550 pay day.
Raindrops falling overnight and off and on during the day meant there wouldn’t be any more combining to do since it was too wet. What else it meant was that everyone would be making it out to the Oyen Crossroads Center for Canada’s Biggest Non-Sanctioned Bronc Riding in the 6th Annual Travis Winquist Memorial.
$10,000 was to be divided up between the best eight rides in the long go. $5,000 would be given to the best ride in the short go.
2005 Canadian All Around Champion Jeremy Harden took an early lead with a 77 on the Frank Wyzykoski horse 656 Mud Pie.
Justin Twogood’s Forget Me Not made short work of Connor Reinhart not long after.
CFR Qualifier Kyreon Geiger was offered a re-ride on his first attempt. He made good on it to move himself into second with this 76 on a Carl Barrett horse.
Zeke Thurston has already started his fall semester of college in Sheridan, Wyoming. 73 on Richards’ 112 Lady Mouse was a decent score at the time. Only trouble was that Short Go was filling up fast.
Dusty Hausauer pushed Zeke’s 73 closer to being out of the Short Go with his own 77 on Richards’ 236 Lonesome Nights to take a share of the lead.
The Richards Family raises some great bucking horses. Mini Moves is another one of those great ones. Marked at 45 out ot 50 total points, he was awarded the horse of the nigh honors to win a handmade quilt in throwing off CFR Novice Qualifier Tyler Wilson.
2006 Canadian Champion Ross Kreutzer made his move to the lead by a single point on Carl Barrett’s T7 Painted Crossing for a 78.
As the next man to go, things started really heating up when Coleman Watt matched Kreutzer’s 78 on another Carl Barrett Horse, this one by the name of Lakeshore.
A re -ride had already been a successful move for Kyreon Geiger. It also ended up being a good move for Casey Bertram who moved into the final Short Go spot luckily with a 75 on Richards’ Little Black.
Dillon Barkshire, travelling with Zeke Thurston and also going to school in Sheridan, WY even matched Zeke’s score. Their 73’s wouldn’t quite make it back but it did pay them each a $100. Pretty good since there weren’t any entry fees.
The Long Go was paid out before anyone even got on their Short Go mounts. Before they even picked their horses actually. Quickest payout ever.
- (Tie) Ross Kreutzer 78 on Carl Barrett’s T7 Painted Crossing. $2,550
- (Tie) Coleman Watt 78 on Carl Barrett’s P56 Lakeshore. $2,550
- (Tie) Jeremy Harden 77. $1,550
- (Tie) Dusty Hausauer 77. $1,550
- Kyreon Geiger 76. $800
- Casey Bertram 75. $500
- Levi Harbin 74. $300
- (Tie) Dillon Barkshire & Zeke Thurston 73. $100 each.
The Outlawbuckers Rodeo Corp supplied all six of the Short Go Horses. In the order that the six top riders came in, they would pick their horses and then be auctioned off in the Calcutta.
Casey Bertram picked last and was left with the hard to ride horse called F Bomb. He managed to stay on but was unfortunately called for the mark out rule.
Next came Calgary’s Kyreon Geiger, originally from Bracken, SK. 74 was the result for the lead on Front Row. If everyone else bucked off, he would get the $5,000 Short Go check.
Geiger wouldn’t be the only one to get a score after the next man out of the chutes. Jeremy Harden stayed on Pride Trap he came up a point short and would finish the day with his $1,550 in winnings from the Long Go.
North Dakota’s Dusty Hausauer picked Bye Bye Blues. On paper Barry Boghean said this was the match up of the night. Barry was right when they moved to the lead with a 78.
With that, there were only two men left with a shot at the $5,000 top Prize. Coleman Watt overtook the lead by one point on Sky Trip.
All Ross Kreutzer needed to do was get the first 80 point score of the night on the Outlawbuckers Horse Badger. At first it looked like he may have been fouled on the gate. After looking back on it, it was close but the ruling stood as it was.
Short Go.
- Coleman Watt 79 on OB Sky Trip. $5,000
- Dusty Hausauer 78 on OB Bye Bye Blues.
- Kyreon Geiger 74 on OB Front Row.
- Jeremy Harden 73 on OB Pride Trap.
Coleman didn’t have a ton to say about the win. In addition to this interview, before the Short Go even started he said the Long Go win was the biggest payday he’d ever had. That was until he won the $5,000 in cash.
A big thanks goes out to Bart Winquist and everyone involved in the planning and organizing of the event. We look forward to it being even bigger and better next year!