A local steer wrestler who came out on top during the recent rodeo in Didsbury is also the Foothills Cowboys Association’s (FCA) season leader.
Carter McIntyre, who was born and raised near Westward Ho, where he to this day hangs his hat, was among 15 cowboys competing in the steer wrestling event at the FCA-sanctioned rodeo held Aug. 16-17 at the Didsbury Ag Society Exhibition Grounds. Click here for coverage of that event in the Mountain View Gazette.
In a sport where milliseconds can easily make or break a contender’s chances of victory, the 26-year-old’s fairly speedy run of 3.9 seconds put him comfortably ahead of Ryan Culligan, from Duchess, who finished in 4.6 seconds to place second, and Jeff Heggie, from Cardstron, who clocked a time of 5.2 seconds to take third.
“My first steer came out and tripped directly out of the chute,” said McIntyre last week during a phone interview.
“I declared myself immediately,” he said, adding he was awarded a re-run.
Having already seen the second steer he was granted in action — another competitor had just previously wrestled the animal in 6.2 seconds — gave him a bit of edge.
“I knew exactly what the steer was going to do,” he said.
“I knew I had to pull really hard and get a flat fall.”
While he never goes into a rodeo expecting to place first, McIntyre said that doesn’t stop him from trying his darndest.
“I’m always shooting for the best — I try to make the best possible run on every steer.”
Steer wrestling is the only rodeo event he competes in, and the season to date — the fifth in his career — has been a good one. With one last rodeo in the regular circuit left — in Cochrane over the Labour Day long weekend — McIntyre said he holds the FCA’s title of season leader after finishing first overall in the 2019 season.
Although he doesn’t plan to compete at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer Oct. 29 - Nov. 3, McIntyre has his sights set firmly on the FCA finals, which are being hosted in Strathmore on Sept. 13 - 15. Also a member of the Chinook Rodeo Association, McIntyre said he made those finals as well and intends to be in Brooks for that event, which takes place Oct. 4 - 6.
“I’ve had the best season,” he said, adding last year was not only the first time he qualified for the FCA finals, but also the first time he got through the entire circuit without sustaining any physical setbacks.
“I’ve suffered injuries every past year,” he said, adding this season has fortunately also been injury-free.
Although he grew up in a rural setting around horses on a farm and always came out to see the Sundre Pro Rodeo with his parents, McIntyre said he decided to pursue his rodeo career after graduating from high school.
“Rodeo’s kind of something that you’re usually born into or grow up with,” he said.
“I got a late start with it.”
Having never previously competed in high school rodeos, McIntyre was nevertheless cut from the cloth of athleticism, and enjoyed playing hockey and football.
But steer wrestling was always among his favourite events at the rodeo, and a strong reluctance to end up in the daily grind of a nine-to-five job drove him to explore his potential.
So at the age of 21, he booked a flight to Nebraska to attend a school where he learned the tricks of the steer wrestling trade from Todd Suhn.
“Ever since then, it’s run through my mind every single day.”
