Category: Western Wisdom

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Keeping You In The Loop — MHCP Newsletter May 2025 Edition

Howdy Y’All !!!

Creativity abounds in this month’s newsletter. It can cause a big wave, or it can make a little ripple. In any case, the act of bringing something into existence makes a difference, in a few people, an entire country or even can affect folks worldwide. Gena LaCoste’s early painting and drawings brought joy to her family, whereas folks from much further afield are presently reveling in her images of the West. The internet is world wide, so her blog and insightful commentaries connect folks to our part of the country.

Sometimes it’s the search for the solution to a problem that spurs innovation, as was the case with barbed wire. An invention may stay in your own backyard making life easier with a gate latch Ol’ Nellie can’t open or a fence that’ll keep the milk cows out of the garden. The neighbors were the first to benefit from the initial barbed wire invention, but it wasn’t long before the entire continent was using it. The barbed wire story is a perfect example of how a so-called invention often “piggy-backs” off someone else’s new idea. (The same holds true for many poems and songs.) Barbed wire was continually adapted to fit the needs presented, even in war.

We’re thankful for museums that incorporate novel ways of keeping history alive. Even the barbwire buffalo symbolizes the past. Creative inventions (especially since the internet) have a way of connecting us to each other, our continent and the world through the stories and images (past and present) about our part of the country.

Western Music and Cowboy Poetry Event — You Don’t Want to Miss it!

Western Music, Storytelling and Cowboy Poetry
-it’s on Friday, September 26th and again on September 27th
-it’s two days with 15 afternoon performers

-it’s Hugh McClennan (and his Spirit of the West Band) on Saturday Night, highly acclaimed as giving a top notch performance.

Hugh is a working cowboy from the Kamloops area who does it all: he tells stories, sings, writes poetry & has been a radio broadcaster for over 30 years:

Dee Butterfield Video Launch

-was on Friday, April 18th at Ponoka
-was at the Calnash Ag Event Centre, Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame Museum
-was hosted by the Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame Board

Dee Butterfield at the documentary screening, April 2025 Photo courtesy of Cheryl Dust

At the evening event, folks from near and far were in attendance to honor the hometown celebrity, Dee Butterfield. Chance, the MC, summarized the many accomplishments of his mom: as a fierce competitor, as a passionate horsewoman and as a dedicated teacher. “Some of you have been mentored by her, ridden beside her and/or benefitted from the doors she worked so hard to open for others in the sport of rodeo.” The audience has suggested that MHCP promote this documentary through other media, therefore the Producer and Director will be looking at this.

Attendees enjoying the video launch. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Dust

The museum was open for folks to meander around the peeled-log, glass-enclosed cases displaying bronze/trophy awards and interesting paraphernalia belonging to Hall of Famers. Additionally, the walls are lined with their photos, painted rodeo murals grace aloft wall surfaces, there are rows of trophy saddles on a rail and dotting the area are interesting items like a well-worn barrel once used by a rodeo clown/bull fighter. Since 1981 they’ve honored outstanding rodeo athletes: men, horses, rodeo stock and women (15 women inducted so far).

We said it in last month’s edition of Keeping You In The Loop but we’ll say it again: this project was made possible by the talent and grit of some amazing volunteers (Eda Lishman and Nives Lever of Fetecine Filosophy, Don Kletcke, Cheryl Dust to name just a few), funding from the Alberta Heritage Grant. And of course, special thanks to Dee and her family!

Homegrown Tribute

Gena LaCoste

Gena LaCoste, a world class artist from Medicine Hat, Alberta, specializes in watercolors and oil paintings that depict the contemporary culture of the West. She was born and raised into a ranching family in southern Alberta. The rural lifestyle influenced who she is and how she interprets the world around her. Her large body of work is being exhibited and sells extensively in Canada and the U.S.

Gena has been an artist from the time she was a preschooler, trying to draw and paint everything around her; and that hasn’t changed. She is grateful for all who have contributed to her international success. Her family and friends have always been generous with their encouragement and support, Though she is basically self-taught, fabulous artists have graciously mentored and instructed her over the years. Much of what she knows, she also learned by teaching; she taught watercolor painting for many years. A lot of her best ideas came from interactions with her students during her private and workshop sessions. She is always ready try new techniques, openly sharing experiments on her blog e.g. a twig dipped in ink, certain brushes, limited colors, etc.

Gena has always been fascinated with watercolor, and spent more than 20 years exploring ways to interpret the subjects around her through the tricky and challenging medium. In 2014 she began to seriously try her hand at oil painting. She saw a need to develop strong drawing skills to bring her subjects to life. She depicts an extensive variety of subjects: natural prairie landscapes, wild animals, ranching and rodeo life and so much more. Horses are her favorite.

Gena has dedicated her life to practicing her skills, steadily painting in her home studio. A number of years ago she decided to do a painting every day for a year and post each day’s work on her blog. That became something of an addiction so she continued the practice for another four years (while also producing larger scale works). In the five-year span she produced and posted over 1400 small watercolors on her blog, “A Gena-a-Day Artist’s Blog”. Enjoy the commentary she gives each piece, as well as the title that gives each work of art special meaning: What a gift as she openly shares her insight, her activities and the source of inspiration! She is generous with her art for fund-raisers and non-profit organizations, including Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry in which her art graces the cover of three published books. She continues to post her art, the most recent (April, 2025) being the pink moon, nature’s phenomenon.

Hatching Ducks,

An upcoming story.

The Invention of Barbed Wire

Pioneer farmers on the plains needed to protect their crops. Wooden rail and stone fences were tried but materials were too scarce, too expensive and/or too laborious to construct.

Necessity Breeds Invention. DeKalb, Illinois,1873

Michael Kelly
In 1863 he developed a type of fence with points affixed to twisted strands of wire. Had it been promoted, he would have been hailed the Father of Barbed Wire. It was 10 years later that another inventor filed a patent.

Henry Rose
He was a farmer with a breachy cow, so he made a curious contraption to control her. He entered a sample in the local fair: a wooden rail (to attach to an existing rail) with short wire points to “prick’ an animal when it came in contact. It would not have been noteworthy except that three men who attended the fair that day would piggy-back on his idea, Joseph Glidden, Isaac Ellwood and Jacob Haish. They would attach the prongs onto a wire.

Joseph Glidden
He was a farmer (and a banker, businessman and served as Sheriff). Like many farmers, he needed a barricade to keep out stray animals. He applied barbs to the smooth fence wire that was commonly used at the time. But the twisted wire pieces gradually slid so he used the kitchen coffee grinder to crimp the barbs so they’d stay in place. Then with the use of an old grindstone, he wrapped a second wire around the first. He tested it around his barnyard and his wife, Lucinda’s garden. Neighboring farmers stopped by to see and soon Glidden was producing and selling barbed wire.

Isaac Ellwood
He was a hardware merchant whose customers were farmers that needed improved fencing. He also tinkered with the use of barbs and fencing, but had no success. He heard about Glidden’s fence. The story goes that Ellwood and his wife took a buggy ride to Glidden’s farm one Sunday afternoon. When Ellwood’s wife saw the invention, she commented how Glidden’s invention was far superior to anything her husband had created. Ellwood was apparently enraged, but only one day later he came back, and the two men went into business together forming the Barb Fence Company.

Jacob Haish
As a lumber businessman, he knew firsthand from his customers about the need for suitable fencing material. He developed a barbed wire similar to Glidden’s, but upon seeing Glidden’s fence, he realized the inferiority of his own. Haish improved his own fencing invention and applied for a patent, even though Glidden had already done so in 1873. Thus began a patent battle in the U.S. Supreme Court during the 1870’s and 1880’s.

Barbed Wire Creates Controversy

The plain wire companies down east took notice of this new invention. The Washburn and Moen Company of Massachusetts travelled to DeKalb where both Haish and the Barb Fence Company were doing a brisk business. They failed to negotiate with Haish, but in 1876 Glidden with the Barbed Fence Company was eager to sell (and receive royalties), while Ellwood was eager to incorporate. The Ellwood, Washburn and Moen company bought the rights to many of the existing patents and had a near monopoly of the barbed wire market.

There were competitors who challenged its dominance. The simplicity of the barbed wire had “moonshiners” operating all over the countryside without a license or patent. In 1880 Jacob Haish’s famous ‘S’ Barb was judged to be an infringement on patents, as were all other illegal producers by 1892. The Washburn & Moen and Ellwood Co. possessed a monopoly on the barbed wire industry.

Texans were generally skeptical about fencing for their wild Longhorn cattle. Plus they feared the seemingly cruel nature of the contraption. John Gates developed the idea of demonstrations to sell their product. The story goes that a rancher claimed that Ol’ Jim, a neighbor’s bull, could go through anything. He reckoned that bull would not stop for barbed wire. Gates attempted to prove him wrong. He also built a barb wire enclosure in downtown San Antonio to demonstrate how it could hold in the wildest Longhorns. Whether he was successful must be questioned, but his advertising skills certainly promoted the sales of barbed wire as it spread through the West.

There was also conflict and controversy between the cowmen and the so called “nesters”. The ranchers had nowhere left to “free graze” or to herd their cattle on long cattle drives. At first the cattlemen cut the ‘Devil’s rope’ to make a path across private property for the herd, sparking the infamous era of the “range wars”. But by the early 1900’s, ranching had changed and ranchers were themselves using barbed wire to contain their cattle.

Note: In actuality, before 1873, many similar inventions existed in the U.S. and in other countries. Alternate sources also state that numerous inventors received patents for their variations on the basic barb wire design. Between 1868 and 1874 the U.S. government issued over 500 patents.

Source: McCallum, Henry & Francis, The Wire that Fenced the West, (University of Oklahoma Press ), 1965
The author, an oil geologist, wrote the book because collecting barbed wire was his hobby. When he was inspecting in the field, he noticed a variety of barbs on the fences. From taking samples home, his collection grew to more than a hundred different kinds.

Barb Wire Museum

The Kansas Museum at LaCrosse serves to preserve barbed wire history. It displays the varieties of barbed wire as well as tools and equipment once used in fencing. There are 530 patents for barbed wire and 2500 types of barbed wire including the homemade and bootlegged ones (those unlawfully produced). Other displays include a collection of liniments in bottles and tins to cure cuts and injuries to man or beast from barbed wire. Showmen would have travelled around the countryside selling these. One exhibit is the original piece of Henry Rose’s Wooden Rail. Visitors can watch the making of barbed wire using a coffee mill, a grindstone and farmer ingenuity (Joseph Glidden’s). Activities include a Barbed Wire Splicing Contest -who can do the tightest splice in the shortest time. It doesn’t matter how it looks as long as it will support a 75 lb. weight. There are also dioramas, educational films and there’s a research library.

Originally barbed wire was a means of keeping animals apart, now it brings people together with their once a year show in early May. (Other states also have such shows.) That’s where wire collectors can share information, add to their collection, keep in contact and of course, display their personal collections The specifications for collectors is a barbed wire 18” long, with barbs evenly spaced from each end and no broken or missing barbs. Beginners can pay a few cents to a few dollars for a sample and starter sets are under $25. Less common samples can be much more costly.

Railroads and Barbed Wire
Like in Canada, Governments in the U.S. also granted railroads massive amounts of land. These right-of-ways ran across land previously reserved for grazing livestock. Legal disputes often arose when livestock was injured or killed. As well it caused equipment damage and risked passenger safety. So it was that railroad crews erected hundreds of miles of barbed wire along their tracks.

This didn’t totally solve the problem though. More than a few dishonest farmers or ranchers must have removed this wire for their own use because railroad crews couldn’t keep up with repairs. Legend has it that Isaac Ellwood created a unique wire exclusively for railroad use -one or more square strands woven among one or more traditional ones. Thus wire unlawfully acquired could be detected. That’s how The Barb Fence Company became suppliers for railroad fencing.

Barbed Wire Goes to War
Although barbed wire was initially invented as a deterrent for livestock, it was quickly modified for use against humans during the first World War. Rolls of concertina wire were stretched like a spring over miles of hillsides and ravines. Anyone who tried to cross over, under or through was inflicted with painful wounds. The strength and elasticity of the twisted wire would hopelessly entangle vehicles and equipment.

Source: www.RushCounty.org/BarbedWireMuseum

Upcoming: History of the Gang Ranch

Located in Williams Lake area of British Columbia, Gang Ranch was once the biggest ranch on the continent, even bigger than the King Ranch in Texas. It has a storied history which includes having been owned and managed by an entire family, who each abandoned their thriving businesses in Alberta and Saskatchewan to live and work on this remote ranch.

Fenced pastures on the Gang Ranch are not needed. They make use of natural boundaries such as deep canyons and rivers to keep the cattle on ranch property.

Barbed Wire Buffalo

This statue is located in Wallace, Kansas where “Do not climb” signs are unnecessary. There IS a sign made of wire that says: “Don’t Fence Me In”

Post Turtle

With the air thick with election news and political views, it’s only right to get a cowboy’s take on it all. The gist of the story is from a joke I was given.

A doctor was a-stitching the rough-looking hand
Of a guy with a dirty battered hat,
The gashes were a bull-rider's work-related wounds.
To distract his patient, Doc proceeds to chat.

The role of our leaders was a topic they discussed,
The cowboy said, “From my point of view”
They are just post turtles, they are nothing more,
What that is? Well, I'm a-tellin' you.

When you're in the country driving down a dusty road
And you come across a fence and corner post
With a turtle that is trying hard to balance on the top,
That's describes a politician most.

You know it's not for him to get there all by himself,
He really don't belong a-way up there,
'Cause how can he accomplish all his lofty-minded goals,
Not grounded and his nose is in the air.

Then don't it make you wonder how he got there on that post,
Who the heck the stupid mortals was,
Makes one hope the politician that we voted for
Is down-to-earth and works for our cause.

-composed by Jen Zollner

Cowboy Comparisons

  • a voice as sharp as a barb wire fence
  • a fence that’s as straight as an arrow
  • deaf as a fence post
  • looking at me like a cow at a new fence
  • hotter than the hinges on the gates of Hell
  • mad enough he could eat barbed wire and spit nails

Another Poem by Hugh McLennan

Before you mosey on down the trail, take a moment to enjoy one more sample of the outstanding cowboy poetry from our September event headliner, Hugh McLennan.

Western Wisdom

If there’s a hole in your story or your fence, something you rather did not get out, will.
A horse ain’t being polite when he comes to a fence and lets you go over first

Happy Trails,
Jen

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Keeping You In The Loop — MHCP Newsletter April 2025 Edition

Howdy!

Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry is all about making connections. It’s a way for Western entertainers (many live wide distances apart) to visit with each other at our annual event (this year September 26th and 27th). Their poems and songs help the audience be aware of the Western way of life and helps those with a rural background compare it to their experiences. City folk can get a taste of happenings on the ranch. Everybody has a story, and it’s through stories that we get to understand and relate to each other better.

Recently our reach has been to folks further afield. A friend from Regina connected us with Bob Ruschiensky. He has recently become a prolific poet, shared his excitement about publishing and shared many of his poems (every few days sends a new one), including the one to end this newsletter. Brian Tremblay from Ontario saw our website and asked for Full membership status (doesn’t want an Associate Member, yes, he wants to be at our AGM via Zoom). It’s always good to chat with Garnet and Marion Stacey from Cranbrook, BC. They feel Alberta Tourism should be doing much more to promote Cowboy Poetry. Invariably they attend our annual event. I wondered how to get in touch with two entertainers that performed at last year’s Open Mic. A cold call to Empress Town Office got me in touch with a talented young lady, Emma Roudeux. I mentioned Delbert Pratt’s name to Nancy (in our Suds in the Bucket Band), she gave my number and he called that very night. (He’s from Esther, NE of Oyen.) Both will be afternoon performers at our event. The Taber ‘Cowboy Poetry and Western Music Round-Up’ gave us a chance to meet-up. The enthusiasm all of these folks have for our Cowboy Poetry genre is contagious.

The purpose of our newsletter is to ‘Keep You in the Loop’. There are a number of our members/volunteers who struggle with technology. Any of us ‘older ones’ know about that all too well. In fact some don’t have internet, and keeping them ‘in the know’ is important, so we’ve been making paper copies for them. Telephone calls have also been a great way to ‘visit’. Technology is a two-sided coin. In this world of texting and Facebook etc. it is ever more important to be physically present to each other, even if it means using Zoom etc.

Dee Butterfield Documentary Screening

MHCP in partnership with the Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame is pleased to announce our first of our “Women in Rodeo” series, a documentary of Dee Butterfield. Public screening is April 18, 2025 in Ponoka, AB.

Every film starts with a story and Dee Butterfield gave us an inspiring story while sharing her rodeo journey. This is the first documentary produced by Cheryl Dust under the mentorship of Director, Eda Lishman. Eda has produced The Hounds of Notre Dame, The Wild Pony and directed Primo Baby and The World of Horses series with John Scott to name a few of her projects. Eda and her producing partner and sister, Nives Lever, operate Fetecine Filosophy where they create, develop and produce theatrical and television drama. Nives and her husband Barry Harvey donated the use of their home for Eda and Cheryl to edit this documentary. Peter Kennedy Smith, Eda’s partner and retired Hollywood cameraman, mentored Cheryl and assisted with the capture of the footage for this project. Don Kletke, Encore Recording, composed the music and donated the use of his song. This all started with a research grant from the Alberta Heritage Foundation to research the 15 women inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in which Jen Zollner continues to conduct the research.

Thank you to all at Fetecine Filosophy for donating all of your time and providing a location to edit. Don Kletke, thank you for donating your time and musical talent! And big thanks to MHCP’s own videographer, Cheryl Dust, for countless hours of volunteer time and steadfast dedication to bring this project to life.

Western Music and Cowboy Poetry Event

Save the Date!!!

Friday, September 26th and Saturday, September 27th for 2 full days.

Friday, at 12-noon
-a dozen or so entertainers at the Meadowlark Village Club House


Friday, at 7:00pm
-Open Mic at the Moose


Saturday, at 12-noon
-a dozen or so entertainers at the MH College Theatre

Saturday, at 7:00pm
-our headliners: Hugh McLennan and his Spirit of the West Band and Charlie Ewing and his daughter, Lonnie

Click on the link below to hear Hugh McLennan’s song and the incredible backup accompaniment from Jim McLennan and Mike Dygert.

On his March 22 weekly program, Hugh McLennan sang, “Fence Building Blues”, the perfect addend to the barb wire theme in our recent newsletters. Each week he has interviews, ranch news and incredible music choices. Hear this week’s program on the internet:

Love Story

Easter is its own love story, sacrificing His life for us and giving us hope for a life hereafter. The recent death of Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, brings their love story into the news, married for nearly 60 years. Staying out of the public eye was his nature. He was a businessman and owner of an asphalt paving business in Nashville.

Their love story began when Dolly was 18 years old. ‘I met him outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day I moved to Nashville. I was surprised and delighted when he looked at my face (a rare thing for me)’. They got married 2 years later in a small country church. Though they didn’t have children of their own, they raised several of Dolly’s younger siblings as their own providing for them when her parents and other relatives were unable to.

-from cowgirlmagazine.com

Note: Here’s where Country Music and Western Music meet. Many of Dolly Parton’s songs tell a story, and when performing, she gives a preamble to her songs which adds to their meaning.

The Library Corral

The Incredible Gang Ranch
by Dale Alsager, 1990
NF 636.201 ALS
The Gang Ranch, The Real Story
by Judy Alsager, 1994
NF 636.2 ALS

The Gang Ranch was once Canada’s oldest cattle ranch; in fact it was the largest in the world (located in the Williams Lake area of B.C.). The story is told by two members of the Alsager family who owned the ranch from 1978 to 1982, then spent the next 10 years battling courts. Dale has his side of the story in the 1990 book he published; his sister’s rebuke is “The Real Story” in the book shown below. It tells how members of the Alsager family invested everything they ever owned or earned, and lost it through illegal wrangling and unethical dealings, even within the family. Judy Alsager, who worked this ranch, describes the hard work, the humor, the joys and the heartbreak. She also takes you through breath-taking scenic images of the landscape and the real workings of a ranch.

Note: Dee Butterfield grew up in the vicinity of the Gang Ranch as did Monica Wilson, another Hall of Famer MHCP has interviewed, videoed and is working to make into another mini-documentary.

Homegrown Tribute

Lynette Brodoway

Lynette Brodoway is a Barrel Racer from Brooks, AB, a Champion at the 2023 Canadian Finals Rodeo and was named Cowgirl of the Year in 2022. We watch as her success continues. There is more to her story than winning though. She started her professional career in her mid-fifties; almost all barrel racers turn pro when in their teens or early 20’s. Her role as wife, mother and grandmother has always been of utmost importance. She’s a horsewoman first and a barrel racer second. Over the years she has been able to embrace and balance her commitment to all of these.

Deep down, Lynnette has had ‘the itch’ to barrel race for as long as she can remember. Being raised on a ranch (in the Ranier, Alberta area) suited her fine, in fact it allowed her to be riding since she was four years old, and she’s been on the back of a horse ever since. Raised in a family of team ropers, starting with her dad, Ivan, she was a heeler with her mom, Marlene, at the All-Girl ropings. She then decided to become a header to turn steers for her brother, Dwight, and his friends. The Wigemyr family trained their own team roping horses, but Lynette would always be working them on the barrels.

When Lynette married Ken Brodoway, she began training horses on barrels and continued to compete at amateur level after started a family. She intentionally put her dream of going pro on hold to raise their two sons. She watched her brother’s professional success, and his CFR team roping championship in 2002 and 2008. She gave full support to Josie, their son who qualified to compete at the CFR in 2006. Her focus was having horsemanship training clinics, which started when she watched her dad’s special way with horses; watching how he was able to rehabilitate them. She attributes her barrel racing success to ‘Cowboy’, her sorrel gelding that was named ‘Horse With the Most Heart’ in 2023. Horses were also at the root of healing from the tragedy of losing a son, Wacey.

Lynette is proud to be a Canadian rodeo competitor. Her story is one of patience, and of constantly being open to learning from parents, books and horses, as well as learning from others and from her own experiences. She stresses the importance of having the right people around you to get you back on track when necessary. She has worked long and hard to achieve her dream and inspires us to never give up on our passions, that age is not a barrier.

At the age of 64, Lynette has a new indoor horse Poncho, and also on Cowboy is still a stiff competitor at professional rodeos. She works with and cares for horses most every day and welcomes others to come learn from her. Rodeo is her main passion at this time, but she always has a couple of young horses in training. She loves babysitting her 2 grandchildren, JR and Jack (aged 3 and 1) that live a mere 20 minutes away.

Taber Western Round-Up

On Saturday, March 29th Taber rounded up an entertaining group of poets and musicians. Two of the MHCP folks were there, Noel Burles as a performer and Jen as emcee. Val Beyer and David Woodruff from their club are always at our event to support us. There are a few things it would be good if we could replicate at our event on September 26th and 27th. They had 10 student performers, some were soloists, some sang in a group and some even had poems they had written. They had a dozen and a half sponsors, some of which were unbelievably generous. They had ‘a whole bunch’ of young guys doing the set-up and take down. And they had delicious food. I need to mention their baked potato topped with chili, cheese and sour cream. Also their cinnamon buns; the dough for them was rising in the kitchen when we got there. It would have been worth your trip to Taber for that alone. Thanks to Bud Edgar, the joker and trick roper who sent the photos.

Fence Idioms

  • fence mending — trying to end a disagreement or quarrel
  • sitting on the fence — not taking a stand
  • fence straddling — beating around the bush, weaseling, hemming and hawing
  • rush ones fences — to act in too much of a hurry (sometimes refers to a young couple)
  • from pillar to post — from one place to another

“Don’t Fence Me In”

Oh give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in,
Let me ride through the wide open prairie that I love,
Don't fence me in.

The inspiration for it came from a poem called “Open Range” by Robert Fletcher. He also wrote a non-fiction book called “Free Grass to Fences” about Montana’s cattle industry.

It was Cole Porter, in 1934, that wrote the hugely successful song “Don’t Fence Me In” using Robert Fletcher’s poem as a starting point. But he added broader dimensions. One of his
verses is about a highwayman, Wildcat Kelly, who desperately wanted to avoid being fenced in by jail or by marriage or by anything else for that matter. The popular version doesn’t use this verse, but Roy Rogers did:

Wildcat Kelly's lookin' mighty pale,
Was standin' by the sheriff's side,
And when that sheriff said I'm sending you to jail,
Wildcat raised his head and cried: Oh give me land, lots of land…

Another verse continues to touch on freedom:

I want to ride to the ridge where the West commences,
And gaze at the moon until I lose my senses,
I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences,
Don't fence me in.

Ranching Before Fences

It was through the investment of British aristocracy that ranching started in Saskatchewan and Alberta (then called Assiniboia and Alberta). Huge herds of cattle were grazed on the open range, owned by big ranches who didn’t see a need to put up feed in case Chinooks failed to appear. These were the ranches that took big losses in 1886-87. During that summer there were drought conditions and prairie fires. Then came a harsh winter that started in November and didn’t end until March. It was hailed “The Big Die-Up”. The infamous winter in 1906-07 likewise saw tens of thousands of cattle die of starvation. Many of the big corporate ranches on both sides of the U.S. border collapsed.

Ranching After the Fences

Barb wire was called “devil’s rope” by the big ranchers because it hampered the open graze method they used for their cattle herds numbering in the hundreds of thousands. It was the smaller ranches that survived because they were not controlled by absentee owners and adapted to conditions as they experienced them. They saw the need for fences to control the movement of cattle and to form enclosures to stack feed for the cattle in winter. With cross fences they could have a breeding schedule so calves weren’t born in winter. They could also improve their herd knowing which bulls were breeding their cattle.

Herding large numbers of cattle on the open range required cowboys, lots of them, young men that were skilled horsemen and cattlemen. Barb wire was a relatively inexpensive means of controlling the movement of cattle. Even an unskilled person could build a fence using posts, wire and staples. It carved the vast prairie into manageable chunks for ‘ranch farming’ as it was sometimes called. Barb wire not only changed the history of ranching, it changed the world of the cattle-trail cowboy too.

Barbed Wire and Boundaries

by Bob Ruschiensky from Regina, SK

The prairie once ran wide and free,
No posts, no lines, not locks, no key.
A cowboy rode where the sky touched land,
No fences cut, no walls to stand.

But times had changed, the borders grew,
The cattle strayed, the fights came too.
So men strung wire, mile by mile,
Through dust and sweat, through grit and trial.

And posts stood firm, the steel ran tight,
A twisting snake of rusted might.
It kept the herds where they should be,
Yet chained the land once wild and free.

Some say the wire tamed the West,
It marked the land, it drew the rest.
But every time I ride that line,
I feel the past still press in time.

For barbed wire hums a lonesome tune,
It sings of loss beneath the moon.
A cowboy rides, yet still he knows,
Some things are meant to stay unclosed.

Western Wisdom

There are three kinds of men:
– ones that learn by reading
– a few that learn by observation
– and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence.
(this must have come from a guy)

I’ll leave you with this bit of wisdom:

A fence mended is a friendship tended.

Hope Calving is Going Well!

Happy Trails,
Jen

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Keeping You In The Loop — MHCP Newsletter March 2025 Edition

Howdy!

Welcome to the month of March. As time marches on, change is inevitable. The new and younger blood that has joined our herd of Board members should make for an exciting year with fresh ideas and better technical skills. As spring approaches we’re hoping the variable weather brings us lots of moisture. But snow storms aren’t exactly what the ranchers are hoping for because that’s when the cows all decide to calve, that’s inevitable.

The members of Borderline 4-H have also shown changes, remarkable improvement in their speech giving, how they used to be nervous and now look so comfortable on stage. Even the Weavers (the members too young to be 4-Hers yet) were excited to give a speech, some using cue cards (like their older siblings) even though they don’t know how to read yet. I remember the days when kids only did ‘the speech thing’ because it was a requirement.

Likewise the cattle industry has changed from open range grazing with minimal preparation for wintering cattle, to modern ranching with fences and ‘making hay’. Barb wire has an interesting history as well. Fences divide property. There is a saying: Good Fences make Good Neighbors. You don’t want the neighbour’s bull coming to visit the heifers on your side of the fence. (Unless he’s an upgrade for your herd, in which case you might want to make an opening in the fence.) Lately I see 5′ and 6′ solid fences going around city properties. I guess they make for privacy, but fences (and walls) also divide.

Here is what Robert Frost has to say about good fences and good neighbors:

“Take my next-door neighbor and I,
Waiting eight years to put one up,
And now that we’ve actually done it
Wondering why we bothered in the first place.”

Change is Good

At MHCP we start our new year with quite a number Board changes. Penita Schnell has taken over the Treasurer duties from Carol Eisenbarth who is still looking after the Memberships. Jacquie Noerenberg is stepping aside as Secretary as Jim Koch takes on that job. Many thanks to Carol and Jacquie.

It’s only been a half year since Penella Zollner has joined us and been our webmaster. Bob Thompson and Greg Herman are the newest members to ‘step on Board’. Thanks to each for their attendance and input at the meetings, especially all the ‘newbies’.

Borderline 4-H Club

Members of the club are proudly displaying the tack boxes they finished, the ones Jim Koch built for them, complete with dove-tailed corners. Plans are being made for members of Borderline to serve food as a fund-raiser at our next Western Music and Cowboy Poetry event on September 26th and 27th. They have had connections with MHCP since it’s beginning. In 2019 at our event at the Redcliff Harmony Hall they served snacks and drinks (and smiles). MHCP has coached five different 4-H members to write poems, some of which have been on our stage reciting them.

The Taber Round-Up

You don’t want to miss this day of down-home Western entertainment. Bud Edgar always has tricks up his sleeve and Larry Krause has been invited to MN, SK. AB. BC and the East Coast. He also entertained at our very first event in 2019. Raffles are always fun and the food is delicious (especially the homemade pies last year).

MHCP and Taber share our resources and skills. Val Beyer shared poetry at our Open Mic and ran the computer at our event (David Woodruff supported us too). Jen offered to MC their ‘Round Up” this year. The bales at our event belong to Val, and we are sharing the sandwich-board signs Jim Koch has made for both organizations.

Western Wisdom

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull strong.

Translating Cowboy Lingo

In a half-ton a cowboy asks one of his partners, “Do want to ride ‘girlfriend’ or ‘shotgun’?”

What does he mean?

Do you want to ride in the middle or by the window (the window is more comfortable, but he’s the one gettin’ the gates).

The Barbwire Fence

When Greg Herman recited his poem about barb wire at the Folk Club jam, it came to mind how important fences were in the history of ranching. It signaled the end of the days of vast areas of free grassland and the beginning of ranching as we see it today. It ended the trail drives and allowed the expansion of farming.

Hometown Tribute

Do you have someone local you’d like to acknowledge? Just let us know.

Dale Rose

He is remembered as a legendary bull rider and one of rodeo’s most colorful and entertaining cowboys. His nickname was “Hoot” because his hat was shaped like Hoot Gibson’s, a western movie star at the time. Calf roping and bullriding were his rodeo sports, an unusual combination. He was a crowd favorite for his various quirks and his unconventional white shirt and necktie attire in the arena. They watched for the cigar he smoked when he rode, the judges even giving him an extra point if he was still puffing on it at the end of the bull ride.

His career started when he entered his first rodeo in Medicine Hat in 1955 and his first pro rodeo was in Taber in 1961. The highlight of his career was in 1974 when he competed in the first Canadian Finals Rodeo, won the Guy Weadick Award and scored the highest marked ride on the Hall of Fame bull named Stubby.

Locally, anyone interested in becoming a cowboy knew about Dale Rose and his indoor arena along the #1 highway just outside Redcliff, Alberta. It was one of the first indoor arenas around, dug in the ground with wood sides that were maybe 4 or 5 feet high and a roof. It was always a little damp down there, but in the winter it was a bit warmer than outside. He had it set up with a roping box to practice calf roping and some bucking chutes with steers and bulls to ride. There was always something going on there and Dale was the kind of guy that promoted it.

Bull riding is a dangerous sport at the best of times, and in Dale’s arena it was even more so. After you got bucked off, you had to be the bull fighter for the next guy. There wasn’t anybody else there to protect you other than your buddies. The arena was relatively narrow, so when you came off of a bull you didn’t have very many places to go. Other draws to ‘Hoot’s Place’ were the alternate activities that came along with the rodeoing there.

Credit to Dale Rose that so many young guys have gone on with the cowboy lifestyle and done extremely well. All the successful bull riders that this part of the country turned out (and there were many) got their start in Hoot’s arena. At age 14 World Champion Cody Snyder was already riding a half dozen bulls there every night. In 2008 Dale Rose was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in the Legend category.

-thanks to Don Thompson and various internet site for the information

The Library Corral

Yellowstone
Season 1, DVD – 2018 YEL
Season 2, DVD – 2019 YEL
Season 3, DVD – 2020 YEL
Season 4, DVD – 2022 YEL
Season 5 Pt. 1, DVD – 2023 YEL

It’s the adult show everyone’s talking about, and the Medicine Hat Library has multiple copies of each season. It revolves around the Dutton family that controls the larges ranch in the United States. It is constantly being attacked by land developers, and Indian Reservation and America’s first National Park.

Some Secrets are Hard to Keep

The details in this poem are true, well, almost true. Phil tells the story:

Promises made are promises kept,
One exception I'm sure you'd agree,
If a question is asked, only one choice is left,
To tell them the truth it would be.

How to get even with Tyler, my friend,
He's a darn good ranch hand, I must say,
But tricks played on me, I must amend,
I knew it was payback time one of these days.

Tempers can flare all too easy with Ty,
Has got him in many a fix,
Caught him red-handed as I'm passing by,
To help him or laugh was a terrible mix.

He discovered his yearlings had gone through the fence,
At the corner was fixing the gate,
Herding them back wouldn't make him that tense,
But for fencing he had an absolute hate.

Tyler had almost completed the job___
When a nail on the post grabbed his shirt,
That got Ty feeling like he's a lynch mob,
Had a gash but my presence is what really hurt.

Ty got to hacking that spike with his might,
He's determined to take off its head,
The long-handled pincher would work just right,
I heard the wail, novel words were said.

His manhood was where the handles slammed shut,
Ty's jumping in anguish and hurt,
I kind of felt guilty, I felt like a nut,
So a promise to secrecy quickly I'd blurt.

Finally Ty got his breath back and sighed,
Please help me to get on my horse,
Going back was a slow walk, no joyride,
I helped him get home, sorry for him, of course___

But something was nagging, wish that Ty I could roast,
Keep my word and still get him back,
Ah! Nutcracker Corner; that's a sign I could post,
When folks ask about it, I'd describe Tyler's whack.

A story like that could spread 'cross the land,
Tourists visit Nutcracker Corner,
See the nail that's beheaded, and try their hand
At fixing the fence just like Tyler Warner.

by Jen Zollner, February, 2025

Happy Trails,
Jen

Posted on

Keeping You In The Loop — MHCP Newsletter December 2024 Edition

Howdy Y’All!

It seems that December is the month for celebrating, and at Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry, that’s what we’ll do. First and foremost it’s remembering the birth of Christ. For some of us, it’s a time for new beginnings. And for the horse people in our midst, it’s also having a designated day especially for our horses. When folks leave our midst, we have a service honoring their life. Indeed it’s being grateful for what was, and what is.

In our family, December might as well be called, “Merry Birthday!” because there are so many of them. My two sisters and I were born exactly a week before Christmas, the day before Christmas and the day after Christmas (although not all in the same year!) One of those birthdays is a big one this year (and just so you know, it isn’t mine.) My granddaughter was a “Sember” baby and my son-in-law was born on Christmas Day; his name even matches the day of his birth (Noel.) Gift shopping? We just get a year’s worth done in one month.

Congratulations!!

Grandson Tyler and his girlfriend Jessie went to Mexico, and that’s where Tyler got down on one knee and proposed. Yes, they are engaged and we’re excited to officially welcome Jessie into our family in 2025.

The Goat Family

Tyler and Jessie have been busy preparing for their ‘kids’ arrival: building fences, trenching water to the shelter and installing a drinking post, a goat waterer that doesn’t freeze in winter. Just before going on their engagement holiday, their four darlings arrived. They are yearlings, so we’re not sure if they’re still called kids or whether they are doelings, but one thing is certain; they’re cute.

The first thing they had to learn was how to push the lever to drink. Ginger, the one with the most red, was the first to learn how. It didn’t take long to recognize their distinct characters. Ginger, the friendliest one, is best friends with Marj, the one with less red and white. Dorris, with the black head, is the most timid, and blonde-faced Sunny is the most adventurous and tends to be a daredevil. Tyler and Jessie had a great holiday, but they also looked forward to coming home to get to know their ‘kids’ better.

Newsflash: OUR AGM MEETING

Its that time of year, time for our AGM:

Monday, January 27th, 2025
Medicine Hat Public Library

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Western Entertainment
Everyone is welcome!
Snacks, even steerhead and oxtail spudnuts

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. AGM Meeting
Members are encourage to attend
Zoom attendance available, request an invite by calling 403-529-6384

Bob and Betsy will be greeting folks and they have some exciting news to share!!!

December 13th, Day of the Horse

We don’t need a specific date on the calendar to celebrate the horse, however certain dates have been set aside to do so. December 13th is the official date in United States. Canada’s National Horse Day is the 1st Saturday of June, and then we also have “I Love Horses Day” on July 15th. Horses have been part of our human history for centuries, and are still an important part of many people’s lives today.

Here are some stats:

Q: How many domestic horses in Canada?A: 500,000
Q: How many wild or feral horses?A: 2000, mostly in Alberta and British Columbia
Q: Which province has the most registered horses?A: Alberta, 37% of all the horses in Canada
Q: Where is the oldest herd of wild/feral horses?A: Sable Island, an island in the Atlantic

We celebrate the various breeds:

Q: Which horse is the most Canadian?A: The Canadian Horse. They are most commonly seen in images with the Mounties.
Q: Is there a Medicine Hat horse?A: Yes, there is a Medicine Hat Horse. And it has an indigenous history just as Medicine Hat has. Read about the Medicine Hat horse in the September 2020 Newsletter.
Q: What is the most popular breed in North America?A: The Quarter Horse. Rodeo sports like barrel racing, calf and team roping commonly use quarter horses or a Quarter horse/Thoroughbred cross also known as an “Appendix”.

Our website banner picture features a 16.2 hands high Appendix gelding named, Cash (registered name, “LW Leo Three”).
Q: What is the second most popular breed?A: The Thoroughbred. Thoroughbreds are commonly known as the race horse breed.

Our December 2022 Newsletter featured Queen Elizabeth riding “Burmese”, a thoroughbred-Hanoverian cross and a gift from RCMP in Saskatchewan.
Q: What is the most common draft or heavy horse? Is it the Percheron or the Belgian?A: Glen Bischoff would argue it’s the Clydesdale.

Read about “Joe” and “Wally” in our Newsletter archive June 2021 Newsletter

We’ve also celebrated these horses from our MHCP archives:

Haflingers:

Have you heard of this breed? An 82-year-old brought his team of Haflingers to the Canadian Western Agribition held in Regina, Saskatchewan, the last week of November. Gordon Frentz from Grande Prairie came 1,200km through a blinding blizzard to compete in the chore team competition, his first major one.

Haflingers are chestnut colored with a white or flaxen mane, much smaller in size than the Clydesdale (14hh). It was amazing to have them pull a weight in the competition that is 1200 pounds, heavier than one of them! Dunmore Equestrian has hosted heavy horse competitions since 2020. Glenn Bischoff will be there with his team.

Holiday Eating Advice

  • Never eat more than your horse can carry
  • Always wear a tie the color of the main course
  • Keep your words gentle, you may have to eat them
  • Don’t worry about biting off more than you can chew, your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger than you think
  • Don’t let your dog eat garlic or his bark will really be worse than his bite
  • Never cuss the cook; it’s as risky as branding a mule’s tail

A Cowboy’s Christmas Prayer

As the Christmas season approaches, our joys are somewhat dampened by what we see and hear on the news. We cannot help but feel sad about the raging wars that pollute the air we all breathe and we grieve for the women, children and men that lose their lives or live in fear, without enough food and water or a house to come back to. In the news we see folks rallying for freedom in their land. This poem puts some of those thoughts to rhyme.

It was written by S. Omar Baker. We can assume he was quite a character being he used his brand as his signature: Lazy SOB. This poem brings out his serious side. It has been reprinted more than a hundred times in magazines and Christmas cards. Thanks to his estate for placing it in the public domain in December, 2013. (Go ahead, read it aloud. After all, cowboy poetry is an oral tradition.)

A Cowboy’s Christmas Prayer

I ain't much good at prayin' and you may not know me, Lord,
For I ain't much seen in churches where they preach Thy Holy Word,
But you may have observed me out here on the lonely plains,
A lookin' after cattle, feelin' thankful when it rains.

Admirin' Thy great handiwork, the miracle of grass,
Aware of Thy kind Spirit in the way it comes to pass__
That hired men on horseback and the livestock that we tend
Can look up at the stars at night, and know we've got a Friend.

So here's ol' Christmas comin' on, remindin' us again
Of Him whose coming brought good will into the hearts of men.
A cowboy ain't a preacher, Lord, but if You'll hear my prayer,
I'll ask as good as we have got for all men everywhere.

Don't let no hearts be bitter, Lord. Don't let no child be cold.
Make easy the beds for them that's sick and them that's weak and old.
Let kindness bless the trail we ride, no matter what we're after,
And sorter keep us on Your side in tears as well as laughter.

I've seen ol' cows a-starvin' -and it ain't no happy sight,
Please don't leave no one hungry Lord, on Thy good Christmas Night.
No man, no child, no woman, and no critter on four feet,
I'll do my doggone best to help you find 'em chuck to eat.

I'm just a sinful cowpoke, Lord -ain't got no business prayin',
But still I hope you'll ketch a word or two of what I'm sayin',
We speak of Merry Christmas, Lord -I reckon You'll agree-
There ain't no Merry Christmas for nobody that ain't free!

So one thing more I ask You, Lord, just help us what You can,
To save some seeds of freedom for the future Sons of Man!

Remembering Helen Hoszouski, nee Forbes

We grieve the loss of Helen, who died just short of her 101st birthday, her brother Harry lived to age 104. MHCP is honoured to have shared some of her stories on our website “Harry Forbes Remembers”.

She lived in Red Deer, as does her daughter, Joy, who phoned to let us know, and who noted she’d like to continue receiving our newsletter.

Helen was not only an author, but a seamstress and a poet. Check out one of her poems as well as another of her contributions to Harry’s books, “Clothing in the 1920’s and
1930’s, Part One”.

(By the way, in April 2024, the world’s oldest man died at age of 112.)

Western Wisdom

  • Freedom is riding a horse, so ride you must.
  • A horseback ride is a simple solution to some of the world’s most complicated problems.
  • Every ride is a little holiday.

Holiday greetings from all of us at MHCP,

Take care,

Jen

Posted on

Keeping You In The Loop — MHCP Newsletter September 2024 Edition

Howdy Y’All!

‘Tis the season — to hurry and harvest, to hustle telling everyone about our event and to celebrate school horses before no one remembers there was such a thing. (Kids weren’t supposed to race them, but they did.) We continue getting stories from Hall of Famers who had fast horses, barrel racers like Dee Butterfield and Monica Wilson. As we’re grateful for the memories of the season past, we say thanks for the chuckles Ol’ Ugly gave us with the characters he created to live in our midst. Some of us remember fondly (or not so fondly) the times and styles that were. Thanks to folks like the Forbes’ who wrote it all down (for younger folks to find almost unbelievable).

Enough of the past for a moment and a look at what’s up and coming, our Western Music and Cowboy Poetry event. The excitement is mounting. Poets and musicians are honing their skills and including topics about women when they’re on stage. The college culinary staff is excited about serving chuckwagon cuisine and the decorators can’t wait to make the place look western. I look forward to seeing you on the 4th and/or the 5th of October.

The chaps are the real deal. They belonged to my son-in-law’s father.

Upcoming Events

Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry Presents:

Western Music & Cowboy Poetry Event

You don’t want to miss it!!
Western Music at it’s best,
With Cowboy Poetry you’ll be impressed.
To get in the mood, come western dressed.

It’ll be a hit with amazing talent at the Medicine Hat College where they have the best lighting and sound anywhere. We have singer/songwriters, amazing guitarists and folks with astonishing reciting talent.

  • Charlie Ewing
  • Greg Herman
  • Phyllis Rathwell
  • Dusty Dee Lichfield
  • Linda Nadon
  • Dave Woodruff
  • Scott Reesor
  • Miles Tornberg
  • Wally Garrioch
  • Harv Speers. Harv is known in Medicine Hat for his time on radio. A poet and powerful presenter, Harv is a welcome addition to our board.
  • Noel Burles. Noel has been involved in Cowboy Poetry for decades, as a performer as well as an organizer at gatherings at Pincher Creek and Stavely.
  • Shelley Goldbeck, Emcee

There are 16 different entertainers in the afternoon program and the evening performance features 4 of the best. Vocalists/musicians include Charlie Ewing from Claresholm, Dusty Dee Litchfield from the Lethbridge area, Miles Tornberg and our own Greg Herman.

Renowned poets include Linda Nadon from Meadow Lake, SK and Phyllis Rathwell living here in Medicine Hat now.

You’ll recognize local folks like Harv Speers, Scott Reesor, Wally Garrioch and Noel Burles (well, he is on the MHCP board). Our Emcee for the evening will be Shelley Goldbeck.

Wait till you see the unique items donated on the silent auction table: horsehead shaped boot jacks, patchwork blanket with horses, an award-winning framed photo, the list goes on. Decorations will greet you at the college entrance with a “Howdy” and treat you to an ambiance of complete western dress. It’s a good opportunity to get your picture taken with the Medicine Hat Rodeo Queen and Princess. And don’t forget the jingle in your jeans to get your 50/50 tickets!

It all starts on Friday night at 7:00pm with Open Mic in the Centennial Hall (outside the Eresman Theater.) Come and see the talent that is up and coming! Open Mic is free. Parking is free after 6:00pm.

The Saturday show starts at Noon in the Eresman Theater at the Medicine Hat College. Tickets for the afternoon performance are just $10.00 and parking is free all day.

Chuckwagon supper is served at 5:30pm. Supper emulates the chuckwagon fare in the cattle trail days: biscuits and stew, pie and so much more. Pre-order your ticket for what’s sure to be some mighty fine grub.

Saturday evening rounds out the festivities at 7:30pm in the Eresman Theater with our three honoured guests in attendance: Canadian ProRodeo Hall of Famers, Dee Butterfield and Maxine Girlitz and Medicine Hat’s renowned artist, Gena LaCoste. We are especially proud to present this year’s line up of performers and poets.

TICKETS: on sale at Hale Hearing in the Co-op Mall (3030 13 Ave SE #103) or contact MHCPPresident@gmail.com

Past Events

The Chuckwagon as Cowboy Heritage
At the Towne Square Heritage C-Cans across from City Hall in Medicine Hat, we celebrated the chuckwagon, that being where the cowhands gathered after trailing cattle all day. Yes, to eat, but also to entertain each other and pass the time by sharing their stories with songs and poems. That’s where Cowboy Poetry and Western Music started. Louise Maier and Donna Moore used paint to remake a cow into an oxen. Traditionally it was horses or oxen that pulled the chuckwagon, the food wagon, the world’s first food truck. Our miniature chuckwagon (chuck is food in cowboy lingo) had a ‘tarp’ held up by hoops for shade and in case of rain. The camp cook was often called Cookie, or a number of other names depending on his ability or inability to cook (???? ) Jim Koch (pardon the pun) made a
‘chuck box’ for the back of the wagon to hold Cookie’s essentials and form a make-shift table on one leg. Inside Cookie’s chuck box (cupboard) was a display of his supplies in cowboy lingo. There were skunk eggs (onions), almost hen’s fruit (bird’s eggs found along the way), lick (molasses) etc. Shelley Goldbeck, a MHCP member from Innisfail and emcee at our October event, was the Cookie at our camp. She (but it was always a guy) carefully protected the everlasting yeast (sour dough) used to make biscuits to serve with the beans he served every day. Visitors perused the display telling all about Cookie. Children enjoyed riding the stick horses the cowboys had come into camp with. Visitors left with some hardtack (dried biscuits) to pocket in case stampeding cattle would have them being late for supper.

Western Music Celebrated
On August Medicine Hat celebrated music at the Towne Square C-Cans (or Pods as they’re called). We were there in Pod #2 where we scattered the wall with hats and chaps. Supplying the music: Noel Burles from Coalhurst as well as locals Conrad Sandberg, Jack Humeny and Greg Herman. Stools to look like tree stumps were available for audience members to sit on. When we moved outside, we even had green grass underfoot (artificial turf). Thanks to Jennifer, her volunteers and the City of Medicine Hat for arranging the celebrations this summer.

Jen Zollner performing at High River

Trail’s End
The Alberta Cowboy Poetry Association held
its annual Cowboy Gathering at High River on September 6th, 7th and 8th. MHCP board member Noel Burles is the Secretary for it and MHCP President, Jen Zollner is also a member and put on a wonderful performance. In their organization you need to belong (have a membership) in order to perform. It took place in The Full Gospel Church, ended with Cowboy Church on the Sunday morning.

Farmer’s Market
MHCP was set up at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede Farmer’s Market on Saturday, September 14th and 21st.

Board members Harv Speers, Carol Eisenbarth, Donna Moor and Faye Fedrau (missing from the photo) handed out samples of hardtack that might not tide you over till supper … but it was free and so were the smiles!

New on the Website

Yarns by Ol’ Ugly — For your Tales, the Taller the Better, Thanks

Ol’ Ugly, aka John Glawson, is done knitting yarns for us. He’ll no longer be inventing unusual characters having hilarious exploits around the town he founded, Miniberries. Every month he concocted two stories for us; we’re proud to have them on our website as a permanent testament to his creativity and his sense of humor. Don’t worry about him though, he’s doing well. Yes, he’s had two heart operations but his heart is still in the right place. He says, “Laughter is the best medicine. I want to be the Pharmacist.”

Monica Wilson, Pioneer in Rodeo

Dr. Gizmo was the horse that made Monica Wilson famous. (We were at her induction into the ProRodeo Hall ofFame this Spring.) That came about because of her natural horsemanship coupled with her innate ability ‘to get inside Giz’s head’ and ultimately to heal him. She was able to accept him for who he was, and bring out the best in him. Two lines in Harold Sloan’s poem “The Old Kid Horse” say it well:
A horse to me is like a man, they’re both the same inside,
The qualities we like in men within the horse abide.


This is Monica telling her story:

GIZ IS THE BEST

    by Jen Zollner

When you're a mother, it's not wise to choose___
A favorite, the kid you like best,
But that's how it is with my barrel racing horses,
Dr. Gizmo topped all the rest.

By far he is not the only barrel horse___
That won me many-a first,
In fact, when it came to challenging times,
I think he'd be classed as the worst.

It was love at first sight when I tried him out,
When I rode him, he just floated,
Next day when I tried him round the barrels,
He ran-off like a bomb exploded.

Some folks were thinking he'd make good fox meat___
'Cause he'd run up the wall times galore.
But he could run faster than anything
I'd ever been on before,

I'd just smile when things went bad,
Tomorrow's another day,
The process to fix him was long and slow,
Later, the odd time, still had a misplay.

There's more to know 'bout this fiery sorrel,
You can't help but like the guy,
He's happy, except just before the race,
He loads good, don't kick and he's sly.

Sometimes he'd fool me, he'd take the left barrel___
When we usually take the right,
He understands English, he talks to you,
Though he's not good looking, he's bright.

One time I threatened Giz, told him if you___
Don't win the next two races,
I'm selling you to some big old bulldogger,
Our next two wins were first places.

Somebody gave me a blank cheque to buy him,
He'd pay any amount for that horse,
Their way wouldn't fix him, they'd not understand him,
And I'd never sell him, of course.

He is awarded "Horse with the Most Heart",
At a ripe old age Gizmo died,
And that's when my heart in barrel racing went,
I ran out of Giz by my side.

School Horses *** COMING SOON***

They were often the transportation to the one-room schools. Read about the horses that teachers and students used, ordeals that were part of the trip and the invaluable life lessons the horse provided. Members of MHCP also shared their recollections (if they were old enough to have had a school-horse). The women in rodeo we interviewed also had
schoolhorses.

Library Corner

What I’m reading is available at the Medicine Hat Public Library:

The Heart of a Horse: Life Lessons from Horses and Other Animals

by Candida Baker

636.1 BAK, 2021

Through a series of true stories, the author shares how each horse (and other animals) enhanced her sense of spiritual connection. She illustrates what she experienced as she  learned to “listen” using all her senses. She describes the magic that happens when we keep  an open mind about the world of silent communication from the animal world. “The greatest  lessons animals teach us is to get in touch with our intuition.”

A thought to leave you with:

A boy would make a better man who had a pal like him (a school horse) -Harold Sloan-

Take care,

Jen