She’s the defending Ponoka Stampede champion, and Lindsay Sears put herself in good position to be back running at the barrel racing title again this year in the opening performance of the 74th Stampede.
Sears and her wonder horse Martha rounded the barrels in 17.29 seconds Thursday night, giving her a healthy edge over the more than 60 racers. But the 2008 World champion, who was runner-up to that same title last year, knows more about pain than 10 bull riders.
Last year the Nanton cowboy won her Ponoka buckle with a broken leg. This year she’s still recovering from two serious surgeries.
“I’m gonna say it was very scary out there today,” admitted Sears, still puffing after her run. “Martha’s a little strong, and she gets to Ponoka, and she’s all there, and I’m not quite 100 per cent at the moment. So we struggled around the first barrel a bit, but then we got it together after that. She was definitely wanting to do her job tonight, and I don’t think I was helping her out a whole lot.
“It’s been hard getting back riding since surgery.
“You use your core stomach muscles for so much when you’re riding, and you don’t really notice it until you don’t have any.”
It’s only been six weeks since Sears’ last operation, which ended up removing her gall bladder.
“I’ve had to change my entire way of life. Eating, diet, all that sort of thing has had to change. It’s just been trying to get a balance and hopefully we’re figuring it out. I’m learning what I can and cannot eat. It’s just a learning curve.”
You wouldn’t get very good odds in Vegas betting on Bobby Mote at the Ponoka Stampede. That’s because he’s a sure thing every year.
The current World Champion bareback rider always likes to enter the first performance and the 74th annual Stampede was no different. And once again, the Oregon cowboy’s name is at the top of the bareback leader board.
The only thing that seems to change is the horse he gets to ride.
This time it was a pretty Kesler buckskin mare by the name of Street Dance, and it was an eight-second cha-cha that would’ve wowed the Dancing with the Star’s judges. The rodeo judges awarded 86.5 points.
“It was fun to get on such an awesome horse, and be healthy, and feel good” grinned Mote. “If you want to win first on one, that’s one of the ones you’d pick.
“I’d have paid to come and get on that horse.”
Mote is just back from neck surgery at the end of April. His first horse back was at the Daines Ranch at Innisfail.
“I feel a lot better. Two weeks makes a big difference. I’ve been to a handful of rodeos and I haven’t got on good horses. But I’ve been able to go home a couple times in between and get on my (riding) dummy, and work on some stuff, and watch some videos. I don’t think the time off was that hard on me, but I think the riding the last couple of months when I was hurt pretty bad was.”
Saskatchewan bull rider Vincent Northrop moved to the first spot in the bull riding list with an 85 on a Kesler bull called Disposal Dude.
Texan Hunter Cure is the fast man on two runs in the steer wrestling, with a total of 15.8 seconds. Another Texan, Tuf Cooper, is best on the pair of runs in tie down roping with 16.1 seconds, with his brother Cllif next best at 17.8. Washington team ropers Riley and Brady Minor are the pace setters in that event, putting together a pair of solid runs in just 10.7 seconds. The Kesler horses were strong in the bronc riding, and there was only one qualified ride. James Cawley, of Texas, has a 71.5.
The pro rodeo continues today at 1:00 pm, with the first performance of the Ponoka Stampede chuckwagons at 6:30.