Barrel racing is one of the most intriguing inventions of the rodeo world. Having been introduced as a horse racing event for women, the racing has taken on to be a tradition for many in the rodeo community. And staying true to the practice, the little town of Saint-Tite, Que. has stood tall hosting the event for the past 55 years.

Traveling quite the miles for the event, one of the participants, and a staunch rodeo enthusiast walked confident against her competitors. With a stadium-packed audience and a competition equalizing their eagerness and enthusiasm, Kim Picard just knew something the rest weren’t even considering.

Kim Picard Earns the Spotlight

Picard, who is an elementary school teacher, travels to the little town of Saint-Tite every year to pursue her passion. The enthusiast juggling her career and enjoying her passion has been competing with her horse for over a decade and this year was a special one.

Kim went ahead to perform at the event early in the match. As she performed her part, the rodeo already knew in her heart she was the winner. According to her, she knew so because her horse Tiger hadn’t missed a step. However, Picard had to wait till the end of the rest of the performances to let her excitement take over her. “You don’t have time to realize [what’s happened] you already have to be brought into the ring to do your victory lap,” said Picard according to Yahoo News. Kim ended a Victor recording the finish time at 16.132 seconds, taking home the title at the Wrangler Canada Cup Final.

The horse rider shares a special relationship with her horse. Tiger, a 15-year-old has been with Kim for the past 13 years competing with her throughout. Winning her second consecutive title at the Barrel Racing with Tiger Kim said, “[Tiger] was so happy, I felt it, I think we’re really really connected. When we do well, he goes out, he’s proud, he was prancing and lifting his legs while he walked.”

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Competing in the competition and attending the 10-day event has been a tradition for the people in Quebec. Like Kim, thousands of enthusiasts fly down to witness the festival take its course.

Rodeo Tradition Held for 55 Years

It was back in 1967 that a Quebec boot company hosted a promotional rodeo event. The very next year, it was a festival growing every year. Sylvain Bourgeois the rodeo manager says that the event welcomes almost 600,000 people each year from not just Canada but across the world. The competitors fly down hoping to win a prize money set at $25,000 for each event.

Apart from Barrel Racing, the festival also hosts events based on farm life and traditional tasks performed by cowboys back in the day. However, the festival hasn’t all been seamless. The authorities have come under scrutiny and criticism concerning animal welfare. Following the same, the festival has decided to coordinate with the ministry to come up with practices and limitations on the rodeo events.

According to Bourgeois, the culture is in the blood of the people. The families have had 4 generations of cowboys, and still continue to keep up. For many, including Kim, the festival has become a regular part of their lives. “And the year of COVID, my horse — we couldn’t compete — it was his worst year. He was really not himself because he loves competing.” Picard said talking about the events being cancelled during covid. The Community has come to love the festival and going forward, they wish to keep attending and participating for the rest of their lives.

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