Canadian Cowboy Challenge

 By Hans Kollewyn

Hello and welcome to the 2023 Challenge season from the executive and board of directors of the CCC. The CCC started off the New Year with our AGM on January 21, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. There will be two new additions to the executive and a few new directors added. Welcome. Names and positions were not available at the time of this writing. We would like to thank those leaving and who have served on the board with hours of hard work and dedication. Their commitment has been an asset by helping the CCC move forward as an association.

Before getting into the upcoming Challenge season, I would like to finish up with the 2022 Year-End Awards. The two pictures are of the Reserve Champion vests which were given out in each division. One is the back and the other is of the front of the vest. The CCC name is on the back and name, CCC logo and division is on the front, all are embroidered. The vests had to be ordered after the awards were given out as each vest is sized to each Reserve Champion. Vests were delivered to each recipient by the end of November 2022.

To continue on with 2023, the Board will be working hard for the upcoming Challenge season. First on the agenda, will be to review our rules and regulations and to revise existing rules and regulations as needed or to add new rules to clarify existing ones. Most of the revisions and additions made are based on the feedback the CCC received from the previous Challenge season. The aim is to have Challenges fair and equal, safe and promote horsemanship for all competitors, as well as keeping the Challenges fun and enjoyable for all.

Along with revised and/or new rules, a judges’ conference is tentatively scheduled for the first weekend in March 2023. This conference is mandatory for all CCC judges. During the conference, rules and regulations are discussed and serve as a review process. This process encourages the judges to give their perspectives and helps to develop a common standard for judging a CCC Challenge. The process is a learning experience and can be viewed as professional development as a CCC judge. The conference also acts as a refresher for the judges for the upcoming season.

On the topic of judges, there is a tentative date set for a Judges’ Certification Clinic in April/ May. The clinic will be two days long. It will be an in-person clinic and will be in a central location depending on where the participants are coming from. At this time we have a few participants interested who live in the Edmonton, Alberta region and a few who are in Saskatchewan. The CCC judging committee will have a better idea when and how the clinic will proceed by late winter. The April/May time frame for the clinic gives the participants the opportunity to complete the scribing and Jr. judging requirements, on becoming a CCC judge, in the spring and summer of the Challenge season.

More information and Challenge dates for the CCC will be forthcoming in future issues of Saddle Up or you can follow the CCC on our website or contact us at “canadiancowboychallenge. com.”

I hope that the winter has been kind to everyone. February can hint at spring and provide some okay conditions to start legging up your horse and prepping both horse and rider for the upcoming riding season.

Bye for now.

Since we don’t print a January issue, you have had loads of time to guess on our December item. And it was the LAST ITEM for this column. The item was the game of “JACKS” - A series of challenges to the player was designed to have the player bounce the ball and pick the jacks (little stars) up, in a variety of sequences and in a series. Congratulations to our final guessers!

Jackie Grant, Courtenay BC

Sandra Krivak, Salmon Arm BC

Harrold & Lynda Norris, Spallumcheen BC

Mandy Doerksen, Calgary AB

Kelsey Doerkson, Langdon AB

Bernice Yeadon, South Langley BC

Heather Tottenham

Janice Spenst, Sardis BC

Lorraine Stubbins, Princeton BC

From the November issue. This was a Nut Cracker with nut picks; used for cracking nuts and peeling shells from the nuts. Way too easy!!! Congratulations to:

Cherly Brodie, Delta BC

Shirley Dudla, Onoway AB

Yvonne Olson, Cumberland BC

Bill Rempel

Kelsey Doerkson, Langdon AB

Sandra Krivak, Salmon Arm BC

Bernice Yeadon, South Langley BC

Ken Keenan, Buckley Bay BC

Paul Landry, Blackfalds AB

Jim Schenk, Rocky Mtn House AB

Cherie Kramer, Abbotsford BC

Lynda Morris, Spallumcheen BC

Janice Spenst, Sardis BC

Jackie Scheepbouwer, Cloverdale BC

Wendle Swanson

Barb Hart, West Kelowna BC

Janet Hartigh, Sylvan Lake AB

Jerry Zbytnuik, Coldstream BC

Amber Rocque, Ladysmith BC

Colleen Ross, Merritt BC

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING OVER THE YEARS!

What’s this? has run its course. Thank you to Russ for looking after this the last few years. Happy retirement to you! Thank you to everyone who guessed over the years!