Chuckwagon driver Dustin Gorst was more than happy to tour kids from Little Pine First Nation around his camp on Tuesday morning as the North American Chuckwagon Championships take over Halstead Downs until July 16. Gorst and fellow drivers gave kids a “day in the life of a chuckwagon driver” experience to help grow the love and understanding of their sport. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
It’s never too early to attract new fans to the sport of chuckwagon racing.
That was the mindset for wagon teams on Tuesday as North American Chuckwagon Championship (NACC) drivers hosted area youth for some equine therapy and education.
“We’re having a kid’s day today and hosting a bunch of groups of kids from all over the area,” said World Professional Chuckwagon Association driver Dustin Gorst.
“We’re going to introduce them to the sport, create new fans, and help them have an understanding of what we do.”
Aside from attracting new fans, Gorst explained he and other drivers wanted to ensure kids understood the bond they have with their horses, and how well they’re cared for.
“We want to make sure they understand how we take care of our horses, how we treat them, and how much the horses actually enjoy the sport,” he said.
“We’ve got some wagon rides set up, we’ve got some saddle horses going for them; it’s also a good day for our wagon horses to take a break and a breather for the rest of the week.”
Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association driver, DJ King, explained the equine session also gave youth a chance to live a day in the life of a chuckwagon driver.
WPCA driver Dustin Gorst and CPCA driver DJ hand out frisbees to enthusiastic youngsters on Tuesday morning at the Gorst outfit. Area youth were welcomed to Halstead Downs to take part in a little horse therapy and education surrounding chuckwagon racing. Taylor Weaver Meridians Source
“This is an opportunity some kids will never get,” said King.
“All us wagon families, this is our normal life, but you have to look outside the box. For some of these kids, this is a big thrill for them, so it’s pretty cool to be able to give them this opportunity.”
As for the equine therapy side of the day, King explained working with animals can do wonders for one’s mental health.
“There’s a healing element to working with animals,” he said.
“Mental health is such an important thing now, so being able to give these kids a mental break and showing them how healing working with animals can be is amazing.”
For NACC marketing director, Wendy Phipps, getting new interest in the sport is what it’s all about.
This group of kids from Little Pine First Nation, who had the chance to meet WPCA driver Dustin Gorst and his racing outfit, were a handful of many to have the unique opportunity to live a day in the life of a chuckwagon driver on Tuesday as the NACCs hosted youth equine therapy and education sessions at Halstead Downs. Taylor Weaver Meridians Source
“It’s about giving back to the youth,” she said.
“People were able to sign up and come and experience a session with equines.
“They get to learn what we do on the road with the horses day-to-day and how that looks.”
This was also the first year the NACC hosted free equine sessions for kids, something they plan to continue in the future.
“We want to get more people involved in the sport, especially youth who might not necessarily get this opportunity,” she said.
“A lot of these wagon kids take this for granted because this is their life day after day, but not everyone gets to see behind the scenes and see what we do in our world.”
Phipps noted there are plans to feature equine sessions at each stop on the 2024 CPCA tour, giving even more youth this unique opportunity.
