Lloydminster trick rider Atleigh Burzinski, 13, busts a move at the CTRA Jackpot that took place at the Lloyd Ex grounds on Aug. 16 and 17. Jeannette Benoit-Leipert Meridian Source
Canadian Trick Riding Association (CTRA) participants were kickin’ up dust at the Lloyd Ex during their jackpot competition on Aug. 16 and 17.
As well as competing, they were invited to perform before the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association finals.
“A lot of them just love horses. Some of them have taken gymnastics over the years, some still do, it’s definitely about flexibility—and being brave, really,” said CTRA president Jamie Burzinski.
“Some of the girls tonight are going right in front of the CPCA finals. I actually have booked a show each day for the CPCA finals, with all the Canadian trick rider girls.”
There are normally five or six CTRA competitions per year throughout the province.
“We’ve had a jackpot in Provost this year, Stony Plain, Grande Prairie, Lloydminster and then our finals will be in Fort MacLeod on the 24 and 25 of August,” said Burzinski.
The trick riders are fortunate to have a very experienced coach to teach them the ins and outs of the sport—Amber Miller (formerly Amber Graham) of the Graham Sisters. She and her sister Krista each have a daughter in the CTRA.
“When I trick rode there were only about eight girls in Canada who trick rode … as soon as I started teaching lessons a few other people did. Now we can have competitions—before it was just a contract act in rodeos,” said Miller.
“So now all the girls can showcase their sparkly horses and costumes even if they’re maybe not quite ready for rodeos. Some of them are here for the competition and then head out to the rodeo.”
Miller says her daughter Rhye loves trick riding too.
“I started trick riding when I was about 13 years old. A lot of the trick riders I train now start way younger; six, seven, or eight years old. My daughter is eight years old and she can almost do everything I could at 13, and she rides a fast little horse.”
The participants are judged on a few different factors, including speed, the tricks they choose to do, and even the way they interact with the spectators.
“They’re judged on their different tricks, so ideally you have to do lower point tricks in order to have that progression into bigger tricks, but they also want to do high point tricks to win,” Miller explained.
“So it’s kind of a balance—we still have to preach safety. I never wore a helmet when I trick rode, now they wear helmets.”
Young trick riders come from all over the province for Miller’s clinics, but many are from the Wainwright-Provost area, which is where she hangs her hat.
“The sport has grown a lot, in I’d say the last five or six years. In spring I do clinics every weekend, and can’t keep up,” she said, adding that when she trick rode she was one of only eight, now there are approximately 30 active trick riders in Canada.
