This year’s Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association finals concluded with smiles and happy tears as Kennedy Langevin got a second chance at life in the saddle.
Thanks to the help of the chuckwagon community, specifically the Brad McMann Racing team, Langevin will be getting back in the saddle after a serious barrel-racing accident three years ago that left her with a traumatic brain injury.
“She was pretty banged up, and they didn’t know if she was going to make it. She had to fight for a long, long time,” said Brad McMann, who gifted Langevin one of his horses named Baby after championship Sunday at
Halstead Downs.
“We promised Kennedy, if she was willing to get walking again, that Baby was hers. Then it snowballed into Lionel Romanchuk jumping on board and building her a custom saddle, and donations started rolling in to help with it.”
McMann first met Langevin during spring training as her brother, Quinn, is one of McMann’s outriders.
“Kennedy came out for training and immediately bonded with Baby,” said McMann. “Baby’s an accident-prone horse, and we didn’t really have a spot for him on the wagon. After they bonded, we knew where he needed to go.”
Even after accepting the keys to a brand-new Dodge Ram, the special post-finals moment completed McMann’s season.
“This is really important to me because we’re helping this young girl out and giving her a second chance at life,” he said.
“They didn’t know if she was going to walk again, and within seven days she was up, moving her feet on her own. It’s incredible.”
McMann encourages anyone who can help to e-transfer donations to further support Langevin’s to langevinkennedy@gmail . com (remove spaces).
“Kennedy just celebrated her 20th birthday the week of the finals. Being able to surprise her with Baby on Sunday was a really special moment,” he said.
Read more: GALLERY/VIDEO: CPCA finals at Halstead Downs
