Extreme Cowboy Racing coming to Canada at 2010 Stampede

A spectacle in the saddle? Oh, yeah … to the extreme. The Calgary Stampede Cowboy Up Challenge, featuring the all-new sport of Extreme Cowboy Racing, will be making its debut at the 2010 Stampede as one of the showcase events in the Pengrowth Saddledome from July 10 to 12. Craig Cameron, famed horseman and Texas-based creator of the wildly popular Extreme Cowboy Race, has some advice for spectators: Hold on tight! “One of the most exciting things about Extreme Cowboy Racing is that it’s such a great spectator sport,” says Cameron. “You don’t even have to like horses to watch it. It’s fast. It’s exciting. There’s thrills and spills. It’s just as much fun for the people watching as for the guys participating.” Extreme Cowboy Racing, a timed and judged event, demands both horsemanship and speed, and challenges both horse and rider as they travel through an obstacle course. Its wild popularity across the United States in 2009, during the sport’s first full season of competition, convinced Calgary Stampede officials to stage Canada’s first Extreme Cowboy Race this summer, with the establishment of the Cowboy Up Challenge. The rigours of Extreme Cowboy Racing are designed to push horse-and-rider teams out of their traditional comfort zone, and put communication to the test. Judges award points for each obstacle, on a scale of one to 10, based on criteria such as horsemanship, cadence, control, and overall execution. Horse-and-rider teams are required to complete each obstacle within a predetermined time period to collect points...read more