ORTON – An Erin woman is helping keep modern cowboy culture alive in Wellington County.
Owner of Sweet Grass Farm and Obstacle Park in Orton, Karen Dallimore has had a "lifelong fascination" with extreme cowboy racing since she discovered the sport through the creator, Craig Cameron, at the Milton Fair in 2011.
Becoming "addicted" to the sport after joining Ontario Xtreme Cowboy when it was formed in 2012, Dallimore is currently a level-one judge with the sports governing association, the Extreme Cowboy Association (EXCA), who has supported events in Ontario and New Zealand.
She's also involved with local groups like Grass Roots Extreme Cowboy, which sent five Erin riders to the Texas finals last year.
“I’m that fussy person that goes slow or talks myself out of everything because I don’t want to make a mistake or finds an excuse why I really shouldn’t go there ... and Extreme brings me out of that," said Dallimore. "I don’t know why but it makes me want to get better. It makes me want to get faster ... and when you do, it’s a buzz. It’s an adrenaline rush when it comes together.”
A timed test of horsemanship and speed, extreme cowboy racing challenges horse and rider to manoeuvre through a series of obstacles routinely encountered while on a trail ride or during daily work on a ranch.
In extreme cowboy racing, event riders treat their run like a job interview where the judge is the ranch boss who is looking for someone who has a horse that can complete a series of obstacles in an arena, demonstrate working skills, negotiate obstacles with ease and show their boss they can meet a deadline while showing their horse trusts them.
Each obstacle consists of three components: the approach, the obstacle and the departure and tests participants on skills ranging from roping to dragging objects like a Christmas tree.
“It's an endless pile of skills if you think about all the things you might need to do on a ranch during your day of work," said Dallimore. "You can’t predict what those 13 obstacles are going to be because you can’t predict what your day is going to be on the ranch. So you just have to deal with it."
Calling Extreme Cowboy "intimidating but intriguing at the same time," Dallimore said she grew up loving obstacles and feels "at home" participating in a horse activity that bridges functional skills with fun.
An "imaginative" sport, Dallimore said extreme cowboy is one of the best ways to "enjoy a little flavour" of what it feels like to be a cowboy in modern times because there isn't a "cowboy culture" in Ontario the same way there is in Texas.
“In Texas … there’s a definite cowboy culture. We imitate that here in Ontario but of course we don’t have that,” said Dallimore. “We don’t have the 1,000-acre ranch in Ontario … and so we develop obstacles that imitate a skill that you may want on the ranch.”
Outside of competitions, Dallimore said the skills she's developed through the sport have saved her on the trail and offers "an amazing opportunity to connect" with one's horse.
“A lot of people just develop their horses, that’s their prize. It’s to develop their horses and to have a better run than they did last time," said Dallimore. "It’s beautiful horsemanship which is what I love to see. Horsemanship is everything to me.”
Residents who want to see extreme cowboy racing can check out the fifth annual event at the Erin Fall Fair on Oct. 13 or plan a visit to the Sweet Grass Farm Obstacle Park to try for themselves.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program
