There will be teams of cowboys and cowgirls competing at the Bar U Ranch this weekend.
The Bar U Ranch is hosting their annual Old Time Ranch Rodeo this weekend, which will see 12 teams of four compete to see who will come home the champions.
According to Christy Gustavison, the Visitor Experience Manager for the Bar U Ranch and Waterton Lakes National Park, the competitions will do events that demonstrate the typical ranch activities.
"And so, these include things like branding, where two teams will rope a calf by the hind legs and bring them to a branding 'fire'," Gustavison explain.
At that point, Gustavison goes on to explain, the competitor then applies a paint brand.
"A crown favourite is probably the sorting of animals where horses are used to separate individual cows out of a herd in a particular order and prevent those cows from returning back to their herd."
Gustavison says there is also wild cow milking, where contestants have to rope a cow and collect a small amount of milk, which is then raced back to the finish line to get approval from the judge.
"All of these events are guaranteed to be entertaining," Gustavison says.
For those who may have only been to the Calgary Stampede, Gustavison says this Ranch Road has more of an emphasis on teamwork.
"And the skills used in everyday ranch work, whereas a more commonly known rodeo emphasizes showmanship and athleticism."
Like other rodeos, the winners of this rodeo will win a prize.
According to the Friends of the Bar U President, Terry Grant, who also starred in the Mantracker TV Show, the winning team will win a special buckle.
"First place, each team member gets a belt buckle with the Bar U logo on it and team champion," Grant explains. "And second place, the four members all get a very nice wool saddle pad. Third place, all four members get a head stall from the Cowboy Country in Nanton."
They also have a prize for Best Using Horse, and the winner of that gets a nice horse bit.
When asked about which event is his favourite, Grant says he likes them all.
"Because it's very indicative of what the old-time ranches did. There's a lot of ranches out there that still do this, like the team doctoring. You've got to rope the head and the heels, and the guy takes the rope off the head and puts it on the front feet, so you're not hurting the animal or nothing."
From there, they are able to perform the necessary work on the critter, because it is safely contained in a way that it's not hurting itself or the person.
The Ranch Rodeo will happen at the historic Bar U Ranch on the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 17, and is free to attend.
At the rodeo, there will also be a trade fair, where vendors will be selling homemade goods.
The day before the Ranch Rodeo, the Bar U Ranch will be hosting a Brushes and Broncs event.
As part of that event, they are hosting a plein air (outdoor) painting day to help celebrate the 30 year anniversary of the Bar U being a Historic Site, and they have invited 30 artists to portray the area's beauty.
To learn more about the Bar U Ranch and see what events are happening there, head over to their website.