Among the maze of trailers, campers and horse barns at the Ponoka Stampede can be found the chuckwagon drivers who have found a love for what they call the Half Mile of Hell.
Among those drivers is Halkirk’s Layne MacGillivray, who has spent the last 26 years with the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA), first as an outrider until he jumped on the proverbial bandwagon and got his own outfit in 2000.
MacGillivray took some time to speak on the western heritage sport and his love for thoroughbred racing horses.
Racing at the Ponoka Stampede is always a fun event, according to MacGillivray. “It’s one you try to get ramped up for. There’s the $50,000 dash (for cash).”
He says the Ponoka Stampede is an ideal time to develop his herd in preparation for the Calgary Stampede, which is an exciting time for chuckwagon drivers. “It’s one you definitely want to have a good show at and hopefully continue on the next week at Calgary.”
The thrill of the race is one aspect of the WPCA Half Mile of Hell that MacGillivray enjoys but what keeps him in the sport is the day-to-day care of his horses and having his family with him.
“When you get to spend your day dealing with a horse, it’s a pretty good life,” said MacGillivray.
Like most drivers operate, the horses are the first to get a meal and the first to go to bed. A team gets up early to tend to the horses that get warmups in the morning and are cleaned after a race.
“They’re a unique animal. They’re smart and just neat to deal with,” he explained.
From buying the horses to developing a perfect running team at the chuckwagon races is a puzzle MacGillivray enjoys sorting out. After two or three years of racing the horses, their progression becomes a satisfying experience.
“Sometimes you get lucky and figure it out right away and sometimes you just gotta keep playing with everything to try and piece it all together,” said MacGillivray, “We’ve had a pretty strong barn this year, so it’s been nice.”
Economic uncertainty has created some nervousness and MacGillivray said sponsorship is important to ensure drivers, especially those new to the sport, are able to continue on down the road.
“We just hope that everyone can survive through the downtimes,” he added.
MacGillivray winters approximately 28 to 30 horses on his land in Halkirk.
For the regular season, MacGillivray said he is hoping to continue to gain in the overall standings. At the time of writing, he was sitting 10th overall among the 36 WPCA drivers.
“Luck is a big thing. You keep the horses happy and hopefully you can stay penalty free,” said MacGillivray about the Calgary Stampede.