Stettler Agplex was kept busy last weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27-28 as people came out from the town and surrounding areas to try their hand at bullriding.
The Road to being a Champion Bullriding and Bullfighting School hosted its second clinic at the east arena this year.
The school was founded by Houston Stuart, who said, "I used to ride bulls and bareback horses for years and have been involved in rodeo my whole life."
"I grew up watching the Calgary Stampede when I was just a child and wanted to be a rodeo cowboy and ride bulls and bucking horses," added Stuart.
This year the clinic had two bull-riding instructors and three bull-fighting instructors. The instructors were Canadian champion bullrider Tanner Girletz from Olds and Casey Berg who resides with Tanner Girletz.
Among the bull-fighting instructors were Calgary Stampede and many time alternate bullfighter Scott Waye from Medicine Hat, three-time Canadian Finals bullfighter Brett Monea from Crossfield and Daryl Thiessen, a free-style specialist and the only bull fighter from Manitoba.
"Students that come to this school all want to learn and become the best at bullriding," said Stuart. "The instructors that come to teach the students are just simply amazing, but this practice pen wouldn't have been possible without the support of our sponsors Canalta, Stettler Auction Mart and Boston Pizza that stepped up when the economy is so brutal this year."
Instructors were enthusiastic and satisfied with the response to the clinic.
Brett Monea said, "As a bull fighter my job at the practice pen is strictly to protect bull riders."
"When they dismount or get bucked off a bull, I distract the bull by using certain movements or put my body on the line if need be so they can get away safely and go down the road to another bull riding or rodeo," explained Monea.
Monea has been voted by the bull riders to protect them at every amateur finals, and has been a bull fighter three times at PBR Canada Finals and five times at the CFR.
"I have had the opportunity to protect cowboys at the Calgary Stampede, and also at some of the biggest PBR bull ridings and CPRA rodeos in the country," said Monea.