July 10, 2014 MEDIA RELEASE

HOLOWATH AND CHICLET BACK FOR ANOTHER TRY

Calgary – Growing up on a ranch, Terri Holowath was always around and cattle. After experimenting with , she discovered that the western performance competition that suited her best was Working Cow Horse.

“It’s an individual sport,” she says. “I love cow horses. They’re just amazing – intelligent and athletic. We ask them to do a lot of different things and they’re capable of handling it quite well.”

The Stampede’s Working Cow Horse Classic continues a tradition of skilled horsemanship dating back to the earliest days of working stock from horseback. Horse-and-rider teams are judged on their authority, discipline and precision in two distinct areas – reined work, or dry work, and cow work, also known as fence work. Reined work, labeled “Western ” by some, is based on a predetermined pattern of manoeuvres, including figure-eights, straight runs, sliding stops and 360-degree spins. Cow work, the exciting, action-packed portion of the show, sees the horse-and-rider team first box a steer, then send it at full tilt along the fence, heading it off and turning it both ways, before finally circling it once in each direction in the centre of the arena.

The Stampede’s Working Cow Horse Classic hosts and divisions for fully-trained horses and four- and five-year-olds, respectively, with open, non-pro and novice designations for various levels of rider experience. Six championships will go up for grabs — Open Bridle, Open Hackamore, Non-Pro Bridle, Limited Open Bridle, Limited Open Hackamore, and Novice Non-Pro Bridle.

The order for competitors in the first round of the Working Cow Horse Classic, held on Thursday, July 10th beginning at 11am, is established by a draw. Points earned on the first day establish the order for the finals on Day 2 – which begins at 1pm on Friday, July 11th - with the highest-ranked riders and mounts coming out late. This year the Working Cow Horse Classic moves to a new venue – the Agrium Western Event Centre.

Holowath and her gelding, Pickachiclet or ‘Chiclet’ for short, will be competing in Non-Pro Bridle and have been teamed for a long time. “This is our 13th year of competing together,“ Terri says. “He’s the grandpa of the pack. He was raised by my neighbour and I pretty much fell in love with him from day one. He was always a big stopper, right from when he was a baby, and he was smart.” Over the years, the two have combined for some big wins in other shows, but have never done better than the Reserve title at the Stampede.

Working cow horse competition is a true partnership between horse and rider. “It’s a mental game. You have to stay focused and not make any mistakes and take advantage of opportunities. With my horse, and it will be different for everyone else because not all horses are the same, I definitely have more input with the ,” Terri says. “With the cow work, he’s so smart with the cow I just let him do his job.”

“I think Canada’s one of the toughest regions for cow horse,” says Holowath, who has competed all over the continent. “We have a really great group of non-pros. We’re all competitive, but we all have respect for each other. You never go into one of these shows thinking you’re going to win. You go in thinking you’re going to do your best, try not to make mistakes and if it works out, it works out.”

About the Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede celebrates the people, the animals, the land, the traditions and the values that make up the unique spirit of the west. The Calgary Stampede contributes to the quality of life in Calgary and southern Alberta through our world-renowned 10-day Stampede, year-round facilities, western events and several youth and agriculture programs. Exemplifying the theme We’re Greatest Together; we are a volunteer-supported, not- for-profit community organization that preserves and promotes western heritage and values. All revenue is reinvested into Calgary Stampede programs and facilities.

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For more information, please contact:

Nicole Henson Jennifer Munro Agriculture Media Committee Chair Agriculture Program Coordinator Mobile: (403) 875-9808 Office: (403) 261-0127 [email protected] Fax: (403) 262-3067 [email protected]