Wild horse event exhilarating for Blackfoot man

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It takes the steady hand of a daring cowboy who loves an electrifing rush to enter the wild horse racing competition at a rodeo, someone who likes to take on 10 wild horses in four days.

For a Blackfoot First Nation man like Steve Solway, 37, wild horse racing is something that he loves doing and plans to continue as long as he can. Solway, and the other two members of his team, follow the rodeo circuit to get in on the wild horse events because of a genuine love for it.

The racing team is made up of an anchorman, the jockey and the earman, said Solway. He is the earman and describes his role as the man who subdues the horse while the jockey saddles up and jumps on. A 45-gallon barrel set up at one end of the arena makes up the raceway.

"It sure gets the adrenalin going. You just can't wait for the chute to open and get that saddle on the horse," said Solway. After the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo in Rapid City, S.D. on Feb. 8, Solway went on to the next rodeo in Brooks, Alta. where his team placed second overall. Rapid City hosted the wild horse racing events for the world championships this year.

"I'm pretty happy about how we did there considering what we had to deal with," said Solway.

This is his second time around at the world championships for wild horse racing. Solway's team came away from the Rapid City rodeo ranked sixth overall out of the eight teams competing.

"The horses were all different sizes, but they weren't too bad. I think it was a bit rougher for the jockey because they all were good bucking horses," said Solway.

One of the 10 races slated for the four-day event was cancelled because a bull was running loose in the arena, said Solway.

That wasn't the only problem at the rodeo for Solway and his team. The jockey, Fabian Wolfchild, was run over by one of the horses during the fourth race. Wolfchild was injured. Although the injury wasn't life threatening, to stay in the rodeo it did mean Solway had to find another jockey. Jeremy Fox from Cheyenne, Wy. took the place of Wolfchild and allowed Solway's team to continue with the rest of the races.

The prize money is not what draws a cowboy to this untamed racing event, said Solway. It's the event's excitement and the uncertainty that Solway lives for.

"It keeps the blood flowing, I don't see any reason to give it up. I'd rather go out and gamble in the rodeo than anything," said Solway. He works on staying calm before a race because getting too excited can wear him out before the race even begins, he said.

When Solway isn't taming wild horses at the rodeo, he is at home cattle ranching with his family. They also own and operate the local school bus for Siksika First Nation Education.

Solway has a message for other First Nation people who want to get into the sport. Don't give up or get discouraged. A good cowboy needs determination to keep on going, and the ability to get up and get out there, he said.