Langley Riders Society annual Cowboy Challenge drew 84 riders from across the province to compete in four team events; cutting, barrel racing, sorting and then team roping running from Friday to Sunday, July 14-16.
“We have people coming from all over B.C. – from Williams Lake, Quesnel, Kamloops, Merritt, and lots of Lower Mainland people,” organizer Kerri Wein explained.
Teams of six people with one or two people in each event vied to collect the most points.
It was the last major event at the Langley Riders Society grounds on 208th Street in Brookswood before the pro Valley West Stampede returns for its second year this September, on the Labour Day weekend (Sept. 2 to 4).
READ ALSO: Rodeo returns to Langley for Labour Day
It is the Fraser Valley’s only rodeo event sanctioned by the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA), and is expected to attract some of North America’s top-ranked cowboys and cowgirls, vying for $20,000 in prize money in each of four scheduled events: bareback, ladies barrel racing, saddle bronc, and bull riding.
READ ALSO: Thousands come to watch Langley’s first pro rodeo event
For a third year, there will be no Little Britches rodeo for kids in Langley, mostly because there haven’t been enough “experienced” kids, LRS president Paul Ritchot said.
However, he has noticed interest seems to be increasing lately – some of it from children whose parents are former Little Britches competitors.
“We’re going to put on some clinics this year,” Ritchot told the Langley Advance Times, with the aim of having the Little Britches event return next year.
More photos from the challenge can be viewed at the Langley Advance Times Facebook page.
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