Reg Kesler
Encyclopedia
Reg Kesler began his rodeo
career at the age of 14 at the Raymond Stampede
, competing in the boys steer riding. At the time, it was common for cowboys to compete in many or even all the rodeo events, and Kesler was no exception as he grew into his rodeo career. He participated in all five major rodeo events of the time: saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, tie-down roping and steer decorating, a precursor to steer wrestling. Kesler especially excelled in the roughstock events, namely saddle bronc riding and bareback riding, appearing in the top four in the Canadian standings in those events six times. He was also a successful competitor in the wild cow milking and wild horse racing, an outrider in the chuckwagon racing, and a well-known pick-up man.
Kesler's first appearance in the record books was in 1948 when he was named Canadian All-Around Champion, winning a total of $1,960 and the first trophy saddle awarded by the Cowboys' Protective Association C.P.A., the organization that eventually evolved into today's Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA).
He earned the Canadian All-Around title again in both 1951 and 1953. He was crowned All-Around champion at the Calgary Stampede
in 1949 and 1950, and won the wild cow milking championship at "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" three times.
Although Kesler had started his own ranching operation in 1943, where he raised cattle, his journeys along the rodeo trail inspired the next stage of his career, and what he would ultimately be best known for.
In the 1950s, due to the growing demand for bucking horses, Kesler set up a string of rough stock and became a stock contractor
and rodeo producer. He supplied stock to rodeos and events across Canada, including the 1967 World Exposition in Montreal
, the same year he officially retired from competition, and a number of rodeos across the United States.
Kesler has been recognized a number of times for the contributions he made to the sport of rodeo during his lifetime. He was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame as a contestant and builder in 1989, and the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame and Museum in 1990. Most recently, he will be posthumously inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Museum Rodeo Hall of Fame in October 2009.
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
career at the age of 14 at the Raymond Stampede
Raymond Stampede
The Raymond Stampede is an annual rodeo that is held in the town of Raymond, Alberta, Canada every 1 July. It is notable for being Alberta's oldest and Canada's second oldest rodeo event, having been instituted a full decade before the world-famous Calgary Stampede.The Stampede was first held in...
, competing in the boys steer riding. At the time, it was common for cowboys to compete in many or even all the rodeo events, and Kesler was no exception as he grew into his rodeo career. He participated in all five major rodeo events of the time: saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, tie-down roping and steer decorating, a precursor to steer wrestling. Kesler especially excelled in the roughstock events, namely saddle bronc riding and bareback riding, appearing in the top four in the Canadian standings in those events six times. He was also a successful competitor in the wild cow milking and wild horse racing, an outrider in the chuckwagon racing, and a well-known pick-up man.
Kesler's first appearance in the record books was in 1948 when he was named Canadian All-Around Champion, winning a total of $1,960 and the first trophy saddle awarded by the Cowboys' Protective Association C.P.A., the organization that eventually evolved into today's Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA).
He earned the Canadian All-Around title again in both 1951 and 1953. He was crowned All-Around champion at the Calgary Stampede
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
in 1949 and 1950, and won the wild cow milking championship at "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" three times.
Although Kesler had started his own ranching operation in 1943, where he raised cattle, his journeys along the rodeo trail inspired the next stage of his career, and what he would ultimately be best known for.
In the 1950s, due to the growing demand for bucking horses, Kesler set up a string of rough stock and became a stock contractor
Stock contractor
A Stock contractor is an individual or business that provides animals for rodeo competition. Stock contractors supply "rough stock" - Saddle bronc and bareback bronc horses and bull riding bulls, plus steers for steer wrestling and team roping, plus calves for calf roping events...
and rodeo producer. He supplied stock to rodeos and events across Canada, including the 1967 World Exposition in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, the same year he officially retired from competition, and a number of rodeos across the United States.
Kesler has been recognized a number of times for the contributions he made to the sport of rodeo during his lifetime. He was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame as a contestant and builder in 1989, and the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame and Museum in 1990. Most recently, he will be posthumously inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Museum Rodeo Hall of Fame in October 2009.