My Point of View December 2011

Table of Contents

Garry Dorchester

The patriarch of the champion chuckwagon racing family

Sturgeon River Ranch

Bison and boreal beauty abounds in northern Saskatchewan

Centre Stage

Bill Borgwardt highlights six ?of the glittering stars as they hit ?all the right notes

Training the Untrainable

Self-taught Australian horse trainer Joe Guy is on a mission to save lives of the horse and the rider

Carriage Charisma

The very English capital city ?of Victoria is home to elegant Old World charm all year round

Happy Anniversary!

mypointofview1211_250
Editor Terri Mason accepts the World Professional Chuckwagon Association’s 2011 Media Award on behalf of Canadian Cowboy Country magazine, presented by Billy Melville
Photo by Paul and Carol Easton

It’s been fifteen years since Cowboy first hit the stands and just like every other worthwhile project, from branding to moving cattle, it takes a lot of good hands to get down the trail.

What capped off this year for us was winning the 2011 Media of the Year Award by the World Professional Chuckwagon Association at a legend-filled banquet. Are we proud? You bet! Receiving an award from such a high end organization that receives as much press and television coverage as the WPCA is definitely something that will put a jingle in your spurs!

This whole issue is dedicated to folks that have put a jingle in some spurs, including our Trail Blazer, George Ross. His wit and wisdom in his Western Producer column, Letters from Lost River Ranch won him a legion of fans. We have the story on this charismatic Westerner whose popularity was truly sea-to-sea.

The Dorchester family name is synonymous with chuckwagon racing and of course, the famed song, Half a Mile of Hell. Chuckwagon man Garry Dorchester is our Living Legend, a man who is a champion himself, and who instilled a passion for the sport in succeeding generations.

Out where the buffalo roam is where Sturgeon River Ranch calls home. The family ranching operation has turned its sights to sharing the beauty of Prince Albert National Park, one of the few that include bison as wildlife.

To inject some heat into our cold season, we’ve invited writer and photographer Bill Borgwardt to share his views on some of Canada’s hottest, up-and-coming country singers. He has a great eye for talent and he has captured many of their dynamic performances in photos.

“Problem horse” trainer, Joe Guy is an Australian who specializes in “training the untrainable,” as he says. Self-taught and without gadgets and gimmicks, Joe Guy and his family are in Canada, changing the lives of horses and their riders one clinic at a time.

As well, we offer a wholehearted welcome to our new columnist, Lee Pitts. A prolific writer and a truly funny man, we hope you enjoy his take on life.

From our outfit to yours, we sincerely wish you all the best of the holiday season, and thanks for riding along with us in Canadian Cowboy Country.

?