Page 46 - Speedhorse Canada Spring 2020

Teams consists of the rider and three teammates: a mugger, who holds the horse the rider is going to mount; a catcher, who grabs the horse when the rider gets off; and a back holder, who holds the next horse up.
Like their forefathers, riders typically ride bareback and dress in traditional garb with feathered headdresses and war paint.
such as Emerald Downs near Seattle, to half-mile bullrings way out on
the far side of beyond. New races
for the 2019 season include The Sioux Nation Challenge that will be June 29-30 at the Stanley County Fairgrounds in Fort Pierre, South Dakota, where AQHA has conducted Bank Of America Challenge races. Indian Relay has been a longtime tradition at the Pendleton Roundup in Oregon, which this season will be run Sept. 13-15 as the last accredited race heading into the Championship of Champions.
HNIRC opens its 2019 season on May 25-26 at Morningside Park in Gillette, Wyoming, two weeks before the Wyoming Horse Racing Association begins its scheduled races. More than 14 meets will be held throughout the summer in the Tour of Champions Indian Relay. The season wraps up Sept. 20-22 at the Championship of Champions in Walla Walla, Washington, where The Confederated Tribes of Colville host the event on the fairgrounds where flat racing was conducted through 2014.
The Canadian Indian Relay Racing Association holds a series of races throughout their season and last year brought 10 teams to the Championship of Champions in Walla Walla. Canadian teams are gearing up for their season starting in May and some plan to attend the Wind River Casino/ Northern Arapaho Tribe Tour of Champions Season Opener in Wyoming. CIRA looks to increase the number of teams that will qualify for the 2019 Championsip of Champions.
RACE DAY
Each Relay team pays a membership fee at the beginning
of the year and must compete in at least two accredited races in order to be eligible for the Championship of Champions at Walla Walla.
The members of a team can change during the season, with
a team from, say, North Dakota hiring a new rider from Montana. However, all team members
have to be Native American and they have to carry a card from a recognized tribe.
46 SPEEDHORSE CANADA Spring 2020
TEAMMATES