Page 150 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023 DISCOVERING TURKEY

up, so every now and then, a sanitation truck
with a huge plastic bull on the chassis cleaned
the street. It was time to hit the Stampede
grounds. One of the world's largest rodeos, the
Stampede has roping championships, wild
pony races, chuckwagon races, steer wrestling,
bull riding, ladies bareback racing and acro-
batics. But it’s not just horse events: there are
over 200 acres of Stampede ground amuse-
ment park rides, a motocross exhibition, stage
shows with top artists, and a food court serv-
ing up some wacky choices such as Peanut
Butter Pickle Dog.
Decked out in my new hat and boots
and feeling like a cowgirl instead of a New
York City tourist, I took a seat in the stands
where chuckwagon races were taking place. In
this event, a chuckwagon is driven around the
track by a driver and four thoroughbred
horses. The audience was going crazy, so I
asked the guy sitting next to me why everyone
loved this so much, and he explained that
drivers love their horses more than their kids.
He also said it’s a precision sport to control
four thoroughbreds at the same time.
Although no incident occurred, I’d had
enough of the chuckwagons, so I left the
stands and joined a Behind-the-Scenes Rodeo
Tour. We all stood on a wooden platform just a
few feet from where chaps and silver spur-clad
cowboys were waiting to mount their steeds. I
was so close I felt I could hear the cowboys’
hearts beating. Though the guys seemed com-
pletely confident, I wondered how truly scared
they had to be.
Returning to the stands, I watched a First
Nations event in which contestants jumped on
a horse bareback, galloped around the track,
jumped off the horse, jumped bareback onto a
second horse and again, galloped around the
track. For me, it was much more exciting than
the endless chuckwagons. Even better, after
the First Nations men performed, the First
Nations women performed and were spectacu-
lar. After that, two cowgirls did acrobatics on

150 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023