ERIKSDALE, Man. – Ben Kinkead stands at ease among the cattle, a few
metres away from his family’s friendly bull, which is chewing a
mouthful of hay.
It’ll be a less relaxed Kinkead facing some much nastier bulls on Feb.
22 and 23 when the 16-year-old farm boy will defend his title as
overall points winner of the Wild In Winnipeg Championship Bull Riding
contest.
“This year I got stepped on a little bit. I haven’t broken anything
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yet,” said Kinkead, reflecting on his high intensity, dangerous and
short-lasting sport.
He’s hoping that all the training he has received and all the
practising he has done keeps him on top of the bulls long enough and
gets him away from the bulls fast enough.
“You learn your limitations and their limitations,” said Kinkead, who
started the sport by riding a cow when he was 10. Since then he has
spent a lot of time getting used to more fiesty beasts.
“They’re pretty neat animals. They aren’t stupid.”
Bull riding is popular in places like Eriksdale, a small town in the
middle of a belt of rough, rocky ground that’s best suited for cattle
and hay. Many local farmers own horses and enjoy watching rodeos, even
if most don’t participate.
Kinkead’s father, brother and uncles all took part in rodeos and their
example led him to bull riding. A local bull riding school taught him a
lot of the tricks a cowboy needs to stay on the bovine brutes, and
practice in his basement has improved his skills.
Kinkead said school friends aren’t sure what to make of the sport he
has chosen.
“My friends think it’s pretty neat. They think I’m crazy, I guess,” he
said with a smile.
Cody Lucier, a 14 year old from a neighbouring farm, has followed
Kinkead’s lead and also taken up the sport.
“It’s fun, except it hurts once in a while,” said Lucier, who works on
the Kinkead farm.
Kinkead said riding a furious bull might not seem like the safest
activity in the world, but he thinks he knows more about cattle because
of the sport.
That could help when he becomes a full-time farmer, which he plans to
do after finishing high school.
The pace of farming might also differ from bull riding, but he likes
being around animals and working hard. He isn’t looking for an easy
life.
“I don’t really like going to school or working inside,” he said.
His mother, Debbie, said she knows bull riding can be dangerous, but it
is something her son loves and is proud of.
“I try not to think about him getting hurt. I just hope he has a good
ride, whether he wins or not.”
Kinkead said he’s learned that one way to stay healthy is to become
physically strong. That’s not hard to do if you live on a farm.
“I cut wood all winter,” he said. “That seems to keep me in pretty
decent shape.”
