Chuckwagon racing 101: why it's OK to ask what a wheeler is | CBC News (2024)

Stephen Hunt · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 09, 2018 9:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 10, 2018

If there's a godfather of Stampedechuckwagon racing, it's Kelly Sutherland.

The 12-time winner of the Calgary Stampede'sRangeland Derby hasmany other honours, and heretired following the 2017 season.

On Monday, he spoke to host David Gray on theCalgary Eyeopenerto give listenersa backgrounder in chuckwagon racing terminology and its history

Q: What are the historic origins of chuckwagonracing?

A:The origins were pretty close to Calgary. They say [it]started withroundup teams of chuckwagons:actual cook wagons.

They'd go and thresh, andthe different ranches would send teams to fields and of course when they were all done, they'd load all the pots, pans, all the stoves, everything, into the chuckwagon, and thenrace to the nearest saloon where the winner was hosted by the other twoor threelosers.

Q: I understand they used to load an actual stove. What do they load now?

A:When I started, we loaded an actual stove built out of a wooden frame. Each one was individually weighed. It was lead on the bottom, bolted in.

When you hit the water andmud, it was just unreal. Those things would come apart, and they wouldn't weigh 50 pounds, they would weigh 60 or 70full of sand and mud.

For safety, it was changed, becausea lot of guys were running over them, or they were collapsing and falling apart.

Now, there are basically tworubber feed tubs bolted togetherthat are collapsible. If onebounces out or is missed, it doesn't create a safety issue during the race.

Q: What is the relationship between chuckwagon drivers and outriders?

A:Outriders, I always liken to a jockey in a race. Each horse owner or trainer does not bring his own jockey to town. Jockeys ride every race, and they ride for different owners.

There's outriders that [play a specific role]just like in any other team sport event. They're better on the lead teamon the front end, and one would be a lot better on the back end, simply not causing penalties, being able to steady the lead horses, which is the responsibility of the guy in front, to direct and hold that team waiting for the klaxon,the horn,to go.

WatchRangeland Derby contestant Kris Mollegive the 101 on chuckwagonracing:

The guy in the back simulates the old ranching style,where they [would have] loaded the stove [onto thechuckwagon].

It's all a team effort, and of course, the object isyou're working together — and you can't win the Stampede without a team effort.

Q: And the trailing outrider affects the time?

A:Yes. First of all, there's a series of penalties for the outriders. Interference, staying in your own lane or territory, if you're late —or what they would call late, which is 150 feet,about 20 metres,back of when your lead horse hits the wire at thefinish line.

Your outrider has an area to be in between, and if he's back of that,he ends up getting a onesecond penalty for that infraction.

The sport is won and lost by hundredths of a second. So you can see where the outriders play a key part [of the final outcome].

Q: What's a wheeler?

A:There are two wheelers. Basically they're nicknames for the thoroughbred horses you are driving closest to the wagon. They're closest to the wheels of thechuckwagon.

There's a left wheeler which is on the left side, facing forward off the chuck and the right wheeler is on the right side. Each oneof those wheelers or thoroughbred horses plays key issues in a great barrel turn.

Listen to the full interview with world champion racerKelly Sutherland:

Q: You won 12 Rangeland Derbies. What's your secret?

A:The biggest thing is confidence. It's like in any sport. I feel like I was blessed with talent.

A lot of people probably that Iwatched drive as hard as I did,certainly. Some of them droveharder, but I had a feel for the lines, and what a lot of the people call an ability to talk to the horse.

You get the horse to relax at the right time when they're racing, and get the horses to compete at the very top of their level for you when you ask them to.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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With files from theCalgary Eyeopener.

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