Warrior Relay Races build excitement at Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge, August 2022. (Photo: LNN)

By Cathy Gibson

The rush of Warrior Relay Races at Whoop-Up Days

Aug 29, 2022 | 11:38 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Whoop-Up Days provides lots of excitement, whether it’s going on a thrilling fair ride or watching a rodeo event that keeps you on the edge of your seat. But if you ask any of the athletes in the Warrior Relay Races, nothing beats the adrenaline rush of this high-speed event.

“It’s really a big rush,” says Warrior Relay Race athlete Shelton Jackson of the JJ Nosmika Relay Team from St. Paul, Alberta. “I play about 13 sports, and this sport gives me the biggest rush and gets me going.”

Warrior Relay Race athlete Shelton Jackson, JJ Nosmika Relay Team, August 26, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

Other riders agree. “I like the whole sport,” says relay racer Chad Boucette from Morley, Alberta. “It’s exciting!”

Warrior Relay Race athlete Chad Boucette at Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge, August 27, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

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Dwight Crazy Boy, with the Anatapsy Relay team from Piikani Nation says, “The reason why I like the sport is that it’s extreme. It keeps your adrenaline way up there. For people who are adrenaline junkies … it’s just an adrenaline rush.”

Dwight Crazy Boy, Warrior Relay Race athlete, Anatapsy Relay Team from Piikani Nation, August 27, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

Warrior Relay Races involve teams of three horses and four people: one rider called a jockey, and three team members handling the horses on the ground. The jockey races thoroughbred horses bareback around the track, and jumps from one horse to another after each lap for a total of three laps.

Warrior Relay Race teams consist of four people and three horses. Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge, August 27, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

Warrior Relay Racers speed past in a blur at Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge, August 27, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

It’s a fast and exhilarating sport, and each team member plays a critical role.

“The mugger, he catches the horse coming in full blast, so sometimes they get run over, and it’s exhilarating for the crowd,” says Dwight Crazy Boy. “My favourite part of the sport is when the muggers get mugged, and stuff goes flying.”

A mugger is knocked over by a horse during a Warrior Relay Race at Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge, August 27, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

Like most extreme sports, there is an element of risk. Racey Big Snake with the Old Sun Relay team from Siksika Nation near Calgary learned how risky it is when he was injured at a race a couple of weeks ago.

“I got run over by a horse at the start sending somebody out,” says Big Snake. “I broke my nose right here, and split my lip open with four stitches, and it’s just a part of the sport, and I’m just glad to still be competing.”

Racey Big Snake says the risk of injury is just part of the sport of Warrior Relay, Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge, August 27, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

Despite the risk of injury, Racey Big Snake and the other athletes say the benefits of the sport far outweigh the risks, and they encourage others to try it.

Big Snake says, “I just love being around horses. I just love the thrill, and it’s really hard to stay away from the sport, and it’s even harder to stay away from horses.”

Dwight Crazy Boy says, “I encourage a lot of youth to get into the sport. I came a long way myself with horseracing and stuff like that, and I believe the kids back at home, they can do the same thing.”

Even a thunderstorm did not dampen the spirits of Warrior Relay Racers as they raced on a muddy track during Whoop-Up Days on Friday, August 26, 2022.

According to Big Snake, “It was pretty tough in the mud, you know. I’m pretty sure all the jockeys were muddy, everybody was muddy, but it’s just a fun sport, a very fun sport.”

Warrior Relay Racers compete on a muddy track after a thunderstorm at Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge, August 26, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

The Warrior Relay racers aren’t the only ones who get to experience the thrill of the event. It’s also exciting for the crowds at Whoop-Up Days who may be experiencing the relay races for the first time.

Dwight Crazy Boy says, “I believe this is the first time they’re having Indian Relay at the Whoop-Up, and we’ve been here several times with the regular Rocky Mountain Turf Club racing and stuff like that, the invitational races.” He continues, “That shows that the sport is actually growing. It’s growing very good and it’s starting to be noticed. I love it! I hope they invite some of their friends out to come check out the sport, because it is growing still.”

Racey Big Snake says it’s also a good opportunity for people to learn about Indigenous culture because the crowds experience “the aspects of our culture, they see our horsemanship, and just the thrill of the sport, the thrill of equine sports.”

Warrior Relay Races thrill competitors and crowds at Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge, Alberta, August 27, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

Read more about the Warrior Relay Races at the Rocky Mountain Turf Club.

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