DAWSON CREEK, B.C. - The sounds and sights of working ranch life took centre stage Thursday morning as Ranch Rodeo returns to the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede, showcasing the skills that helped build communities across the Peace Region.
Beginning at 10 a.m., teams of four competitors will take part in events designed around real ranch work, including team sorting, team doctoring, team branding, stray gathering and wild cow milking.
Organizers say the competition differs from traditional professional rodeo events because it highlights everyday tasks historically performed on working ranches.
According to rodeo announcer Howard Goertz, ranch rodeo is rooted in practical skills rather than the roughstock events commonly associated with professional rodeo.
“Ranch rodeo is related to ranch work,” Goertz said, pointing to activities such as branding, doctoring cattle, sorting and trailer loading. He described it as a competition built around the daily realities of ranch life.
For many in northeastern B.C., the event is about more than competition. Goertz said ranch rodeo helps preserve the region’s agricultural heritage and the values that shaped rural communities across the Peace.
THE COWBOY WAY
“It’s the cowboy way,” he said. “It’s just a way of life. I don’t want to see it go away. I want to see it stay.”
Goertz said maintaining those traditions is becoming increasingly important as technology changes how young people spend their time and connect with the world.
“You know, there’s more technology,” Goertz said. “It’s taking away from the history, the horse.” He added that events like the stampede help spark interest in ranching and rodeo among younger generations.
“It’s a way of life that, not only relaxing, but you can get on your horse and you can go and ride and lose all the effects of the surrounding speed of the world that is traveling outside of that circle,” added Goertz
The longtime announcer said many children today may never have the opportunity to spend time around horses or experience ranch life firsthand.
PRESERVING THE PAST
Events such as ranch rodeo offer a chance to connect with that history while introducing a new generation to the skills and culture that remain important parts of the region’s identity.
Goertz said preserving that connection is essential if the heritage of ranching is to continue.
“We do what we do to see that interest increase,” he said. “To keep that heritage going, eventually it’s going to die if it keeps on going the way it is.”
For Goertz, the event is also a reminder of the legacy left behind by Connie Patterson, the longtime president of the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede.
Goertz said Patterson first approached him about becoming involved as an announcer roughly seven years ago, a role he has continued ever since.
“Connie Patterson, seven years ago, asked me if I would do it, and I did it,” Goertz said. “I’ve been here for the duration.” He said Patterson’s influence continues to be felt throughout the event and across the local rodeo community.
Goertz credits Patterson with helping build and promote ranch rodeo in Dawson Creek, describing her as a driving force behind the competition’s growth.
Goertz said she pushed the event forward and played a key role in its development, helping ensure ranching traditions remained visible to both participants and spectators.
In a region where ranching remains a part of daily life, Goertz said Patterson’s efforts helped preserve the heritage and values that define the Peace. “Her influence just continues to live on,” he said. “It’s going to live on for a long time.”
Now in its latest edition at the Dawson Creek Stampede, ranch rodeo continues to celebrate a way of life that remains deeply connected to the Peace Region’s roots, while providing a bridge between generations and the traditions that helped shape the north.