NEWS RELEASE
RAM RODEO TOUR
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The RAM Rodeo Tour will once again be opening its chutes to showcase the live action-packed sport of rodeo at the annual International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) this September.
One of the most popular events at the IPM each year organizers are thrilled the rodeo is making an appearance for their 2023 edition.
The RAM Rodeo has been a part of the entertainment lineup at the IPM for many years now — “probably close to 20” by the estimation of Ross Millar, president of the Ross Millar Entertainment Group who runs the RAM Rodeo Tour.
“It’s a fan favourite for sure. The stands are always full and we couldn’t be happier that they are returning to participate again this year,” says Bill McCutcheon, co-chair of this year’s IPM Local Committee. Millar’s company is headquartered in Dufferin County so this year’s IPM appearance puts them right in home turf.
Each rodeo performance will feature some of Canada’s top cowboys and cowgirls and Millar says about 150 of these top riders will be participating at the IPM across the various disciplines, including:
- Bareback riding, which originated in the rodeo arena and is one of the most bone-jarring events of the rodeo;
- Saddle bronc riding, also called "the classic event of rodeo” originated from the task of breaking wild horses for use on the cattle ranches of the Canadian and American West. It has evolved for the rodeo arena and also become one of the most complicated events for the rodeo cowboy;
- Barrel racing, where riders race their horses into the arena to run a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels and out again. The goal is to have the fastest time without knocking over a barrel;
- Bull riding, which pits a cowboy against a 2000-pound animal whose bucking is as unpredictable as its personality. The cowboy must hang on for eight seconds with one hand;
- Pole bending, a timed event that features a horse and one mounted rider, running a weaving or serpentine path around six poles arranged in a line. The rider will take up a gallop and run past all the poles turning at the last pole; and the
- Rescue Race, designed to show the skills of the soldiers that were in the field needing to be evacuated from the war zone in the early days. At the rodeo this is a timed event with a rider picking up a passenger as the horse circles the barrel.
Putting the rodeo on at each event throughout the season is a big undertaking and in addition to the riders
Millar says the rodeo includes about 80 horses, 18 bulls and 25 support staff.
While the excitement and energy of the show is an obvious attraction, Millar says the IPM offers the added bonus for visitors in that the rodeo and the other daily entertainment are included with the price of IPM admission. “Where can you go for $20 (advance tickets) these days?” he says.
Millar says rodeo show attendance has consistently continued to draw crowds even during recessed times, and he says if families with young children are looking for a fun, family-day trip the IPM and the rodeo will fit the bill.
But if the rodeo is all about entertainment for the visitors, for the riders it is all business. The IPM rodeo show is an official event on the professional rodeo circuit so the riders are riding for both points and cash. It is also the final rodeo before the RAM Championships in mid-October and a qualifier for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair competition. “Riders have to do well to get to the next level, so this is an important one,” says Millar.
The rodeo will take place in the Ram Truck Corral on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the match week. With an expected attendance of approximately 70,000 people this year’s IPM will take place from Sept. 19 to Sept. 23 in Bowling Green, between Grand Valley and Laurel, in Dufferin County. Advanced tickets are on sale now, available online until Sept. 5 and include admittance to the rodeo.
- Adults (16+): $20 in advance, $25 at the gate;
- Youth (Ages 6 to 15): $5; and
- Children (Five and under): Free
To order your tickets online.
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