The Outlaw Buckers and Oil Kings Match Bronc Riding will be showcasing world class talent right here at the Weyburn Grandstand.

Producer Robert Schmidt said the inaugural event kicks off at 4:00 p.m. on June 4th, preceding the Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Show. 

"Being heavily involved in rodeo, and working a career in the in the Saskatchewan oil patch, and [our company] being a longtime exhibitor with the oil and gas show, I brought it to the oil show board to just bring something new to the show, and in talks with my close friend Jonathan Kmita from John Kmita Oilfield and Outlaw Buckers, we came up with the idea for the Outlaw Buckers and Oil  Kings Match Bronc Riding, so to bring the best guys in the world against some of the best bucking horses in the world would be awesome," he shared.

Schmidt said the Oil & Gas Show golf tournament in the morning will be followed by a tailgate party and a private concert for the sponsors and contestants, with a show by Dan Cugnet, whose song 'Outlaw Buckers and Oil  Kings' originally was inspired by Kmita's rodeo company.

"Dan Cugnet music will be performing on the main stage there, and that event is going to roll right into our Outlaw Buckers and Oil Kings Match Bronc Riding, where 30 of the top riders in the world are going to join up in Weyburn, Saskatchewan against some of the best bucking horses from Outlaw Buckers Rodeo Corporation, C5 Rodeo Corporation, and the Calgary Stampede Ranch. So pretty heavy hitters coming to town for the very first time ever."

General admission tickets are on sale now HERE, or they can be purchased in person at the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce office. Admission is $30, but free for those 15 and under when accompanied by an adult. Tickets are selling quickly, as they are already more than halfway to sold out at the time of this publication.

"We're trying to get the community out at 4:00 p.m. on a Tuesday for this event to kick off the Oil Show and I think it's going to be awesome."

He said they are sanctioned by the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association and by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. 

"So these rides will count towards the professional standings in both Canada and the U.S., trying to get guys down to the National Finals Rodeo. The contingency of bronc riders in Canada is super strong right now. I believe out of the top 15 in the world last year, eight of the top 15 came from Canada. So to showcase those riders at our Oil Show is a pretty big deal to us in a town like Weyburn."

"We'll have all 30 riders nodding their head, looking to make eight second whistles with the top eight coming back to the short round and $30,000 added [in prize money for the contestants], so I think it'll draw the best in the world from everywhere," he noted. "In the lineup of bronc riders, I'm expecting some Canadian champions, I'm expecting some world champions, and I'm expecting some National Finals Rodeo qualifiers, so the Calgary Stampede horses, for what it's worth, I'm not aware if they've ever been bucked on Saskatchewan soil as of yet, so it's pretty cool to have Weyburn as the very first place to bring the Calgary Stampede Ranch Bucking horses to our town, as well to showcase companies like C5 Rodeo and Outlaw Buckers right here. We have some of the best bucking horses in the entire world, and it's going to be pretty cool to buck them at their hometown show."

Schmidt said while it is already a close-knit group, he is hoping to use this event as a "catalyst for connection between the oil field and the cowboy culture way of life".

"To bring them together in front of our community makes it pretty special. There is a lot of crossover between the western way of life and and the values held by the workers in the oil field," he noted. "A lot of contestants that I know work pretty heavily on drilling rig service rigs throughout the winter time and then travel throughout the summer competing at rodeos. So I think it is a cool way to showcase both parts of our lives to our hometown community and do it not only just showcasing the way of our  lives, but doing it with the highest level possible."

He said the horses will be bucking that day, rain or shine.

"Obviously we have a covered grandstand in Weyburn and we will have our party tent set up along the side of the arena for our sponsors to stay out of the rain and stay dry and and rig mat down so that nobody has to stand in any mud at the event," he said. "I think it'll be a good way to bring our crowd up close and personal with the world's best bucking horses."

The event will be strictly saddle-back riding.

"I hope to benefit the entire community with the proceeds from this event as well. We don't have a specific fundraiser pointed out for it, but we want to disperse a portion of the proceeds to organizations within the community," he noted "We are having different groups volunteer at the event, whether it be 4H clubs or fire departments or benefits to the STARS Air Ambulance. We kind of want to disperse it amongst a lot of organizations rather than focusing on one."

Schmidt added, "I think it's pretty cheap entertainment for the entire family to see some of the best rodeo contestants in the entire world. I look forward to showcasing rodeo at the Sask Oil and Gas Show." 

Find tickets HERE.

broncs