Reg Kesler (October 16, 1919 – May 16, 2001) began his

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

career at the age of 14 at the Raymond Stampede, competing in the boys steer riding. At the time, it was common for cowboys to compete in many or even all the rodeo events, and Kesler was no exception as he grew into his rodeo career. He participated in all five major rodeo events of the time: saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, tie-down roping and steer decorating, a precursor to steer wrestling. Kesler especially excelled in the roughstock events, namely saddle bronc riding and bareback riding, appearing in the top four in the Canadian standings in those events six times. He was also a successful competitor in the wild cow milking and wild horse racing, an outrider in the chuckwagon racing, and a well-known pick-up man. Kesler was a ProRodeo Hall of Fame and

Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame The Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame (CPRHF) was founded in 1979 to honour and distinguish outstanding contestants, builders, and animals in the Canadian rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practic ...

inductee. Kesler's first appearance in the record books was in 1948 when he was named Canadian All-Around Champion, winning a total of $1,960 and the first trophy saddle awarded by the Cowboys' Protective Association (CPA), the organization that eventually evolved into today's Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA). He earned the Canadian All-Around title again in both 1951 and 1953. He was crowned All-Around champion at the

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, fair, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year a ...

in 1949 and 1950, and won the wild cow milking championship at " The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" three times. Although Kesler had started his own ranching operation in 1943, where he raised cattle, his journeys along the rodeo trail inspired the next stage of his career, and what he would ultimately be best known for. In the 1950s, due to the growing demand for bucking horses, Kesler set up a string of rough stock and became a

stock contractor A stock contractor is an individual or business that provides animals for rodeo competition. Stock contractors supply rough stock - bucking horses for Bronc riding, saddle bronc and bareback bronc riding (called buck jumpers in Australia) and buck ...

and rodeo producer. He supplied stock to rodeos and events across Canada, including the 1967 World Exposition in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, the same year he officially retired from competition, and a number of rodeos across the United States. Kesler has been recognized a number of times for the contributions he made to the sport of rodeo during his lifetime. Of them, the highest honor is the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

, which inducted Kesler in 1992 for his contribution as a stock contractor. In 1989, Kesler was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Honors

* 2009 Rodeo Hall of Fame of the

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native American art works and Artifact (archaeology), artifacts. The facility also has the worl ...

* 2008 Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame * 1992 ProRodeo Hall of Fame * 1990

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, dedicated to the preservation and history of sports within the province. It was created in 1957 by the Alberta Amateur Athletic Union (AAAU). The museum w ...

* 1989

* Kesler Rodeo - Stock Contractors

References

External links

Canadian Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kesler, Reg 1919 births 2001 deaths People from Stirling, Alberta Canadian ranchers Stock contractors Sportspeople from Lethbridge All-Around Saddle bronc riders Bareback bronc riders Bull riders Roping (rodeo) ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductees Alberta Sports Hall of Fame inductees

Honors

See also

References

External links