Dustin Hampton - A True Cowboy

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Dustin Hampton - A True Cowboy

By: Melanie Chudo
9F Journalism

Have you ever been at the Strathmore Stampede and wondered what it’s like to be a Wild Horse Racer? Well, I've got an Inside interview with Dustin Hampton, one of this year’s best racers.

Dustin has been a Wild Horse Racer for 5 years. He started in 2002 when a friend suggested to him that he should try it out. Before he became a mugger, he was a rider. He had never been on a horse so he had to learn fast if he was gonna be the rider. After a while, he became the mugger. He told me "there weren't many muggers in the wild horse races." I asked him if he ever got worried about getting hurt by the horse. His response was, "No, I've been hurt so many times, you just get used to it after a while."

Competing in the wild horse races takes no skill, you don't really know what to expect when you're out there. You just go out there and do the best you can do. There’s no practice because you work with different horses. You can't predict them, you can't train them to act a certain way, that’s why it’s called the Wild Horse Races.

There are so many things we already know about this competition that takes place in the Strathmore Stampede, but I asked Dustin what are some things about this event that people don't know. He responded, "A lot of people think it’s mean and cruel, but the horse doesn't get hurt during the event. We make the horse as comfortable as possible. The old way to do it, is you bite down on the horse’s ear. But if the horse had frost bite, that part of the ear would be in you're mouth. That’s not allowed anymore."

When he's not competing in Stampedes all over Alberta, Dustin likes to sing Karaoke in his spare time. I asked him if he was gonna compete next year in the Strathmore Stampede, he responded, "I hope so, lots of things can go right next year. And lots of things can go wrong."

My interview was coming to an end, but I had only one question left for him. It was if he would ever recommend the Wild Horse Races to anyone. He responded, "I definitely would recommend the Wild Horse Races to anyone. It’s a great experience to try."