Tag Archives: Indian Relay Races

Sweet Nothings

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The highlight of any Indian rodeo is the Indian Relay Races. That event alone is worth traveling just about any distance to see. These races must be held out doors as the excitement generated at one of these races will simply blow the roof off any building you try to hold them in. I know, these are bold statements, but once you see one of these races you’ll be a convert. To see more about these races visit this post http://www.bigshotsnow.com/crow-fair-2015-indian-relay-races/ to see it in action.

The intensity of the races builds to a fever pitch with horses, riders and even those in the grandstand filled to the brim with frenetic energy. Sometimes the excitement gets to the point where the horse loses control and begins to act up because it wants to be out on that racetrack running its heart out. But it isn’t its time yet. It has to remain here in position so that when the relay rider comes in, it is ready for him to mount and race away, hopefully winning the race.

What you see here is a brief moment in time where the handler has an intimate quiet discussion with the horse explaining to it that it needs to remain calm. If it does it will have its chance in a second and that if it just stays calm a little longer it’ll be out on that track running like the wind and it will be the winner. A horse among horses. King of the stables. Or something like that. It was hard to hear over all the screaming from the grandstands.

Surprisingly the horse calmed right down and patiently waited for the rider to come in and make the exchange. We’d like to report that this horse and rider did win the race but unfortunately that didn’t happen. He came in second. There is only one winner in a horse race and this wasn’t this horse’s day. But there’s always the next race, the next rodeo, the next chance to be a winner. They’ll be back.

Crow Fair 2015 Indian Relay Races

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Indian Relay Races, it is one of the most exciting horse races you will ever see. It could just have easily been called a Demolition Derby on Four Hooves. The premise is simple you start with four teams of horses assigned to their own space along the fence of the grandstand. Each team has only one rider. They begin the race like any other with the four riders racing away from the starting line, but then that’s when things go different.

They race around the track and as they approach their team of horse handlers they skid to a stop, jump off the horse they’ve been riding, jump on a new one and take off for another lap around the track. They repeat this once more, racing in, jumping off, jumping onto a new horse, take another lap and the first one across the finish line is the winner.

That’s how it works in theory. And the race does follow those rules exactly but you have to remember you’re dealing with horses that are crazy wild to run, riders willing to do nearly anything to get on that next horse, and handlers that have to control several other horses in close proximity with the team next door, whose horses and riders are also just as determined on winning as you are, and what you have is Chaos, plain and simple. Things do not happen as planned. Riders with big leads may have trouble getting on the next horse and another rider takes the lead. This may happen on every lap.There is no sure thing in Indian Relay Races, other than something really, really exciting is going to happen.

In the animation above you can get a sense of how fast-paced and chaotic it is when the riders begin to change horses. If you notice the Blue team as they begin their switch, the horse handler is applying an old trick to manage an unruly horse. This horse had been rearing up and trying to break loose, and it was close to becoming unmanageable until the handler reached up and bit his ear, just like Mike Tyson might, biting down and hanging on until the rider could mount and be off again. Like I said Indian Relay Races are different.

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In another part of the race a rider rode in fast, sometimes these horses can be going close to 30 miles per hour when they are entering into the changing area, mis-stepped as he dismounted, and got run over by his horse. Operating on sheer adrenalin he leapt up and mounted his last horse and continued the race. Unfortunately his mis-step put this lap leader into last place.

Indian Relay Races are exciting, chaotic, addicting. And in Montana you can legally bet on them if you want to lose your money. This is a cheap heart test for those of you who need to check it every so often, and it’s included free in the price of admission. If you crave excitement you will love Indian Relay Racing.

North American Indian Days 2015

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Last week, July 9th thru the 12th, The Blackfeet tribe put on its 64th annual North American Indian days (or NAID) on its reservation at Browning, Montana. It was 4 solid days of Dancing, singing, fellowship, and socializing amongst one of the largest gathering of Indian tribes in the United States and Canada.

Every event held throughout the celebration began with the Grand Entrance where the color guard, made up of military veterans from the various tribes, brought in the colors. These included our American flag, Canada’s flag, the Blackfeet tribe’s flag, and others to be presented with respect to everyone assembled. Many men and women of the tribes served in the armed forces and this is a very important part of the ceremony. To participate in this honor, with drums sounding out their deep resonance, singers celebrating with their voices, joining the gathering of hundreds of spectators, the sun beating down and the hot wind blowing through the presentation arbor, this is an experience that will remain with you for a very long time.

When you attend this event one of the first things you notice is the riot of color around you. The regalia, the decorations, the site itself is full of every hue of color imaginable, from the earth tones of the arbor and dancing area to the manmade colors of some regalia, and the natural shades of the surrounding area. The natural light of the far northern part of our country has its own unique look and feel also, and being just a little more than 12 miles from the eastern entrance to Glacier National Park adds to the overall effect with mountains in the background and of course amazing sunsets.

The sounds are the next thing you notice as the deep rhythmic notes of the many drums and songs work their way into your senses. Drums and drummers from many places around the country, the singers joining in, the sounds of the calls made by the various participants as they dance around the arbor, are nearly overwhelming. You are immersed in the experience completely. They draw you in and mesmerize you even if you don’t understand the words. It is easy to get lost in the sound and action and swirling colors, but that is part of the experience of being here. And it feels good.

Over the next few days we will be bringing you the sights of this incredible experience, the regalia , the dances, along with the other events such as the rodeos and Indian Relay Races, plus some of the views of the countryside around the events themselves. It was a spectacular experience. If you can, go to the next one, it is worth every second you spend there. The Blackfeet welcome all guests and you’ll never forget the time you spent at The North American Indian Days celebration.