Dianne Finstad
It’s not easy to buck your way into rodeo history.
But Virgil has done it – in spades! And now he has the poster to prove it.
The superstar gelding of the Bar C5 Rodeo string of bucking horses is the feature of the 88th annual Ponoka Stampede limited edition poster, with the flashy bareback rider Rocker Steiner on board. The artwork of Leduc’s Donna King commemorates the World Record bareback ride where the two teamed up for 95 points at the Riggin Rally in Darby, Montana in June of 2022.
And as it happens, Steiner and Virgil will pair up on the first night of rodeo action at the Ponoka Stampede. That’s right, their names were drawn together, and Steiner will once again take on Virgil on June 25 in Ponoka.
Virgil’s accolades are many. He’s been named PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year twice – a title he’s earned in Canada three times. He’s received four halters as Bareback Horse of the CFR, and twice has been recognized with that honor at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). He was also named Bareback Horse of Ponoka Stampede last year.
‘The Grey,' as he’s simply known among the cowboys, is the most athletic heavyweight you’ll find in the bareback pen. The 1,600-pound Appaloosa/Percheron cross was born on the Kling Ranch in North Dakota in 2008. C5’s Vern McDonald believed in the horse’s potential from the first time he set eyes on him as a three-year-old, at the Cody, WY bucking horse sale.
“He was so wild. He wouldn’t even stay in the buck chutes,” recalls McDonald. “If you didn’t have your neck rope on quick enough, he’d jump out. He’d jump into the calf box and then when he realized his partners weren’t there, he’d jump right back out. He was so athletic.
“I went to that sale to buy him, and when I lifted my hand up, I thought I’d bought him. But there was a guy right behind me and he got the horse. It was an auction sale nightmare,” admits McDonald.
Not to be deterred, McDonald kept following the horse’s progress, which included a ninety-point ride in Houston. So, he approached the contractor that had claimed him at the sale the year before, to see if he’d sell the horse.
“He wanted a lot of money, and I told him I’d give it to him. I paid so much money for the horse everybody laughed at me, and thought I was crazy. That was the best money I ever spent on a bucking horse.
“He made C5 Rodeo, believe it. I’d just started in business. Virgil put C5 on the map,” McDonald declares.
He’s also been good for the cowboys, and McDonald estimates easily two million dollars has been won by competitors on Virgil over the years.
Virgil has an uncanny ability to rise to the occasion, according to McDonald. From the moment when he throws his head over the top of the chute to scope out the arena and the crowd, to his familiar victory lap after the whistle blows, Virgil is a performer.
“He can hear the crowd cheering for him, so he knows when to put out,” says McDonald. “He knows when the rigging’s going on, and when he hears that rosin squeak, he knows it’s show time.”
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Just last year at the Ponoka Stampede, rookie Kade Sonnier was 89.25 points on Virgil, to take top dollars in the long round. Two weeks later, when Sonnier had his pick of the pen for the short round at the Calgary Stampede, the two danced together again, earning 92 points that time, and giving Sonnier the Calgary championship.
“That’s one of the ones you dream about,” says Sonnier. “They set the world record on that horse - you remember that one for the rest of your life. That’s a Hall of Fame horse if I’ve ever seen one.”
Virgil is also a road warrior, when you consider C5 ranch headquarters is at Lac la Biche, AB, and he’s bucked at rodeos across Canada and the U.S.
“That horse puts more miles on than any other bucking horse, I just know that,” says McDonald. “I’m in northern Alberta, so right off the bat, Virgil’s got an extra 12 hours to drive every time he goes somewhere.”
How does the big horse keep himself so fit? Obviously, he’s got natural stamina, but the C5 crew also delivers plenty of TLC, including special feed formulations and regular massages.
At 16 years of age, Virgil is still in his prime. For instance, this spring at Red Bluff, OR, cowboy R.C. Landingham took the bareback title on him with an arena record setting 92.5 points, breaking the previous high of 90 points set on, you guessed it, Virgil, the year before.
You can count on seeing this Ponoka Stampede poster in a prominent place at the C5 Ranch.
“He’s a poster boy. This is a moment I’ll never forget, because he’s finally a poster boy! Never has been ever before.
“This horse is just phenomenal – you don’t get 'em that way. You’ll never find another Virgil,” marvels McDonald.
Ponoka News is your source for all things Ponoka Stampede leading up to and during Stampede Week June 25 to July 1. Find more Ponoka Stampede stories here.
