ALBERTA NOW HOME TO LEGENDARY BUCKING HORSE AND RODEO BULL BLOODLINES THROUGH CREATION OF LEGEND RODEO STOCK
Photos By Legend Rodeo Stock
TABER, Alta.—The legendary bucking horse and rodeo bull bloodlines built by the Kesler family will build on their legacy under new Southern Alberta management.
Following in his own father’s footsteps, the late Greg Kesler had built on the family’s rodeo stock of horses and bulls and made Kesler a household name for rodeo competitors and fans alike. For more than 70 years, the Kesler family’s animals have been in action at Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) and Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) rodeos in Canada and the United States.
After Kesler’s death in 2016, and his wife Judy’s passing in March 2020, Taber’s own, Rowland “Roy” Brewin – the founder of Rowland Seeds who is a third-generation farmer of family-run Rowland Farms –purchased the legendary rodeo stock. Operated by nearly 100 employees, Rowland Farms is Western Canada’s largest producer of a diversified line of crops.
And from that was born Legend Rodeo Stock, which includes all 325-plus bucking horses, roughly 75 rodeo bulls from the Kesler line which has been relocated to a stretch of natural land along the Oldman River in southern Alberta. The purchase included stock contract membership cards for both the PRCA and CPRA.
“Greg cared for his livestock like family – he would do anything for those horses and bulls,” said Brewin of the legacy he is proud to take on from the Kesler family. “He really wanted to do the best for his livestock; that’s the cowboy way. And there is nothing more important to me, my family and our entire team, in purchasing this livestock than to do the same.”
The legend of this rodeo stock was built over nearly 80 years of a careful breeding program that the Brewin family is committed to continuing and improving upon.
Former Kesler Rodeo Company pick-up man, Travis Jordan, will ensure the continuity of the program as the first hire of Legend Rodeo Stock.
“Travis was a trusted pick-up man for the Kesler family. He knows these horses, he cares for the horses, and he wants the best for these horses – just like we do. He is a great fit for Legend Rodeo Stock,” added Brewin.
Legend Rodeo Stock has also tapped respected horse breeder, Darcy Hollingsworth, to serve at the helm of the breeding program moving forward.
“After Greg and Judy’s passing, I didn’t want to see these important bloodlines go in a million different directions. That was part of the decision to take on 100 per cent of the Kesler stock. When it came to finding someone to make sure we build on those bloodlines, only one name came to mind. Darcy is one of the greatest and best-known horse breeders in Canada,” added Brewin, who has always been involved in cattle breeding alongside his agricultural focus at Rowland Farms.
Renowned bullfighter, Ty Prescott, will lend his experience to the DNA/breeding side of the bulls’ program. Known as the “Wild Child” at PBR Canada events, Prescott who is actively still fighting bulls is highly regarded around the world for understanding the physical capability of the 2000lbs animals while staring them in the eye.
The other half of the equation of running a rodeo stock breeding program is proving the animals at rodeos. Notable superstars of the Legend Stock Rodeo include: NFR/CFR Broncs “Copper Cat”, “Artificial Colors”, “Navajo Sun”, “Sundance Kid”, “Oakridge” and NFR Bull “Devils Tower.” These bloodlines in addition to the 200+ newly purchased horses and bulls have Legend Rodeo Stock in great position to start bidding on rodeos.
“Greg often would say that these animals – these high-performance athletes are born to buck, they love to buck, so sit back and watch ‘em buck.’ My family, with the addition of Travis, Darcy and Ty, are committed to keeping the genetics of these great horses and bulls alive and letting them do what they love to do. They’re now members of our family, and we’ll be caring for them as we do for each other,” said Brewin, whose team believes embryo work and artificial insemination with great blood lines is the future of the rodeo industry.
While the Kesler stock was always co-located in both Alberta and Montana, Legend Rodeo Stock has moved all of the stock to Alberta, though they will continue to be part of rodeos in both Canada and the United States.
Roy’s daughter, Tami-Jo Brewin, has taken on the role ranch manager for Legend Rodeo Stock in addition to maintaining part ownership of Rowland Farms, which she shares with Brewin and her sibling Dustin.
“Rowland Farms is a family-oriented farm – we have all been here to build it and work on it. Similarly, Greg and Judy Kesler, and their family, devoted their lives to building on what Greg’s father Reg had started in the 1940s. They were very protective of their bloodlines. We want to continue to build on what the Kesler family began, and really, we chose the name Legend Rodeo Stock in honour of the Keslers,” said Tami-Jo Brewin.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan Mellisa Hollingsworth
High Performance Public Relations T: 403-542-2276
T: 403-620-8731 E-mail: racermellisa@gmail.com
E-mail: hpprchris@shaw.ca
Travis Jordan Legend Rodeo stock Rodeo Administrator
About Legend Rodeo Stock
Established in 2021, Legend Rodeo Stock honours the decades of work of Montana- and Alberta-based Greg and Judy Kesler in breeding, raising, and caring for the premiere bloodlines of bucking horses and rodeo bulls in North America. Headed by Brewin patriarch Roy and two of his children, Tami-Jo and Dustin, Legend Rodeo Stock is part of the well-known Rowland Farms Team that also consists of more than 800 Angus cattle, feed mills and number seed cleaning plants. Legend Rodeo Stock maintains a breeding program, led by Darcy Hollingsworth assisted by Ty Prescott, and provides bucking horses and bulls to Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) and Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) rodeos across North America under the direction of Travis Jordan.
