🏆 Congratulations to Derek Hadland & Jeremy Buhler, your 2026 Ponoka Stampede Team Roping Champions!

Their clean 7.9-second Showdown run earned each cowboy $20,539.

🏆 Congratulations to Grady Young, your 2026 Ponoka Stampede Bull Riding Champion!

Grady’s 90.25-point ride aboard All Gold Rolex earned him his first Ponoka title and $19,962.

🏆 Congratulations to Zeke Thurston, your 2026 Ponoka Stampede All-Around Cowboy!

Thanks to a championship week in saddle bronc riding and competing in team roping, Zeke claimed the coveted All-Around title while earning $20,978 in saddle bronc winnings.

🏆 Congratulations to Michelle Alley, your 2026 Ponoka Stampede Barrel Racing Champion!

Michelle and Stiletto conquered the mud to win the Finals, Showdown and championship, taking home $20,799.

🏆 Congratulations to Quinten Taylor, your 2026 Ponoka Stampede Saddle Bronc Champion!

Quinten matched up with CS Dandy Delight for 88.75 points to claim the title and $18,844.

🏆 Congratulations to Scott Guenthner, your 2026 Ponoka Stampede Steer Wrestling Champion!

Scott capped off an incredible week with a 4.7-second Showdown run, earning $23,431.

🏆 Congratulations to Ty Taypotat, your 2026 Ponoka Stampede Bareback Riding Champion!

Ty’s championship ride aboard CS Agent Lynx was worth 89.75 points in the Stampede Showdown, earning him $12,491.

🏆 Congratulations to Falyn Thomson, your 2026 Ponoka Stampede Breakaway Roping Champion!

The rookie standout won the Showdown with a blazing 2.9-second run, finishing the week with $17,702 in earnings.

🏆 Congratulations to Shane Hanchey, your 2026 Ponoka Stampede Tie-Down Roping Champion!

Shane stopped the clock in 8.6 seconds in the Stampede Showdown to capture the title and take home $19,390. ...

In celebration of the 90th Ponoka Stampede, each event champion will take home a truly unforgettable prize package — a custom Champion Trophy Saddle, Ponoka Stampede Championship Jacket, and Championship Buckle.

Congratulations to all of our Champions 🏆 ...

🏆 Congratulations to Shane Hanchey and the outstanding horse Peso, your 2026 Tie-Down Roping Champions of the 90th Ponoka Stampede!

#PonokaStampede #PS90 #TieDownRoping #Champion

📸 @billiejphoto ...

SHOWDOWN BOUND!

Advancing to the Stampede Showdown in the Bull Riding at the 90th Ponoka Stampede….

Grady Young
Glen Erickson
Jacob Gardner
Lonnie West

Best of luck to all of our Showdown qualifiers 💥

📸 @covymoore @billiejphoto ...

SHOWDOWN BOUND!

Advancing to the Showdown Round in the Team Roping at the 90th Ponoka Stampede….

Derek Hadland & Jeremy Buhler
Brady Minor & Riley Minor
Dustin Bird & Tyrel Flewelling
Colt Kornfeld & Kade Christianson

Best of luck to all of our Showdown qualifiers 💥

📸 @covymoore @billiejphoto ...

SHOWDOWN BOUND!

Advancing to the Stampede Showdown in the Steer Wrestling at the 90th Ponoka Stampede….

Scott Guenthner
Tyke Kipp
Jace Melvin
Tristan Martin

Best of luck to all of our Showdown qualifiers 💥

📸 @covymoore ...

SHOWDOWN BOUND!

Advancing to the Stampede Showdown in the Barrel Racing at the 90th Ponoka Stampede….

Michelle Alley
Lisa Zachoda
Taylor Manning
Suzanne Depaoli

@alley7473
@lisazachoda
@manning_taylor
@suzannerandledepaoli

Best of luck to all of our Showdown qualifiers 💥

📸 @covymoore @billiejphoto ...

SHOWDOWN BOUND!

Advancing to the Stampede Showdown in the Breakaway Roping at the 90th Ponoka Stampede….

Falyn Thomson
Jennifer Schuk
Jenna Dallyn
Kylie Whiteside

Best of luck to all of our Showdown qualifiers 💥

📸 @covymoore @billiejphoto ...

SHOWDOWN BOUND!

Advancing to the Stampede Showdown in the Saddle Bronc at the 90th Ponoka Stampede….

@officialzekethurston
@quinten.taylor
@tannerbutner
@officialrustywright

Best of luck to all of our Showdown qualifiers 💥

📸 @covymoore @billiejphoto ...

SHOWDOWN BOUND!

Advancing to the Stampede Showdown in the Bareback at the 90th Ponoka Stampede….

@orinlarsen
@ethan_mazurenko
@clintalaye
@tytaypotat

Best of luck to all of our Showdown qualifiers 💥

📸 CovyMoore.com ...

SHOWDOWN BOUND!

Advancing to the Stampede Showdown in the Tie Down Roping at the 90th Ponoka Stampede….

@shanehanchey
@__beaucooper
@riley_webb12
@tyharris21

Best of luck to all of our Showdown qualifiers 💥

📸 @covymoore ...

Congratulations to Gunner Armstrong of Shell Brook, Saskatchewan, on being crowned the Junior Steer Riding Champion at the 90th Ponoka Stampede!

Gunner proudly takes home the legendary John Dodds Memorial Buckle, generously sponsored by the Dodds Family—a buckle that represents grit, determination, and the proud legacy of one of rodeo’s greats.

#PonokaStampede ...

Congratulations to our 2026 Errol McMillan Volunteer of the Year, Hazel Snyder 💜

Around here, legends aren’t just made in the arena—they’re made by the folks who show up year after year, quietly doing the work that keeps the Ponoka Stampede rolling.

For more than 40 years, Hazel Snyder has been the heart and soul behind the Official Fan Guide sales. Through sunshine, rain, and everything in between, she’s been there with a smile, a strong work ethic, and an unwavering love for the Ponoka Stampede.

They say some things just can’t be replaced… and nobody does it quite like Hazel.

Hazel, thank you for more than four decades of service, loyalty, and western hospitality. Your commitment has helped shape generations of Stampede memories, and this honour couldn’t be more deserving.

Please help us tip our hats and congratulate Hazel Snyder, our 2026 Errol McMillan Volunteer of the Year.

📸 @billiejphoto ...

A TIP OF THE HAT TO OUR PROGRAM SELLERS! 🤠📖

As we celebrate the final day of the 90th Ponoka Stampede, today is your last chance to pick up the Official 90th Ponoka Stampede Souvenir Fan Guide!

A huge thank you to every one of our incredible program sellers who have greeted fans with a smile and helped put this keepsake into thousands of hands throughout Stampede week. Your enthusiasm and dedication are truly appreciated!

This historic edition would not have been possible without the generous support of our amazing advertisers.

To our storytellers, photographers, historians, writers, volunteers, contributors, and everyone who helped preserve the legacy of the Ponoka Stampede through these pages—thank you for helping tell the story of our 90th year.

Don’t leave without your copy! Pick up your Official 90th Ponoka Stampede Souvenir Fan Guide today and take a piece of Stampede history home with you. ❤️🤠

Your Official Fan Guide Team,
Amber & Meagan ...

Michelle Alley & Stilettos scrape the paint of the barrels with the tightest turns in the barrel racing to advance to the Finals.

Some first-time visitors to the Ponoka Stampede find themselves sticking around for at least another day, after the sixth performance of rodeo Tuesday afternoon.

This was the last set of rodeo contestants who had a chance to earn their way into the top twelve scores or times, which come back for the July first Finals of the Stampede.

One of the surprising leaderboard changes came in the barrel racing, where there hadn’t been a fast enough time to crack twelve fastest lineup for two days. It wasn’t surprising given some sloppy and then sticky conditions for the horses.

But then a first time Stampede participant blew through the pattern in 17.58 seconds, to be second fastest overall.

Michelle Alley is from just across the line in South Dakota, but she’d never rodeoed in Canada before.

“My brother loves Canada. He’s a bareback rider, and he has told me for years I should come up here. I’ve just kind of been a wimp, but I’m glad I did now,” says Alley.

Alley’s horse is only six years old, which is young in the barrel racing game.

“I raised and trained her, and my best friend owns her. She’s been a superstar.”

Alley’s main business is raising and training barrel horses out of Texas, but when one like Stiletto comes along, it’s time to hit the road.

“She’s not prissy, because she’s very gritty. But she’s very girly, so we had to have a girly name, and what better than Lipstick and Stilettos?,” smiles Alley, who’s inside the top ten ion the world standings.

“Our goal is to get her to the NFR. That’s the only thing she lacks on her resume yet.”

“I’m not going to lie – I was very worried,” concedes Alley about her pre-race mindset.

“I knew she could handle herself but I just didn’t know if we could clock. Obviously she did. But I think we took the paint off all the barrels. I don’t think we could’ve turned any tighter. She keeps one solid motion. They always say smooth is fast, and that’s true. I was ecstatic.“

Story by @diannefinstadharder
Photo by @covymoore ...

Heading to the FINALS 🔥

The 2024 champions at the Ponoka Stampede, renowned team ropers Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, made the most of their choice to make the journey north of the border again this year.

Their combined time Tuesday of 12.1 seconds bumped down former leaders Brett Buss and Joey Romo II (12.2), to be the fast time heading to the Finals.

“The added money is so good here. There’s not very many rodeos we can go to throughout the year that gives us the chance to win $20,000, so that’s one of the main reasons we make the trip up,” says Driggers, a two-time World Champion Header.

“Honestly, we were a little bit on the fence, watching it throughout and looking at the forecast. But the added money prevailed and we decided to go ahead and come on up.”

“We had a really good steer. We knew him from this morning. That was my biggest concern was to not get in too big of a hurry, just stay behind the barrier and just make the best run we could. We pretty much did exactly what we were planning on.”

Junior Nogueira, a three-time World Champion heeler, has been down the long score at Ponoka and Pendleton before, but admits it is always a little intimidating.

“It’s exciting,” says the Brazilian. “My horse, he’s getting a little old but he’s really fast and easy. He can play down the fence exactly where we want to be, and stay hooked with the steer. We’re getting a little older now, but I still get nervous, but way more calm than when we started.”

The veterans of the team roping game are at the point in their careers where they’re being a little choosier on which rodeos they enter.

“Our travels are trying to be a little bit more restricted. We’ve got kids at home and are trying to be there as much as we can, but still have to provide for them as well. So a win here could be huge for our season, and mean we get to spend a little more time at home with our kids.”

Story by @diannefinstadharder
Photos by @covymoore

#prorodeo #teamroping #ponokastampede ...

Beau Cooper had the best time of the afternoon tie-down ropers at Ponoka on Monday, with a solid 8.8 seconds, giving him fourth place to date with 18.0 seconds. He’s excited to get back for Wednesday’s action in Ponoka.

“This is probably the greatest rodeo,” says the Stettler cowboy. “It’s so much fun, just so electric, and I mean there’s nothing like it when you come running down the lane and you know you’ve got a good one. You can go so fast, and go so far, and still be fast and just show off.”

The soupy arena of the performance before became stickier with the sunshine on Monday.

“I got in a really deep spot. Honestly, it cost me probably at least a second. I think I could’ve been seven right there, had I not got stuck in the mud. But it all worked out,” says Cooper, who gambled on a good calf by only putting on a single wrap.

For his equine partner, Cooper went to the ‘retired’ pen at home for an old faithful, betting his money on his good horse Seven.

“I’ve rode him here four times, and I’ve made the short round every time. He’s due for a win, and I really hope I can do my part and win this rodeo for him.”

Cooper has also been known to participate in the team roping when there’s an All-Around award at stake, like in Ponoka.

In 2022, he partnered up with his mentor Shane Hanchey, and while both made the Finals, Hanchey won the tie-down that year, as well as the All-Around for also competing in team roping.

This year, cousin and champion saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston nabbed Cooper first, so the two of them also competed in the team roping Monday.

They may have missed their first steer, but they did catch the second one in a clean, respectable 8.1 second time.

Story by @diannefinstadharder
#tiedownroping #prorodeo #rodeo ...

🏆 Congratulations to our Novice Champions at the 90th Ponoka Stampede!

Novice Bareback Champion
Quaide Skjonsberg – Bluffton, Alberta

Novice Saddle Bronc Champion
Clay Greenslade – Strathmore, Alberta

The future of rodeo is looking bright. Congratulations on earning your Ponoka Stampede titles—we can’t wait to see where your rodeo journey takes you next!

#PonokaStampede ...

Thank you Sawyer Brown for making music and memories in the mud ❤️

And to the best fans in rodeo—thank you for pulling on your boots, dancing through the mud, and embracing every moment with us.

📸 @billiejphoto ...

No quit in Cowboy.

100% community, resilience, and heart.

📸 @carlieborrisphotography ...