HERZOG'S WINNING WEEKEND OUT WEST
May 25 , 2010

“Every rodeo is a different goal,” said Todd Herzog. “When I go to rodeos, I just do the best I can at every one of them.”

That philosophy has worked well for the Penhold, Alta. bronc rider, especially when looking back at his performances over a busy Victoria Day long weekend in British Columbia.

Herzog started things off on Vancouver Island at the Luxton Pro Rodeo where he met up with Big Stone Rodeo’s Hombre.

“I heard a few mixed reviews about him before I found out how he was (for myself),” Herzog noted.

“It’s a pretty darn good horse,” came the verdict. “He was real strong.  He jump kicked there five or six jumps, and he had a tight turn back for about one circle and jump kicked out of it. I just did everything I could to be as quick as I could with my feet.”

According to Herzog, “I give it all I got for every jump I can, and if I fall off I fall off. If I don’t, I hope I’m going to win some money.”

The 29-year-old cowboy didn’t fall, and he won some money. A first place cheque, to be exact. The ride was scored at 83.5 points, and earned Herzog $1,270.

Next up on the bronc rider’s weekend pro itinerary was a trip eastward to Falkland, B.C., but with a two go-round stopover in Cloverdale along the trail.

“After I rode in Luxton, I had to go catch a float plane to get over to Cloverdale in time (for the 7:30 p.m. performance). And my first horse I had didn’t have a real good trip with me. I got on a re-ride and then got bucked off my re-ride,” he detailed. “I won some money on my horse in the second round ($500). Then I headed to Falkland.”

The money earned in Cloverdale doesn’t count towards the Canadian standings, but the second place cheque he picked up at the Falkland Stampede sure does, and it catapulted him to the top spot.

“He was pretty nice,” he said of Harvey Northcott’s Dark Horse, the stallion he rode to an 82 in Falkland.

“I had seen that horse around for a long time and I’d seen a lot of guys used to win a lot of money on him. And then he kind of disappeared for a while. They were bucking him in the bareback riding, and I noticed he did real well, so I tried a few things with him. I put a throat latch on him, rather than having it down on the rein, and just stayed off his head and made a real good trip.”

That trip was worth an additional $1,194 to the balance of his season earnings for a total of $5,282.