Sharp Eight

In the spring of 1965, Reg Kesler bought a four-year-old mare from a man in Lethbridge, Alberta. He had no idea what he had. A Hall of Fame ba****ck rider later called her “no doubt the best, rankest ba****ck horse there’s ever been.”

Reginald Roy Kesler was born October 16, 1919, in Lethbridge, Alberta. He started riding steers at thirteen, and over his career he entered all five major events plus the wild horse race and the wild cow milking. He competed professionally from 1940 until 1961, and won the Canadian all-around championship three times, in 1948, 1951, and 1953. He also won the Calgary all-around in 1949 and 1950.

Then he noticed something while traveling the rodeo circuit: there was a growing demand for good bucking horses. It didn’t take him long to put together a string of his own. In 1951, he formed Kesler Rodeo Ltd. in Rosemary, Alberta. From 1951 until 1995, he produced about 25 rodeos a year, supplying stock to Canadian rodeos from Vancouver to Winnipeg, including the 1967 Expo in Montreal, as well as many rodeos in the United States.

Then came the mare. In 1965, he bought a four-year-old from Bill McBeth of Lethbridge. Her name was Three Bars, and she became one of the most famous bucking horses in rodeo history. She went into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1989 and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2004. Reg got there first, in 1992.

Then the secret behind his success was his breeding program. Horses like Three Bars, Moonshine, Captain Kid, Rodeo News, and Short Crop came out of it. For 35 years, he furnished stock for the National Finals Rodeo, and he collected 50 plaques and awards for top bucking stock from the NFR and the Canadian Finals Rodeo. His son Greg once joked about the family reputation: “Dad had the ability to throw more guys off before the rodeo started.”

Then he gave back to the sport. Reg served on many PRCA and Canadian Professional Rodeo Association boards and committees and was the PRCA’s stock contracting director for six years. He was a founding member of the Canadian Rodeo Historical Association and the Western Heritage Centre. He and his wife Liz are both in the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame as a rodeo couple.

Honored with the Dyson Rivett Memorial Award in 1975. Inducted into the Canadian Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1989, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1992. The same year, he received the Order of Canada Medal. Reg Kesler died May 16, 2001, at 81, and in 2009 he was inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame. His son Greg and grandson Duane keep the business going.

A mare bought in 1965. Forty-five years of champion stock. Reg Kesler left a barn full of horses that every cowboy in North America knew by name.

Reg Kesler 🤠🐴🏆