Calgary Stampede horses have called eastern Alberta home since 1961.
Tyler Kraft started on the Stampede Ranch as a ranch hand and for the past decade, he has been managing the ranch and all stock operations. From breeding and seasoning to making the horses the standout animal athletes that we know them as, Kraft heads it all.
“It’s been going since 1961, had a lot of great managers before and I’m very fortunate to be one of them. It’s a great opportunity and a great place to raise my kids,” Kraft said.
Kraft credits people like Jim Armstrong and Winston Bruce for laying the groundwork that has since turned into the empire of the Calgary Stampede.
When asked about what makes Calgary horses some of the best Kraft says It’s maybe a little bit of luck and a lot of work, spit grit and the whole nine yards.
Horses like Wild Cherry, Special Delivery and Yesterday’s Delivery are names that cowboys wait to see by theirs, with bloodlines that go back to some of rodeo’s greatest. Kraft also loves to watch the up-and-coming horses progress into champions, one he thought of off the top of his head: Tokyo Bubbles.
In the saddle bronc riding of the 2022 Calgary Stampede, Kraft said that their five-year-olds had exceptional outs and left everyone impressed.
“That’s probably one of the best feelings that I can have as the guy that orchestrates that, is having a colt that I feel like I put into the right position and for him to come and hit it out of the park,” Kraft said.
