The rodeo returns!

Aug 16, 2023

The fan-favourite RAM Rodeo returns to the 2023 International Plowing Match & Rural Expo.

By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com; Photo Credit: Facebook IPM 2017, used with permission.

It’s great news for all the fans of the live-action-packed sport of rodeo, as the RAM Rodeo Tour will once again be opening its chutes at the annual International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (IPM) this September.

With an expected attendance of approximately 70,000 people, this year’s IPM will take place September 19–23 in Bowling Green, between Grand Valley and Laurel, in Dufferin County, Ontario. Advanced tickets are on sale now, available online until September 5, and include admittance to the rodeo.

The RAM Rodeo has been a part of the entertainment lineup at the IPM for many years now—"probably close to 20" by the estimation of Ross Millar, the President of the Ross Millar Entertainment Group, who runs the RAM Rodeo Tour. Millar’s company is headquartered in Dufferin County, so this year’s IPM appearance puts them right on home turf.

"It’s a fan favourite for sure. The stands are always full, and we couldn’t be happier that they are returning to participate again this year," said Bill McCutcheon, the Co-chair of this year’s IPM Local Committee.

Each rodeo performance will feature some of Canada’s top cowboys and cowgirls, and Millar said about 150 of these top riders will be participating at the IPM across the various disciplines, including:

Bareback riding, which originated in the rodeo arena and is one of the most bone-jarring events of the rodeo;
Saddle bronc riding, also called "the classic event of rodeo," originated from the task of breaking wild horses for use on the cattle ranches of the Canadian and American West. It has evolved for the rodeo arena and also become one of the most complicated events for the rodeo cowboy;
Barrel racing, where riders race their horses into the arena to run a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels and out again. The goal is to have the fastest time without knocking over a barrel;
Bull riding pits a cowboy against a 2,000-pound animal whose bucking is as unpredictable as its personality. The cowboy must hang on for eight seconds with one hand;
Pole bending is a timed event that features a horse and one mounted rider running a weaving or serpentine path around six poles arranged in a line. The rider will take up a gallop and run past all the poles, turning at the last pole;
The Rescue Race was designed to show the skills of the soldiers that were in the field and needed to be evacuated from the war zone in the early days. At the rodeo, this is a timed event with a rider picking up a passenger as the horse circles the barrel.

Millar related that the rodeo includes about 80 horses, 18 bulls, and 25 support staff—not to mention all of the professional riders.

While the excitement and energy of the show are an obvious attraction, Millar said that the IPM offers a bonus for visitors in that the rodeo and the other daily entertainment are included with the price of IPM admission. "Where can you go for $20 (advance tickets) these days?" he mused.

Millar said that rodeo show attendance has continued to consistently draw crowds, even during economic downtimes.

And although the rodeo is all about entertainment for the visitors, for the riders it is all business—the IPM rodeo show is an official event on the professional rodeo circuit, so the riders are riding for both points and cash. It is also the final rodeo before the RAM Championships in mid-October and a qualifier for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair competition.

The rodeo will take place in the Ram Truck Corral on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of the match week. As noted above, advanced tickets for the IPM are on sale now and include admittance to the rodeo. They are available online until September 5.

After that, or at the gate, ticket prices are: