If Canada's top professional bull rider, Ty Pozzobon, isn't enough to keep you on the edge of your seat at this year's Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo, perhaps the Coppertown Clown and Muttley Crew would be.

Pozzobon, along with three other Merritt riders, will grace the rodeo grounds on Lindley Creek Road this weekend as part of the 52nd annual Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo.

“Derek Mobbs, he's in tow down roping, and we have Spence Rutherford in the team roping and Morgan Fosberry in the barrel racing,” says Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo Association treasurer, Elaine Gill.

“We have some really good cowboys.”

Coming from afar are saddle bronc riders Dusty Hausauer (Dickinson, North Dakota), Ben Londo (Athena, Oregon), Issac Diaz (Desdemona, Texas); in tie down roping: Jake Pratt (Ellensburg, Washington), Jake Hannum (Ogden, Utah), and Clif Cooper (Decatur, Texas).

There will be a $2,500 purse in each of the seven main evens, a $450 purse in steer riding, and a $500 purse in cow milking.
The rodeo has hired Bert David of California, the Coppertown Clown, as this year's rodeo clown.

“He's been on America's Got Talent with Muttley Crew,” says Gill.

The Crew is a group of show dogs that were most recently featured on the hit TV show America's Got Talent. David and the dogs made it all the way to the show's finals in Las Vegas.

In addition to rodeo favourites like bull riding; tie-down roping; saddle bronc; and steer riding, the rodeo will also feature cow milking (local contestants) and a ranch-hand saddle bronc.

“We're having a ranch-hand saddle bronc at intermission,” says Gill.

“It means you have to be employed by a ranch — you have to use a working saddle.”

And when the hoof stomping has finally taken a break, patrons can check out the various concessions and booths set up on the ground that will feature local products and services.

The rodeo begins at 9 a.m. this Saturday and runs until approximately 5 p.m., with Sunday following the same schedule.
Last year's Pro Rodeo attendance was about 2,000 for the two-day event.