‘The adrenaline rush is out of this world’: Inside the 54th annual North Battleford Kinsmen Indoor Rodeo

The 54th annual Kinsmen Indoor Rodeo drew more than 300 competitors from across Western Canada over the weekend. Nearly 1,200 people filled the stands Friday despite stormy conditions, Saturday night sold out, and close to 2,000 more came through on Sunday.

Wyatt Fennig of North Battleford competes in bull riding during the 54th annual North Battleford Kinsmen Indoor Rodeo at the Access Communications Centre on Friday, April 24, 2026. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

For Fennig, who lives just outside the city, the arena is as familiar as it is unforgiving. He has been coming back twice a year since he was 15, building a life around a sport where hesitation carries consequences.

“It doesn’t matter how many bulls you’ve been on, you’re always nervous every single time,” he said.

“But once the gate opens, everything’s happening so fast. You don’t have time to think about anything, really. You’re just reacting.”

In bull riding, the goal is simple and unforgiving: stay on for eight seconds. Half the score belongs to the rider, half to the animal. Fennig’s best mark – an 88 – reflects the narrow line between control and chaos.

“If you’ve got time to think, then you’re already hitting the ground,” he said.

Everyone wants to be a cowboy until they’re faced with what it really takes. That understanding is earned the hard way.

“If you’re going to do it, you’re going to get hurt. It’s not a matter of if, it’s when,” he said.

He has broken every rib on one side, bruised his pancreas, and spent a week in an Edmonton hospital. There have been knockouts, too. Still, he comes back.

(Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

Through rodeo, he said, he has travelled across Western Canada and the United States, chasing events on weekends and training through the week on a bucking machine, repeating drills like any other athlete.

But for all the miles, it is the people who stay with him.

“I made so many friends doing this that I would have never made if I hadn’t rodeoed,” he said. “You meet all kinds of interesting people … seeing every little inch of Western Canada.”

(Video credit: Alyssa Rudolph/battlefordsNOW)

(Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

(Image Credit: Alyssa Rudolph/battlefordsNOW)

(Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

In North Battleford, the rodeo extends beyond the arena floor. It becomes a gathering place, families returning, young fans filling the stands, watching closely as the next generation takes shape.

Fennig sees that shift clearly from where he stands.

“It’s growing more and more,” he said. “There are so many good young guys coming up. It’s really good to see.”

“The future’s bright in rodeo for sure.”

Fennig scored 70 points to finish fourth at the event, according to Canadian Cowboys Association records. Full results are available online.

—

kenneth.cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘The adrenaline rush is out of this world’: Inside the 54th annual North Battleford Kinsmen Indoor Rodeo

What's Trending