Trick riders perform at Unity's rodeo, donate pay to Agro-Plex

UNITY — The Grace & Grit trick riding team of Shae Worthington and Shelby Bacon, along with Shelby’s daughters, Paisley and Hadley, put on half-time shows at both days of the Unity Western Days rodeo, May 31 and June 1. The team put on thrilling performances, asking that payment for the show go as a donation towards the rebuilding of the Agro-Plex.

Worthington is a hometown cowgirl, currently attending the University of Saskatchewan in the animal bioscience program. She has been trick riding for 10 years.

Bacon is from Plenty, where she is a teacher and the mother of five children. She has been trick riding, on and off, for 14 years.

Nine-year-old Paisley is in her second year of trick riding on her own, while the Unity performances were eight-year-old Hadley’s very first show as a rider on her own.

The senior performers wowed the crowds each day galloping past the grandstands doing such tricks as the “suicide drag,” where Worthington hangs upside down off her horse, Overtime, with her head only inches from the flying hooves and the “Pony Express” which featured Bacon jumping on and off her horse, Sizzler, on the run.

Paisley’s ballerina-like stance in the “one-foot stand,” on her pony Bart, truly showcased the grace and grit of the trick riders, while Hadley, as the youngest performer, on her steady pony, Zack, was a real crowd pleaser.

The four riders each ended their performances by riding in the hippodrome stance, which has the rider standing up on top of their horse as it lopes around the arena. Bacon carried the Canadian flag, while Worthington earned some extra points with the crowd when she unfurled the Edmonton Oilers flag as she rose to her feet on the saddle.

The introduction to Grace & Grit entering the arena read, “Trick riding started out as a sport showcasing the most dangerous and crazy cowboys and cowgirls, risking their lives to win. It has now transformed into an act of rodeo entertainment that involves teamwork between horse and rider.” The four members of the trick riding team definitely entertained the rodeo crowd both days, and their generosity to the Unity community and ag society is appreciated.