SHAKOPEE, MN – Last weekend the Indian Horse Relay returned to Canterbury Park.  The Relay pits teams from various Nations throughout the North and Midwest in a three mile relay race.  On each team, the rider rides bareback for a mile and then comes in for an exchange where he leaps off the horse while still in motion and, as rapidly as possible, mounts the next horse for another mile.  While a team member holds the next horse to be ridden, another teammate, known as the “mugger” stands ready to catch the horse coming in from the mile.  It’s dangerous work and not for the faint of heart.  Races may not be won in the exchange, but a bad exchange can take a team right out of the race.

There was also a race run for the future Indian Horse Relay teams as well as a Maiden race.  The pagentry wasn’t limited to the racing, however.  There was an Indian Market as well as world renown drummers from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and traditional dancers from several Nations.

The two time defending champions were Tissidimit, a team from the Shoshone Bannock Tribes out of Idaho.  This year, however, they were caught late in the stretch from Little Badger, from the Blackfeet Nation in Montana.

Little Badger consisted of:

Team Caption and Set Up Man: Jostin Lawrence

Rider: Chris Carlson

Mugger: Loren Croff

Back Holder: Andy Whiteman

Team Colors: Back and Pink

Horse Paint Color: Pink and White

Our co-founder and photography editor, Heather Grevelis, captured the sights of the three day event.

The kids race:

The Racing

The Exchanges

The Horses

The Drummers

The Dancers