The Ponoka Stampede is regarded as one of the top rodeos in Alberta.
That's why competitors Luke Shields and Chase Dougherty soaked in the experience on Friday as they competed in the Ponoka Stampede rodeo for the first time in their careers.
Shields, who calls Nanton, alta. home, had the top run in the saddle bronc competition on Friday with 81.50 points.
Even though the run only got him into the top 12 in the aggregate, he was one of the few saddle bronc competitors who could record a run before getting bucked off. Others were just unable to get good enough runs to get noteworthy points.
"It could have gone better but I'm pretty happy with it," Shields said. "They definitely brought some good stock for us to get on today. They just performed really well for us.
"The Stampede has been awesome. I'm having the time of my life... It's a great atmosphere. It helps out the Cowboys and Cowgirls a lot. I'm just trying to soak it all in."
Dougherty, from Woodburn, Oregon, also performed well in front of what appeared as a sold-out crowd in the afternoon rodeo.
The American bull rider was the only athlete who recorded at least an eight-second ride in the event and it was one of the best of the week so far.
His 86.25-point performance slingshotted him to the top of the leaderboard. After day four he's now tied with Sundre's Cody Fraser for first in the aggregate.
"I thought it was a really good ride. They brought a tough set of bulls today. We had some good bull riders too I'm just the one who got lucky," he said.
Following his first run in the Ponoka Stampede, Dougherty had nothing but good things to say about the crowd and overall atmosphere.
He typically competes across the United States but after hearing about the Ponoka Stampede he had to see what all the fuss was about.
"I love it. This is a great venue, the crowd is amazing, and the committee does a great job at putting this rodeo on. It's all round a great rodeo," he said.
"This is probably my second favourite one, granted the other one is the Calgary Stampede. This is a very close second. The atmosphere here is unlike anything else. It's almost like an outdoor Canadian final."
Through day four of the Stampede, Orin Larson (Inglis, Man.) leads the way in bareback riding with 86.75 points. Emily Beisel (Oklahoma) holds the fastest time in the barrel racing event with 17.38 seconds.
The saddle bronc event is led by Zachary Dallas (New Mexico) with 87.75 points and steer wrestling is led by Layne Delemont (Cardston, Alta.) with 12.5 seconds. Tie-down roping is led by Haven Meged (Montana) with 16.9 seconds.