By Brittney Matejka

20th Annual Bull Pen Show sees 480 head of cattle at Medicine Hat Stampede & Exhibition

Dec 16, 2017 | 4:45 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB. – The Medicine Hat Stampede & Exhibition hosted their 20th annual Bull Pen and Cowboy Christmas Trade show on the third weekend in Decembers.

General Manager of the Medicine Hat Stampede & Exhibition, Jim MacArthur said this is the second largest turn out for cattle in the barns in the Bull Pens Show history.

“Right in the neighbourhood of 480 head,” he explained. “That would compare to the last pen show that we had in 2015. We had 571 (head of cattle), that was really exceptional.”

Last year the event was cancelled, said MacAruther, as a safety precaution due to the outbreak of bovine tuberculosis last year.

“It’s a very serious illness,” he explained. “I think the very fact that we wanted to be part of the solution and not part of the problem, the risk associated just wasn’t worth running the show.”

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MacArthur said he saw many spectators in the barns over the course of the two day show and would encourage anyone to come take in the show next year.

“We always want to make sure we invite our urban neighbours over to the show and give a taste of what our rural counterparts are up too,” he explained. “I think they would be just so impressed to see how cattle genetics have come ahead.”

The event allowed purebred and commercial livestock breeders from across western Canada to come together to showcase their genetics and network before the holidays.