Horse Nation Indian Relay Races – “Championship of Champions” Finals

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Friday, September 21 – Sunday, September 23

Friday – 6:30pm
Saturday – 2:00pm
Sunday – 2:00pm

Held in conjunction with the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds. And, as the website for the Walla Walla event states:

“The Walla Walla County Fairgrounds and Fair have a storied past ~ a place “where memories are made that last a lifetime” and while the name may have changed throughout the years, this great community event and tradition lives on, creating memories for the young and the young at heart!”

The sport of Indian Relay Racing is the #1 Native American extreme sporting event; involving the tribes of the Great Plains. It combines accomplished riding skills with evasive maneuvers that have evolved from the ancestral traditions of warriors and hunting parties.

Image Courtesy of horsenationsrelay.com

Each relay team consists of four members and three horses:

Rider (mounted)
Mugger (set-up man to position the horse)
Catcher (to catch dismounted horse)
Back Holder (to rotate the exchange horses)

Mounted team riders race around a ½ mile track at speeds of up to 40 MPH! They hardly slow, as they lap and prepare to make a flying leap to the next of a total of three horses, held be a Team Mugger; and make another high-speed lap.

Image Courtesy of horsenationsrelay.com

This is full, pedal-to-the-metal action; and it’s all based upon traditional, Native American Cultural history. No saddles, no boots, no spurs. Chiefs, Warriors, and Maidens ride fearlessly for the win.
There’s really no comparison to this action-packed sport; carried on by the descendants of America’s original residents.
The Horse Nations Indian Relay Council, (HNIRC), are bringing in the Tribes of the Great Plains and converging in Walla Walla, Washington for the “Championship of Champions” Finals! It is truly one of the most exciting races in the sport of horse racing.
CLN Insider Info: The Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days event, although held under different names and at different locations in the general area, is in its 152nd year. Characters from past events include the infamous Ruth Parton Webster (1895-1978). Known as “the mother of thoroughbred racing”, Ruth began her racing career on the Yakima Reservation as a young girl, racing Thoroughbreds. During her career, she earned the title of “World’s Champion Woman Relay Racer”. She eventually retired in 1929.

Ruth Parton Webster

Tickets Link: Horse Nations Championship of Champions Relay Race Finals

Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days Main Office: 509-527-3247

Tickets: 509-527-3250

Fairgrounds Address: 363 Orchard Street – Walla Walla, Washington 99362

Eileen Moss

Born and raised on a cattle ranch on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwest Montana, Eileen graduated from University of Montana - Western with a Business Degree. She is the mother of two grown children - Sydnee, and Billy Quade; and grandmother of two, Lillian and Rocky Rex. Eileen draws from personal, life experiences; as she has held many positions over the years including heavy equipment operator, member of a survey crew for Independence Mining, veterinary technician, Bud Girl for Anheuser-Busch, PR Director for the Idaho Cowboys Association, feed manager for Midland Bull Test Station in Columbus, Montana, National Event Coordinator for Montana Silversmiths, security guard for the Muskogee Creek Nation One Fire Casino, Marketing Director for the Tulsa RV Ranch, and freelance writer for various publications - including a weekly column for three years in the "Elko Daily Free Press" in Elko, Nevada. She enjoys training barrel horses and singing - and has sung the National Anthem for rodeos such as the Reno Rodeo in Reno, Nevada, the College National Finals, and the New Year's Eve Bull Bash in Salt Lake City, Utah.