Rush Hour Moo: The show behind the scenes at Agribition

Thousands of people descend on the Canadian Western Agribitionin Regina during the dayto check out milking presentations, rodeo and 2,000 plus animals.

Little do most of them know there's a separate spectacle going onbehind the scenes.

Every night, the cattle in attendance take the traditionalmarch outside to spend the night under Saskatchewan's living sky.

Tina Lees with C&T Cattle Co. has 10 cattleat Agribition this year. She walked us through what happens when the clock strikes six and evening tie out begins.

"Six o'clock is called tie out time and everyone has their animals ready to head out to tie outs, which are a set of stalls out in the open, in the cold," Lees says.

The stalls are a short walk from the warmth of the barn. There'sroom for hundreds of cattleto spend the night. Each day the stallsare mucked out, replenished with hay and prepared for the nightly rush hour.

"It's kind of a controlled chaos on our way out," Lees said. "They're all going at the same time and we all have to converge at the same opening into tie outs."

Despite the sheer volume of bovine, Lees says the herd just goes with the flow.

"The animals are clean, they're quiet. They know exactly what they're doing... cattle are very routine oriented."

No rest for the wicked

What goes out must come back in. After thenight outside all those cattle must head back into the barns.

They have tobe in by 8 a.m.but Lees says on a show day the wake up time is much earlier.

"Our crew will be here at 2:00 a.m.so that the cattle are washed, dried, fed, have a chance to lay down and rest before you start fitting them for the actual show."

Golden Age of tie outs

According to Lees, the tie out was an even greater sight to see in years past. When Queensbury Downswas still running, the cattle would be led across the racetrack.

"That was phenomenal tie out time." "People would be up in the Queensbury centre and they'd be watching cattle go out. There would be around 2000 head of cattle all going out."

Catch full interview here:

Agribition Tie Outs

6 years ago

Duration 2:10

Saskatchewan farmer Tina Lees walks us through nightly Tie Outs at the Canadian Western Agribition