100 Years Back: Rodeo Innovator from Southern Alberta

The wild horse race event at an unidentified southern Alberta rodeo in 1936. Three workers are attempting to saddle a rearing horse. Galt Museum & Archives, 19800022001.

Our region is known for its long-standing rodeo tradition. In fact, the Raymond Rodeo was established years before the Calgary Stampede got underway. What you probably didn’t know is that it was Raymond’s own Earl Bascom who invented the hornless bronc saddle—a more efficient and safer saddle that is still used in rodeo competitions today. And it happened exactly a century ago—in 1922!

Earl Wesley Bascom can be described as a Renaissance man: he was an artist, an inventor, a cowboy and even a Hollywood movie actor. Born in Utah, he grew up in southern Alberta helping his father (a ranch foreman) on the Knight Ranch near the Milk River Ridge. The family later lived at Welling Station and ranched along Pothole Creek. Bascom entered his first rodeo, the Raymond Stampede, in 1918, at the age of twelve and developed into an internationally acclaimed bronc rider in the 1930s. 

It was Bascom’s other pursuits, however, that solidified his legacy. From early years, Earl showed interest in visual arts, drawing inspiration from past artists from the American Old West including Charles Marion Russell and Frederic Sackrider Remington. Upon completing a college art program, Bascom developed into a master sculptor through his work with bronze. His sculptures are dynamic scenes capturing the drama and triumph of rodeo events. 

He also was an innovator of rodeo equipment. Along with his brothers, Earl created a safer side-delivery rodeo chute and designed high-cut leg rodeo chaps known as “Pete Knight Chaps.” His standout invention, however, was the hornless bronc saddle. The most distinct feature of his design was that it lacked the protruding structure in the front of most saddles. From his experience as a bronc rider Bascom learned that a saddle horn could cause issues and injuries, especially if the horse falls over the rider. It was an important contribution to the overall safety of riders.

In 1997, Earn Bascom was honoured posthumously by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Artists Association. Earl Bascom’s son John was presented with a solid silver belt buckle recognizing the 75th year of the hornless bronc riding saddle developed by his father.

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