An unfortunate accident last August at the Strathmore Stampede cost Trey MacGillivray a chance at a world title.
Leading the World Professional Chuckwagon Association outrider standings at the time, MacGillivray ended up having to rehabilitate several injuries rather than finishing the season.
“I was out for the remainder of the season,” said MacGillivray, who – in hockey terms – would have been diagnosed with a full-body injury.
“I ended up going down and broke my collarbone, two ribs and I had a punctured lung and a fractured ankle.”
Fast forward nine months and the 21-year-old outrider, from Halkirk, Alta., was ready for the start of the WPCA season.
Nothing was going to stop him from helping his dad Layne defend his 2023 Cowboys Rangeland Derby title.
“Last year when we won it, it was one of my biggest dreams,” said MacGillivray, who finished second to Rory Gervais in the outstanding outrider award race to pocket $1,000.
“It was pretty cool.”
Along with fellow outrider Brendan Nolin, Trey is back helping his dad in his quest to repeat as Calgary Stampede champion.
“He’s definitely a lot more athletic than I was, for sure,” said Layne of his son.
“He’s got the try, too. He really had to work at it when he first started and he put the effort into trying to make himself better. It’s starting to pay off for him now.”
Through seven nights of racing, the elder MacGillivray and his Shady Creek Ranch outfit were sitting fourth in the aggregate standings with a cumulative time of 8:26.43. Following Saturday night’s races, the drivers with the top three aggregate times will earn the right to compete in Sunday’s championship Dash For Cash.
Following his accident in Strathmore, Trey was transported to hospital in Calgary.
“My collarbone, they did a great job on that,” he said. “I have two plates and 10 screws in it. It hasn’t bugged me since I went back to work at all.
“My (left) ankle was the thing I was least worried about. It’s giving me the most grief out of anything. It’s been good this year. I don’t have all my motion in it, but it doesn’t bug me much.”
While his dad went north to compete at the Battle of the North in Dawson Creek, B.C., Trey remained behind in Calgary to recuperate.
“I couldn’t have got through it without my family and my girlfriend (Tristen Shaw) and friends,” said Trey, whose grateful for all the support he received.
“Ross Knight lent us a truck to get from Calgary in the hospital up to Dawson Creek to get back to the horses.
“A good family friend of ours, Cory Jacobson, he dropped everything to go help dad out up in Dawson because mom (Loreena) and my girlfriend Tristen, they stayed with me in the hospital.”
An electrical apprentice in Big Valley, Alta., Trey was able to return to work on Oct. 10, a full two months after his mishap.
Aside from a couple short rides, he didn’t get back in the saddle – so to speak – until he started training for the upcoming season this past spring.
“I got on a couple last winter, but they were just saddle horses,” he said.
“I never really rode again until this spring.”
And the fourth-generation chuckwagon competitor hasn’t missed a beat.
“Everything seems to be good,” said Layne, who will support his son’s endeavours, which may just involve becoming a driver at some point in the future.
“He’s definitely wanting to, for sure. I guess we’ll see what happens in the next few years as far as his outriding career goes and when he wants to get in the seat, I guess.”
Although he hopped in his dad’s wagon to do some driving in the spring, Trey doesn’t have any immediate plans to take the reins on a full-time basis.
“I want to stay outriding as long my body will let me and make the money while I still can,” said Trey, who appreciates the mentorship he’s getting from his father.
“He’s shown me a lot over the years. In the spring I do a bit of driving. Last year I did a bit of driving in the morning. We had some older broke horses that we were hauling down the road, but this year it’s kind of all new ones – just throw ’em together in the morning, so I don’t really get to drive in the mornings.
When he does plan to make the switch to becoming a driver, Trey knows he has several people he can count on to show him the way, including Chance Flad, who’s one of three rookie reinsman competing in Calgary this year (the others are Dayton Sutherland and Chance Thompson).
“Chance Flad, he’s helped me out a lot in my career,” Trey said.
“I can see him helping me when I start driving, too.”
Trey has also received support from Knight as well as from the Fike brothers, Chad and Jordie.
“You need all that help going down the road and getting into what you’re doing and figuring it all out,” said Trey, who has enjoyed watching the rise to prominence of outriders-turned-drivers like Flad, Sutherland and Chanse Vigen, who’s atop this year’s Rangeland Derby standings.
“There’s a lot of young guys. Layne Flad’s another one. He’s doing really well.”
Who knows?
Maybe one day Trey will become the second MacGillivray to win it all at the Rangeland Derby in Calgary.
“I’d like to,” he said.
“It’d be pretty cool, that’s for sure.”
