Georges River rider only one from Cape Breton to compete at Sydney rodeo

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeAtlantic CanadaCape BretonNewsNova Scotia Cape Breton rider only local entry to compete at Sydney rodeo event 'We’re going to go in and try and run clean' Author of the article: By Nicole Sullivan Published Sep 23, 2026 5 minute read Stevi Jardine and her horse Spencer during a barrel race run at a recent competition. The 23-year-old from Georges River is the only Cape Breton rider competing in the Cape Breton Pro Rodeo, which starts Thursday and runs until Sunday. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED Article content Cape Breton’s first pro rodeo has one competing rider who was born and bred on the island. Article content Stevi Jardine is one of nine Nova Scotians competing in the four-day Cape Breton Pro Rodeo, which opens on Thursday, with rodeo performances scheduled from Friday to Sunday at Centre 200 in Sydney. Article content Article content And if the crowd cheers for the Georges River barrel racer loud enough, she and her horse Spencer might run even faster. Article content Article content “I’m feeling pretty confident that he’s going to perform really good for me here in our hometown and he definitely loves the crowd,” said Jardine, 23, who started riding when she was around six and barrel racing about seven years later. Article content “I feel like when we are running home, here in Cape Breton, we have a lot of people that I know personally watching us and they cheer him on and he just really gets amped up off the crowd. Like, the louder the crowd cheers, the harder he runs.” Article content And when Spencer runs a good race, he knows it. Article content “We all joke about how when he does good, he holds his neck right high,” Jardine said with a chuckle. “He prances out, like, ‘Yeah, did everybody just see what I did?’” Article content Stevi Jardine of Georges River and her horse Spencer, who have been riding together for three years. Spencer is an American Quarter Horse Thoroughbred and is  “tall red horse,” whiich Jardine loves. “I have a thing for red horses,” she said. “When I saw him (online), I was after looking at hundreds and hundreds of horse. As soon as I saw him, I was like, that’s the one I want.” PHOTO BY SUPPLIED Article content NINE NOVA SCOTIA RODEO COMPETITORS Article content There are more than 30 rodeo competitors vying for cash prizes and top money earning rankings, that go toward world standings with the…