The life of a professional cowboy isn’t for the faint of heart. It can include long hours and is often physically demanding, but for most, working with animals makes it worthwhile.
Professional cowboy and entertainer, Joel Lybbert said working with animals is his passion.
“It’s all about learning to speak a new language, really,” Lybbert said.
“You’re learning how to communicate with them so that they can understand what you are telling them.”
Lybbert said he loves the challenge, no matter how big or small, and currently, he’s training a pretty large animal.
“I know this guy full-grown, he’s going probably going to reach around 17 hands, over two thousand pounds,” he said. “He does have an attitude, but I feel like I’ve created a good relationship of respect.”
For Lybbert, one of the best parts of his job is riding through the picturesque mountains near Waterton Lakes National Park on his two-year-old buffalo, Indy, who Lybbert said had a tough start in life.
“I got Indy when he was just about a month old — he was born on a buffalo ranch up in northern Alberta and his mom died giving birth to him,” he said.
“He was an orphan calf so we took him and we bottle raised him.”
Indy isn’t the only unique member of the Lybbert team, the cowboy performs rope tricks and puts on shows at rodeos with his longhorn steer Jasper, but his eclectic crew has been on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It canceled my whole season, which is too bad,” Lybbert said. “But I guess it’s the way it’s going to be. It just gives me another year to practice and get better.”
Until he can get back in the show pen, Lybbert added that he will soak up all the scenic rides he can get.
“Being able to ride horses every day, and ride buffalo and practice trick roping, it’s just the life.”