Canterbury Park and SMSC Bringing Indian Horse Relay to Shakopee

Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community announced on Monday that they will co-host the first Battle at Canterbury Park Indian Horse Relay, sanctioned by the Professional Indian Horse Racing Association.

According to a Canterbury Park news release:

The relay event will feature nine of the top teams in the country representing various American Indian nations. The teams consist of three horses and four warriors: one rider, one holder, one set-up man, and a mugger (the horse catcher). Riders in full regalia will race bareback on the track and exchange horses at top speed in front of the grandstand on each rotation. 

Teams will compete in two heats per night on Thursday, Sept. 12 and Friday, Sept. 13 and all nine teams will compete in the championship race Saturday, Sept. 14. The relays will be conducted between thoroughbred horse races.

“We look forward to hosting this event and introducing this fast, thrilling and exciting exhibition of horsemanship and athleticism to our fans,” Canterbury Park CEO Randy Sampson said in the release.

Indian horse relay has a 400 year history and dates back to when horses were an integral part of the cultures of the Indian nations who lived on the Great Plains. The connection to horses remains strong on many American Indian reservations today. 

“On many reservations, Indian horse relay is helping reconnect young people with their cultural heritage and traditions through horses,” said Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman Charlie Vig in the release. "The SMSC is proud to be able to support these athletes—both the Indians and the horses—while promoting American Indian history and culture.”

The Battle at Canterbury Park Indian Horse Relay will be integrated into Canterbury Park’s live horse racing card.  Racing begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. General admission and parking are free.

Additional information is available at www.canterburypark.com and at www.professionalindianhorseracingassociation.com.