Article content

It happens in an instant.

One moment, Stacy Oliver is trotting through the underbrush, pointing out the herds of cattle he’ll be checking on later that day. The next, a doe bursts through the trees in front of him and he’s clutching the pommel of his saddle, fighting to control his spooked 1,200-pound gelding.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or What happened to Canada's federally funded cowboys? They're forming business plans to save decades-old job Back to video

Oliver isn’t thrown from the horse, but it’s a close call.

“Everywhere around here, there’s danger,” he jokes, settling back in the saddle, adjusting his straw hat and scanning around for more wildlife that may be hiding in the brush.

It’s all just part of a day’s work for a career cowboy.

Two years ago, Oliver was one of 60 federally paid, full-time pasture managers – colloquially referred to as cowboys – in Saskatchewan. These days, he’s still a cowboy, but he’s no longer working on the government’s dime. He collected his last federal paycheque in January and now he’s “flying by the seat of [his] pants” as he tries to figure out how best to make a living, keep cows healthy and care for hundreds of acres of prairie grassland.