Well, the Friday Find has since been changed to Thursday Tack and Tales to coincide with our paper. I hope this doesn't ruffle too many feathers as the content and format will stay the same. A little name change never hurt nobody, right? With that out of the way, I bring you the first Thursday Tack and Tale from Stockmen's Memorial Foundation on deck and ready to be read.
This week the story of the horse lover, Mr. George Thomas Lauder.
George was born on January 10, 1944 in Rimbey, Alberta. At a young age he would be immersed in the horse scene which stemmed from a couple generations of earnestly involved chuckwagon racers. His grandfather, Tom Lauder, rode in his first Calgary Stampede in 1912 and that was the beginning of a lifelong affair in the horse sphere.
Tom quickly became the first chuckwagon racing superstar and was known as the first multiple winner, taking home championships in 1924, 1927 and 1928. He was inducted into the Canadian Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1985. George's dad, Jack, swiftly followed in his father's (Tom) footsteps and was one of the top drivers for 20 years. He was also one of the leading outriders in the rodeo world.
George's interest would still be focused around horses, not necessarily taking after his father or grandfather but carving his own path.
"Him and Gail, they showed quarter horses for many, many years and then in the last 20 years, they were in the reining horse business," mentions Don Hepburn, treasurer with Stockmen's Memorial Foundation.
Reining is when riders guide horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins and stops. All of which is done at the lope or gallop gait.
When George was attending Grades 7-12 he would set eyes on the lovely, Gail Edge. The pair were said to have met on a fine day in Cochrane at the skating rink. Following that moment, it was set in stone and the two would become high school sweethearts. At the age of 22, George would finally complete his love story with Gail as they would wed on September 10, 1966.
George and Gail solidified their marriage by having two children, Gregg and Paige. Both siblings grew to fuel their souls with the ranching lifestyle. Gregg was a professional horse trainer and carded judge who operated Gregg Lauder Reining Horses with his wife, Anette. It sits on the same piece of land as his father's Lauder Ranch which is where Gail's family homesteaded in the 1880s. Gregg has since retired from the horse dynamic, moving to Smithers, BC to try his luck on the fishing front. Their daughter, Paige, lives in Whitesboro, Texas after falling for Jeremy Olson of South Dakota. Together the duo operate Equine Promotions. George was always keen on any trip to visit his children and grandchildren.
Apart from being in the barn, George worked in the sheet metal industry for more than 25 years. He was also actively involved in the horse community participating at the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) as a Ring Steward, National Reining Horse Representative and Scribe in various shows across western Canada.
Because George was a Lauder and Gail was an Edge there was certainly a long line of farmers and ranchers on both sides of the family. Gail's family were more so the cattle crowd. Their brand was read O X over half diamond and was placed on the right rib. George was more of a horse guy himself. He and Gail registered their lifetime brand in the early 2000s, which took some inspiration from Gail's family as it would be O over X and placed on the left hip.
Earlier this month on January 3, 2020, George was called upon by the western herd of angels. Although he leaves behind his darling wife, children, grandchildren, brother and two best pup friends, he has been greeted by the men that showed him a thing or two about horses; and boy, are they glad to see one another.
