Elaine Watt (born 1957) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

physical education instructor and

barrel racer Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur and ...

. She was a 3-time Canadian barrel racing champion, in 1978, 1979, and 1982. She was inducted into the

Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame The Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame (CPRHF) was founded in 1979 to honour and distinguish outstanding contestants, builders, and animals in the Canadian rodeo arena. Inductees are qualified by the Canadian Rodeo Historical Association. The C ...

in 2012.

Early life

Elaine Stewart was born in 1956 in

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada, to Mavis (née Bowler) and Calvin Stewart. She had four siblings, Alvin, John, Colleen, and Carol. Their father raised horses and all of the children helped with farm chores at their home in Saint Pierre, Manitoba. Both of her sisters competed in rodeo events and Carol would later succeed her sister, Elaine, with the Canadian barrel racing title in 1983. She began riding when she was six years old and training in 1967 when her father took her

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times i ...

group to a horse clinic in

. She trained with Elaine and Jim Hyde and won a junior title in Minnesota in her first competition, which was later that year.

Career

While training at the Hyde's ranch in Alida, Saskatchewan, Stewart met professional calf roper, Neil Watt. In 1972, she began riding in the Canadian national finals rodeo during the summer vacation from her job as a physical education teacher in Beausejour, Manitoba. In 1976, after winning the barrel racing event at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair Light Horse Show, Stewart and Watt married. Watt won the Canadian Barrel Racing Champion in 1978, taking first place with a score of 170 points, placing in all six rounds. She repeated as Canadian champion in 1979 and 1982. Though she contemplated competing for the world championship, she would have had to give up teaching to focus on competition. In the early 1980s, the couple moved from Manitoba to

Raymond, Alberta Raymond is a town in southern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the County of Warner No. 5. It is south of Lethbridge at the junction of Alberta Highway 52, Highway 52 and Alberta Highway 845, Highway 845. Raymond is known for its annual rode ...

, where Watt continued teaching. In addition to competing in Canada, she and her husband participated in events in the United States, in western states like Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and Utah. In 1988 and 1989, she served as president of the Canadian Girls Rodeo Association. In 2012, she was inducted into the

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watt, Elaine 1956 births Living people Sportspeople from Manitoba Canadian barrel racers Canadian female equestrians Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductees