The World Class Bucking Horse Association opens its season May 4-5 with the Pecora Professional Bucking Horse Futurity at Majestic Valley Arena.

The futurity will feature the country’s top cowboys, including Cody “Hot Sauce” DeMoss and world champion contractors Flying 5 Rodeo, Big Bend and Power River.

Former world-famous bull rider Clint Branger, now a top bucking horse breeder, will introduce his top bucking horses at the event.

“It’s about bragging rights, to showcase the best breeding programs and cowboys in North America,” said Bob Pecora, association executive director. “These are some of the best saddle broncs in the world. They’re like letting air out of a balloon; you don’t know which way they’ll go.”

The futurity at Majestic Valley Arena is the only place other than Las Vegas that features this caliber of horses and contractors in one location, Pecora noted.

Staging the futurity at the Kalispell-area events enables Pecora to draw Canadian contractors.

“Canadians have some of the best bucking horses in the world,” he said. “That’s why my event is so good.”

Pecora said a stronger mix of feed available in Canada is credited for the horses’ spunk.

Some of the horses coming for the weekend futurity are from ranches 600 miles north of Edmonton, Alberta.

“The hard part is getting people aware of what a bucking horse futurity is,” Pecora said. “This is better than bull riding.”

The event also will feature Northwest Montana’s top barrel racers competing in the CHS Fast and the Furious Invitational.

Doors open at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 4, with a 7 p.m. start time. An after-party with live country music is planned at Scotty’s Bar in Kalispell.

On Saturday, May 5, barrel-racing qualifiers compete at 9 a.m.; the bucking horse performance at 7 p.m. features the top 45 horses and top 20 barrel racers from earlier in the day. An awards ceremony and more live music is planned at Scotty’s afterwards.

The bucking horse finals will be held at Majestic Valley Arena in October.

For more information go to http://worldclassbuckinghorseassociation.com or www.bobpecora.com.