After finishing 20th on the 2021 WPCA Pro Tour presented GMC, WPCA veteran driver Darcy Flad is in pursuit of new horse power with a vision of being more competitive in 2022.
Like most professional team sports, chuckwagon racing requires constant evaluation of the team and an analysis of what is required to achieve ones goals. Every year WPCA drivers are moving horses into different positions on their outfits, selling horses that may not work on their team and purchasing new ones with the vision of these horses playing a key role in their teams future success.
Bodo Alberta’s Darcy Flad has 40 horses in his herd that race for him and his son Layne. While the numbers may seem high to some, not all horses can compete at a high enough level to achieve the desired results. Last month Flad picked up 3 new horses in Edmonton and plans on travelling to Phoenix, Arizona early in 2022 to look for more. “I may have a lot of horses but not the right ones to be tough next summer” he said. “With the cost of hay and oats, 40 horses to feed is almost too many to but we need to be competitive.”
A 17th place finish in 2019 followed by a 20th place finish in 2021 has Darcy Flad looking to make some major adjustments. I need to improve at all four positions on the wagon” he says, “As you can see I haven’t won what I want to and I doubt there are any drivers who aren’t always looking to improve.”
The family tradition for breaking new horses is expected to continue for the Flads later in December. “My dad used to always break horses at Christmas time so I do that too and it wont change” he says. “I suspect my son Layne will do the same.”
At 20 years of age, Layne Flad is one of the future stars in wagon racing and currently studying Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. Follow this father and son team in 2022.
