Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon Outrider Trey MacGillivray Back in Health

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An unfortunate accident last August at the Strathmore Stampede cost Trey MacGillivray his chance at a world title.

MacGillivray, who at the time led the World Professional Chuckwagon Association outrider rankings, ultimately had to rehab a number of injuries and was unable to finish the year.

“I was out for the rest of the season,” said MacGillivray, who would have suffered — in hockey terms — a full-body injury. “I ended up going down and breaking my collarbone and two ribs, and I had a punctured lung and a broken ankle.”

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Nine months later, the 21-year-old outrider from Halkirk, Alta., was ready to kick off the WPCA season.

Nothing could stop him from helping his father Layne defend his 2023 Cowboys Rangeland Derby title.

“When we won last year, that was one of my biggest dreams,” said MacGillivray, who finished second to Rory Gervais in the excellent Outrider Award race and took home $1,000. “It was pretty cool.”

Along with fellow rider Brendan Nolin, Trey is back to help his father in his quest to become a Calgary Stampede champion again.

“He’s definitely a lot more athletic than I was, that’s for sure,” Layne said of his son. “He’s got the try, too. He really had to work at it when he first started, and he put the effort in to make himself better. It’s starting to pay off now.”

After six nights of racing, the elder MacGillivray sat fifth in the standings with a cumulative time of 7:14.69. Once Saturday night’s racing is complete, the teams with the top three total times will earn the right to compete in Sunday’s Dash For Cash championship.

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After his accident in Strathmore, Trey was taken to hospital in Calgary.

“My collarbone, they did a great job on it,” he said. “I got two plates and 10 screws in it. It hasn’t bothered me at all since I’ve been back to work.

“My (left) ankle was the thing I was least worried about. It gives me the most grief of all. It’s been good this year. I don’t have all my range of motion in it, but it doesn’t bother me that much.”

While his father went north to take part in the Battle of the North at Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Trey stayed behind in Calgary to recuperate.

“I couldn’t have done it without my family and my girlfriend (Tristen Shaw) and friends,” said Trey, who is grateful for all the support he’s received. “Ross Knight loaned us a truck to drive from the hospital in Calgary to Dawson Creek and back to the horses.

“A good family friend, Cory Jacobson, dropped everything to help my dad in Dawson because my mom (Loreena) and my girlfriend, Tristen, were in the hospital with me.”

Trey, an apprentice electrician in Big Valley, Alabama, was able to return to work on October 10, two months after his accident.

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Aside from a few short rides, he didn’t get back in the saddle until he started training for the upcoming season last spring.

“I put a few on them last winter, but they were just riding horses,” he said. “I never really rode them again until this spring.”

And the fourth-generation chuckwagon competitor hasn’t missed a beat.

“Everything seems to be good,” said Layne, who will support his son’s endeavors, which may include becoming a racer in the future. “He definitely wants to, that’s for sure. I think we’ll see what happens over the next few years with his outdoor riding career and when he wants to get in the saddle, I guess.”

Although he hopped in his dad’s wagon to drive for a while in the spring, Trey has no plans to take on the responsibility full-time just yet.

“I want to keep riding as long as my body allows me to and make money as long as I can,” said Trey, who credits his father’s guidance. “He’s shown me a lot over the years. In the spring, I ride a little bit. Last year, I rode a little bit in the morning. We had some older, broken-down horses that we took to the road. But this year, they’re all new horses — I just throw them together in the morning, so I can’t really ride in the morning.

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If he does plan on making the transition to racing, Trey knows he can count on several people to show him the way, including Chance Flad, one of three rookie reinsmen competing in Calgary this year. The other new FACs for Stampede are Dayton Sutherland and Chance Thompson.

“Chance Flad, he’s helped me a lot in my career,” Trey said. “I see him helping me when I go riding, too.”

Trey also received support from Knight and brothers Fike, Chad and Jordie.

“You need all that help to get out there and start doing what you’re doing and figure it all out,” said Trey, who has enjoyed the rise of outriders-turned-drivers like Flad, Sutherland and Chanse Vigen, who tops this year’s Rangeland Derby standings. “There’s a lot of young guys. Layne Flad is another one. He’s doing really well.”

Who knows? Maybe Trey will one day become the second MacGillivray to win it all at the Rangeland Derby in Calgary.

“I would like that,” he added. “It would be pretty cool — that’s for sure.”

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