Trick rider will keep Kootenai Stampede fans on edge of their seats

Underneath, on top and off the side of a horse at a full gallop, Madison MacDonald-Thomas performs her trick riding act that opens rodeos across the country.

She keeps crowds on the edge of their seats, as she awes fans with spectacular gymnastics at high speed.

Madison grew up in Alberta, Canada, the daughter of a mother who not only rode horses but also worked for the Calgary Stampede and produced Wild West shows. This upbringing created a background of experiences that would set the trajectory of her career. 

In tandem with her budding passion for trick riding, Madison found a love for reining horses. She worked her way up through the ranks in high school rodeo, running barrels and tying goats. She was also throwing a rope in the breakaway and team roping events.  

Although Canadian by birth, Madison is truly an example of the American dream. Her future career, performing stunts on horseback, was a pre-determined destiny. She began trick riding lessons at just 6 years old. Now 28, Madison and her act are a fixture at major rodeos across the U.S. and a constant presence at the National Rodeo Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Proud of her Canadian roots, Madison’s heart, soul and address are on American soil. After a time in Texas, she and her husband — an equine massage therapist and chiropractor — have made the move north to Montana’s Big Sky country, where they train tomorrow’s superstar trick riding horses.

To Madison, working with her horses, trust is paramount in a sport that requires both horse and rider to anticipate each other’s movements and lend themselves fully to the task at hand. 

“You’ve got to trust them and they have to trust you,” she emphasizes. “We’re doing a lot of things that make horses uncomfortable. They have to be pretty broke, know how to pick up their ribs and move their shoulder — everything that it takes to support me hanging off of their side while they run. I have to know that they’ll use their body weight at the right time to counteract mine.” 

It’s an immensely deep partnership shared between Madison and the horses she performs with. A partnership that has taken years and innumerable miles to build. 

“I can get on, put the reins down and trust that regardless of the arena I ride into, regardless of whether my horse has been there before or it’s our first time, he’s going to do his job. He won’t spook at the pyrotechnics, and we’ll take care of each other,” she says with every confidence in the loyalty and steadfastness of her mounts.

Training a trick riding horse takes practice. Practice involves long days, months and years creating a bond between horse and rider. Practice ensures that confidence is built from repetitive action. Bottom line, Madison has to know that when she rides into an arena with the noise of the crowd, the bustle of the bucking chutes and the boom of the announcer’s voice, her horses are going to perform as expected. 

She and her horses know each other well and have formed a bond that’s only possible after years together. 

“The horses in my trailer right now range in ages 21-, 14- and 12-years-old, her new guy. It’s a whole new experience for him, but he’s out there with us getting seasoned.” 

Her horses are special and the cornerstone of her career under the big lights. To Madison, they are invaluable. 

“I can run them into any arena, and they go their hardest for me for two and a half minutes. That’s a long time in comparison to a barrel horse who runs an 18-second pattern. That’s asking a lot,” she said. 

Add all of the miles on the road to performance and training, Madison is focused on recovery, conditioning, nutrition and bringing it all together for the sake of the horses’ longevity. 

“The moment they stop wanting to work is the moment I’ll retire them, but until then, we’re a team and we love this life.”

They ARE a team that brings excitement and entertainment to thousands of people each rodeo season and almost always without any flaws. 

“When you watch my shows, you’ll never see half of the things that go wrong. I’m constantly amazed by how my body can pull off positions, pull off tricks, just from sheer muscle memory. If my straps and my stirrups aren’t just right, especially considering the speed, I can’t adjust or fix things on the fly.” 

Madison shares that, to pull off tricks the audiences love to watch, sometimes comes with some sacrifice. 

“I’ve done tricks and dove into positions just kind of praying that my body can catch me. Sometimes I don’t find the stirrup to push off of or I can’t find my strap to grab. I've come out of the arena more times than I can count amazed that we pulled it off.”

She’s tough and this fiery little brunette is unquestionably in control of her world when on top of a horse. Outside of the arena, she’s a very unassuming, hardworking horsewoman. But when the costumes and shimmer come out, both she and her horses know it’s go time. 

“Together, we transform before a show. They know when it’s time, and they’re completely different in terms of their focus and demeanor than they are in the practice pen. I would not be where I am if it wasn’t for the horsepower that I’ve had, so these horses come first. They get the best and I owe them everything.”

This year, when you lean forward in anticipation, you’ll know the shining woman with the flag more personally. She’s an instant friend to anyone who meets her, and when you see Old Glory fly by in her hand, atop her charging horse, know that that flag and the audience watching have both captured her heart.

“We give this life everything we have all year. We go hard up and down the road and what makes it all worth it is when the crowd loves it and I can feel the energy,” says Madison of the fans she loves to entertain. 

She’s a girl from Canada who found the American spirit inside her and holds a deep admiration and boundless love for the horses that have taken her on the adventure of a lifetime.