Last weekend at the North American Indian Days, tribes from across Montana and beyond showed up on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to compete in the Indian Relay Races.

In the Indian Relays, a team is composed of four people and three horses with the rider taking three laps around the racetrack bareback, switching to a new horse at the beginning of each lap during what’s known as the “exchange,” riding a total of three horses in three heats. The two “holders” wait for the rider to finish a lap, holding the next horse on deck while keeping the animal calm and ready to race. The “mugger” catches the incoming horse to allow the rider to dismount and leap onto the next horse.

Media Director Hunter D’Antuono and I road tripped over to the east side last Friday to catch the first day of the races and chat with some of the competitors, who told us about their addiction to racing. While the sport is highly adrenaline-inducing, they also described the close bonds they share with their horses – a foundation built around trust.

“I just put a lot of faith and trust in my horses,” Jazelyn Wells said. “That’s all it really takes – is trust.”

As the relays gain more popularity, the races are also getting more competitive, and purse prizes are growing. Most prizes total at least $20,000 spread among winners, with teams traveling to big venues like Canterbury Park in Minnesota, Emerald Downs in Washington, and a growing circuit in Canada. At the world championships in Sheridon, Wyoming, teams recently competed for a $90,000 purse prize.

But at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo in Flathead County, which has hosted the relays since the 1980s, the LeRoy Skunkcap Memorial Race will not return for the second year in a row.

Fairgrounds Manager Sam Nunnally said while they hoped to bring the races back this year, the aging barns at the fairgrounds prohibited them from being able to host the visiting horses, which created challenges for traveling teams. The aging safety rail on the track is also becoming an issue, Nunally said, and he hopes to make upgrades in the future.

“I hope we can make some kind of deal in the future so that we can save the track,” Nunnally said. “But if we’re not using the track, then who knows?”

While it’s unclear when Indian Relays began, tribal members say unofficial races likely originated hundreds of years ago. But in the last several decades, the sport has gradually become more official as tribes acquire more thoroughbred horses.

Competitors at the North American Indian Days emphasized the relays’ deep ancestral roots and the camaraderie that exists among the teams.

“When relay comes together, you’re family. No matter what” Wells said.

In her latest column, Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger Julie Laing shares her recipe for lemon tahini sauce or dressing. Check it out here.