Trailblazers

It may have been those 9 mile rides to school in B.C.’s Similkameen valley that helped Hans Richer develop a life long love for horses.  The fifth and youngest son of pioneer cattleman Francis Xavier Richter and his Similkameen native wife Lucy, he was born in 1878.  The family moved to the area now known as Richter Pass in 1884.

Young Hans had a lot of success at the early rodeos in the southern interior.     Back then, there were no bucking chutes.  Broncs were snubbed and mounted in the middle of the arena and the rides would go on for several minutes, then the pick man would ride in and rescue the rider usually after the horse had been ridden to a standstill.  Hans was acclaimed as one of the best pick up men and ropers of that era. 

He eventually owed a string of 40 or more bucking horses that he would supply to rodeos all over southern B.C.  Hans often trailed his broncs over the Dewdney Trail to rodeos in Chilliwack and Sumas and into Washington State. He even did the announcing at the rodeos, using a megaphone as he rode through the arena.

Hans was especially proud the rodeo he once put on in Victoria.  He drove his horses over the trail to Hope and loaded them on boxcars bound for Vancouver. From there, they were put on barges and towed to Vancouver Island.

When he was in his fifties he married Sara Marsel, who was 30 years younger and they had 4 sons and 6 daughters.  Hans Richter died at the age of 84 in 1961 and was followed by Sarah the next year.