Rodeo great Andy Copeland retired from his saddle bronc riding career at the Halfway Valley Round-up 2010 on Sunday.

Copeland rode to wins during both Saturday and Sunday’s rodeos.

“It’s definitely cool to have such a good guy and a legend to come here and retire his bronc riding career,” said Jeff Metecheah, president of the Halfway River Valley Rough Stock and Roping Club.

On Sunday, Copeland said that Roy Call and C+ Rodeo had brought a good pen of horses.

“The horse today, everything was perfect, I spurred him alright, but just not to perfection and figured it’s time to slow down and become a team roper,” he said.

Copeland started bull riding when he was 15, rode bulls for two years then started bareback riding and when he was 18, entered into bull riding, bareback riding and saddle bronc riding.

“I actually retired a few years ago and they were short bronc riders and I got on a horse just fooling around in Quesnel and they said you’d better take out your BCRA card so I did and probably won six saddles since, thanks to the Call brothers,” he said, adding that people like Doc and Lynn Peck have been like family to him since his wife passed away about 19 years ago.

“I’ve had a lot of good years and I still like the bronc riding, but I just didn’t feel today that I was where I should be. I felt good body-wise, but my feet didn’t move when I told them to,” he said on Sunday.

Copeland’s father had horses which he practiced on, he started out as a horse trainer.

“I just like the events. Bronc riding and steer riding are my favourite in rodeo and I wasn’t big enough to be a steer wrestler... it’s actually like going on a dance floor and dancing a waltz,” he said.