Pat Grant has been president and chief executive of the National Western Stock Show since 1991 and a member of the show’s executive board since 1985.
He is a native Coloradan, and his family settled in Colorado before its statehood in 1876.
Grant served as a Colorado state representative from 1985 to 1992.
Q. What’s new at the stock show this year?
A. For the first time, as an industry leader, we’re testing all the animals going through the junior market sale. No other show in the country does that.
We’re also bringing in a new star for our Evening of Dancing Horses show, Mario Contreras from Dallas. He does a magnificent show, displaying outstanding horsemanship. People aren’t going to want to miss that. We’re also excited about our capital-improvement projects, the most important of which is putting down concrete in the Events Center stables, which will keep down dust.
Q. How is the show doing financially?
A. We’re doing OK, all things considered, reasonably OK. Through November, we were ahead of budget, but a big part of how we do for the year depends on the January show.
Q. What’s the status of the long- term plan to move to a larger location?
A. We have an outstanding team that’s working on this. We have an architectural consultant working on what kind of facilities would serve us best. We’ve got political consultants working with us.
The bottom line is we have to find a way to assure a successful and bright future for the National Western, and we do that by building on the relationships, the traditions and the high quality of the National Western Stock Show in partnership with the city and county of Denver.
Q. Activists almost perennially raise questions about animal abuse. What’s your short reply?
A. The National Western is a leader in controlling animal abuse, and we don’t abuse animals. We warn and sanction any of our exhibitors we see mistreating animals. We’ve eliminated the electric prods some of the rodeo handlers have used to get stock out of the chutes. We have an animal care and use committee that advises us, and because of that, we’ve become more proactive in preventing abuse.
Joey Bunch, The Denver Post
