Ray Mitsuing grew up working with horses on the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation in Loon Lake. His skill with horses led to a great 37-year career as a chuckwagon driver.
Mitsuing got his start in Saskatoon racing chariots in the 1970s, but after dominating the two-horse races for a decade – including a two-year unbeaten streak – he moved into chuckwagon racing. He made the transition seamlessly and was named Rookie of the Year in the Northern Chuckwagon Racing Association in 1983 after finishing fifth overall in the standings.
In 1992 he won the Calgary Stampede’s Rangeland Derby aggregate title as the chuckwagon racer with the fastest overall time at the end of the 10-day event. He won a new truck as part of his prize for winning the aggregate title that year. Mitsuing proudly drove it back to the Stampede for the next 27 years as he qualified for the Stampede for 36 straight years.
He qualified for the championship final race on the final day of the Stampede in 1988 and 1992. He also won the Fastest Time Award at the Stampede in 2012, 2015, and 2019 and finished second by less than a second twice in the final at Rangeland Derby. Chuckwagon racing began at the Calgary Stampede in 1923 and remains the highest level of competition in chuckwagon racing.
Mitsuing was a seven-time Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA) champion and won three titles at Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyo., one of the largest and oldest rodeos in the U.S.
CPCA rules wouldn’t allow a driver to compete past the age of 65. That led to Mistuing’s retirement in 2019. He was still on top of his game, having finished in the top 10 in the CPCA tour points standings in each of his last 12 competitive seasons. Mitsuing considered the retirement a blessing as rodeos across Saskatchewan and Alberta honoured him in his final season.
His four sons – Darren, Dean, Devin, and Dale – also who worked with him and followed in his footsteps. Darren served as an outrider for his father for 30 years and was named the CPCA champion outrider in 1998. while Dale was an outrider for more than a decade as they formed a formidable team for years. Devin and Dale would also go on to become CPCA champions as they carry on the family legacy of greatness.
Ray would go on to serve on the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association’s board and was served four terms as president. Mitsuing was elected Chief of the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation and served in the role for 16 years. He was appointed to the Senate of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations in 2016.
Ray Mitsuing passed away on April 25, 2024 at the age of 70.
Installed in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame on September 28, 2024.
