Did I ever tell you about the story of Gene Hackman and the moose?

There are always moments when talking with Rick and Sue Parker of Canadian Wrangler, where you need to pause and take a deep breath. Because the journey that this former rodeo competitor and diverse equestrian have navigated in matrimony is a story that needs to be told. Conversations with the “Parkers” usually involve laughter and a drink or three. Every one of the hundreds of photographs of the pair with various actors (of both the Hollywood and animal kingdom variety) tells a tale and one gets the sense that each, has found it’s own place in the Parkers’ family history, a history that has now passed on to Jett their grandson, who I am reliably informed started his career in the saddle, as soon as he could sit up. However, beneath this collection of credits to the Parkers’ name, I have an overwhelming sense that Rick still has the heart of a cowboy and Sue, never lost or forgot her roots. This I believe, is the secret to their success. They have never lost sight of where they came from and the people who have supported them on the way.

Peter Firth in “Equus” 1977

Hitting the ground running ….

So, as a newbie to this film world, and indeed Canada, it was with trepidation that I ask a loaded question or two, starting with how they would describe their approach to their profession. Moreover I was interested in how Rick’s early days looking after horses on Equus the film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Richard Burton, lead him to begin the Canadian Wrangler story. The answer it would appear, is that this unique pairing were able to shape their careers into an image of their combined experiences. Rick’s summer spent with a great team of Hollywood trainers and working wildlife with the legendary Steve Martin in California and Sue’s years spent training liberty horses, showjumping and carefully training young horses in all disciplines, gave Canadian Wrangler something unique. True professionals who understood the workings of the film set from the ground up, the proverbial ground they regularly hit in their many encounters as stunt professionals on screen. 

“Wheel Broke”

It is fair to say, the last time both were asked to recount their most significant experiences in film was in preparation for receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from ACTRA in 2019.  No mean feat for a boy who began his career as a travel agent and for the self proclaimed farm girl, who spent her youth breaking ponies at the age of 8 years old. But that too, underscored the sheer extent of their combined experience. In fact, one significant challenge was condensing their lives into one short film, a reel that would be aired in front of the extensive film community, Rick and Sue now call family. How indeed, does one squeeze a career that has spanned over 40 years into a bite sized 4 minutes? And what is the story behind Rick and Sue which lead to them achieving such overwhelming respect from the Canadian film history? Beginnings which Rick proudly tells me started with the epic line “wheel broke”, a source of amusement for the crew on Matt and Jenny, which was to be his first acting role.