‘I just felt free’: Manitoba men’s mental health group turns to ATVs for healing

A group of ATV lovers in Manitoba are riding for a cause. Harrison Shin explains.

Built around mud, motors, and mutual support, Cowboys Mud Racing is giving men in Manitoba a new way to navigate mental health challenges.

The organization brings together men dealing with personal struggles, with the goal of building confidence, fostering connection, and encouraging time outdoors—all centred around ATVs.

“I think there’s a stigma because we’re men, we’re meant to bottle (emotions) up and don’t talk about it… and it’s hard for guys to find an outing for that,” said Brendan Bishop, a board member with Cowboys Mud Racing.

Based in St. Pierre-Jolys, the group was founded last year by Ryan Ward, who said he was inspired to give back after discovering a therapeutic approach that worked for him.

“It was getting out into the community and making connections with people and realizing that, you know, I wasn’t the only one,” Ward said. “So, what was an epidemic in men’s mental health, Cowboys was the fix to the epidemic.”

Ward, who said he has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and addictions, explained that his outlook began to change after he was hired to work on Brian Brown’s farm. Brown noticed he was having a hard time and stepped in to help.

“We hit our first mug bog back in June, and when I went through that pit, it was like 14 seconds of freedom,” he said. “I remember coming out of that pit, and I just felt free… I had dealt with the stuff that was really pent up and I was really stressed out with.”

Since then, the organization has grown to 15 members from across the province. The men ride together on trails to mud pits and even compete in mud bog races. Ward said that while some members bring their own ATVs, the group also has extra machines available.

He added that not even winter slows them down, as they organize snowmobile rides lasting five or six hours, depending on how cold it gets.

“We want to take guys that are down and out and miserable and having a bad walk in life, and just show them that, ‘Hey, there’s still fun to be had out here.’ And that’s where the ATV again comes into play,” Ward said.

“We can get them out in nature, which does phenomenal things, by the way. You see deer running across trails or eagles in the air, or whatever it may be. It does something to your mental health.”

Bishop noted that many men who initially join the group appear quiet and withdrawn but gradually begin to open up and engage socially after spending time riding together. He described the group as “almost like a brotherhood.”

As for why ATVs became the focus, Bishop said it’s something that naturally brings men together.

Most times you don’t want to go ATVing by yourself—you go bring some friends. And if you can bring friends into that, it helps to do that mental release as you’re riding and gets them out and have some fun,” he said. “We don’t want to see guys just falling into depression.”

Ward said Cowboys Mud Racing already has an Alberta chapter with five members and hopes to see the initiative expand nationwide.

Despite founding the group, Ward emphasized his gratitude toward Brown—whom he affectionately calls “pops”—for his support during a difficult period in his life.

“I owe that man my life every day,” Ward said. “He never judged me, and he treated me like a son anytime I called him and I needed him.”

Brown said the most rewarding aspect of supporting the initiative is witnessing the positive impact it has on the men involved.

Ward noted that while the organization is primarily self-funded, it has received support from sponsors such as through equipment parts, oils, and discounted machines.

“The time is now to start talking about men’s mental health and start dealing with the issues at hand,” he said. “We just want to create a safe atmosphere for people.”

With files from CTV’s Harrison Shin