The Stang family pose with the trophy after Greg Stang’s son Ben (second from right) helped lead their team to victory at the 2024 Meadow Lake Lions Club Bunnock Tournament. (Submitted by Greg Stang)

By Kenneth Cheung

OLD-FASHIONED FUN

Horse bones and hometown pride: Bunnock brings generations together in Meadow Lake

May 10, 2025 | 12:00 PM

Horse ankle bones, lawn chairs, and laughter might sound like an odd mix — but in Meadow Lake, they’re part of a growing tradition that’s bringing generations together through an old-fashioned sport called bunnock.

“We always forget how absurd it is. When you’re explaining it to a newcomer, some of the reactions you get, it’s very, very funny,” said Greg Stang, who has been playing the sport for a lifetime.

Known as the “Game of Bones,” bunnock was invented by Russian cavalry in the 19th century as a winter alternative to horseshoes. Soldiers stood up horse ankle bones and tossed others at them. German-Russian immigrants later brought the game to Saskatchewan, where it lived on in backyards across the prairies.

Once nearly forgotten, the game made a major comeback in Stang’s hometown of Macklin, where a world tournament was launched three decades ago.

“They started with 70 teams and now it has turned into something beyond their wildest dream,” he said. “Right now, they have 360 teams… about 1,400 competitors. So the town’s pretty much double its size.”

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Macklin now hosts the World Bunnock Championship every August, complete with a 32-foot-high fibreglass ankle bone monument. The love for the sport runs deep in the Stang family — notably, Greg’s uncle, Rudolph Stang, and his team won the 2018 championship.

Rudolph Stang, centre, celebrates with family members after their team won the 2018 World Bunnock Championship in Macklin, Sask. The Stang family has deep roots in the sport, which Greg Stang is now helping grow in Meadow Lake. (photo / World Bunnock Championship Tournament Facebook)

Now based in Meadow Lake, Stang is helping bring that same energy to his new community with support from the local Lions Club, which is organizing the city’s growing tournament. This year marks its third edition.

“We’re kind of doing the same thing here — we’re trying to grow this,” he said.

Lloyd Elash, co-chair of the tournament, said the idea came about a few years ago as the club looked for a new way to bring people together and raise funds for the community after the 2019 pandemic.

“It is an interesting sport because I had no knowledge or extremely limited knowledge until three years ago,” Elash said. “During a conversation with a friend in a restaurant, he mentioned, ‘Well, why don’t you do a bunnock tournament as a fundraiser?’ I took it to the club, and from there, that’s where we got started.”

This year’s tournament takes place May 31 at Lions Park with 40 teams expected. There will be prizes for best dressed and team spirit, along with awards for the youngest and oldest players, rain or shine.

For newcomers, the game is deceptively simple. A full set includes 52 bones: 40 “soldiers,” four “guards” and eight throwers. Teams of four take turns tossing bones at their opponents’ lineup, starting with the guards. Once those are knocked down, players aim for the soldiers — a rule that adds both strategy and tension.

“Horse ankle bones… they do bounce, so there is an element of luck,” Stang said.

While traditional sets used real bones, modern ones are made from plastic resin.

“Apparently there’s so many people that want to play it and they never thought it would get to this point, so there wouldn’t be enough real horse ankle bone to make all the sets that people want to play.”

To outsiders, the sport can sound bizarre.

“You start to explain the game to people… and they’ll say ‘wait, it’s played with horse ankle bones?’ ” Stang laughed. “Well, it’s funny. I think the people who’ve played it the most aren’t the best at describing it, because we sort of forget about the absurdity of it.”

Still, he’s witnessed many lightbulb moments over the years. One man, he recalled, became an instant convert.

“He said, ‘I didn’t even know what you guys were doing. Now I come over here and I’m playing it, and now I’m going to make a 3D set for myself.’ “

Greg Stang lines up a throw during a bunnock match at a previous tournament in Meadow Lake. (submitted/Greg Stang)

But for Stang, bunnock is more than a quirky pastime. It’s a game that connects people across ages and abilities.

“There might be a team of four seniors playing against four 12-year-olds… and the games are close,” he said. “There’s beauty and magic in that.”

That message hits home in his own family, through his son Ben’s journey with autism.

“He won the tournament last year in Meadow Lake,” he said. “It just seems to work well with any age group. Any ability level is able to play it.”

The win was deeply meaningful.

“A lot of competitive sports don’t work for him… But for him to win a 32-team tournament… and held the trophy… it was so rewarding to see.”

These days, bunnock helps Ben relax — and nothing seems to stop him from getting to the game.

“He’s pushing away the snow to clear up our bunnock court in our yard… we’re often fishing the bones out of mud and snow to start. That’s how much he wants to play.”

Greg Stang’s son, Ben, plays a round of bunnock in the family’s backyard. (submitted/Greg Stang)

Stang describes the sport as a perfect blend of competition and relaxation.

“You pick your lawn chairs… usually like on a little gravel driveway or something, that’s kind of how it’s played or at the lake,” he said. “You might have a kid handing a bone to their grandpa and say ‘go Grandpa.’ It’s just a nice sort of chill, competitive sport.”

Bunnock is often compared to bowling, horseshoes and curling, but what makes it stand out is its accessibility.

“I’ve seen it played by people in wheelchairs. I’ve seen it played by people 90 years old,” Stang said. “I think we were… kind of sitting on a gold mine. And kind of forgot how good it is.”

“We live in a society where we want to be inclusive, and this sport works so well for that.”

As Stang, Elash and the Meadow Lake Lions Club gear up for the upcoming tournament, they hope more people will come out, toss a bone, and discover what makes bunnock — and the community around it — so special.

“You see different groups come together, all participating in the same thing,” Stang said. “I think that’s what a building community about.”

The tournament takes place May 31 at Lions Park, with registration from 8 to 8:45 a.m. and round-robin games starting at 9. Each team is guaranteed five games

Anyone interested in taking part has until May 27 to register a team. For more information, email meadowlakelionsclub@gmail.com.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com