Merritt cowboy Miles Kingdon to be inducted into B.C. Cowboy Hall of Fame

Miles Kingdon got his first horse at the age of six.

He decided to make cowboying and horsemanship his career when he was 17.

Forty years later, Kingdon is about to be inducted into the B.C. Cowboy Hall of Fame.

"First thing I thought about was all the people that are close to me that have covered a lot of miles, my children, my buddies, my wife, all the guys that I've worked with," Kingdon said.

The president of the B.C. Cowboy Heritage Society, Mark McMillan, nominated Kingdon for the honour.

"Miles is maybe one of the most underrated horsemen in B.C.," he said.

McMillan has never personally nominated someone for this award.

Kingdon, 57, has worked for several high profile ranches in B.C.'s Interior including the Douglas Lake Ranch, Quilchena Cattle Company, Nicola Ranch, Empire Valley Ranch and the Gang Ranch.

"He's very deserving and he just fits all the criteria of the B.C. Cowboy Hall of Fame," McMillan said.

The B.C, Cowboy Heritage Society's mandate is to promote and preserve cowboy heritage in the province.

"It's a culture," Kingdon said of making a career as a cowboy.

"It's not too much a business. It's a craft."

When CBC's Daybreak Kamloops asked Kingdon if his life as a cowboy has lived up to expectations, Kingdon said, "It has been everything I've dreamed of. I've had a good life."

Kingdon and his colleague Mark Grafton will both be inducted into the hall of fame this year. The pair perform horse-training workshops and clinics together.

The ceremony will take place on March 17 during the Kamloops Cowboy Festival.

With files from Daybreak Kamloops