Women's bronc riding is a part of rodeo history which many people are unfamiliar with, but it was at one time a well respected and significant part of professional rodeo. As rodeos became more prevalent in American culture, women from across the country stepped into the saddles of early day pro-rodeo roughstock.

The creak of leather, the smell of horses, the sounds of the arena and the anticipation that accompanied every ride; for the women who lived the rodeo life it was all of this and more, it was the hopes for a good ride, a fair judge, and a safe trip to the next stop on the rodeo circuit. In the early years major rodeos such as the Pendleton Round-Up in northeast Oregon and Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming welcomed women bronc riders and often featured them in their top billings to draw in crowds, for the cowgirls, often wearing elegant outfits of their own design, were consummate crowd-pleasers, and every fan had their favorites.

In the late 1930’s however, a deliberate effort removed many women’s competitions from professional rodeo. There have been few injustices in the world of rodeo comparable to the biased campaign that ultimately led to the near total demise of women’s participation in professional roughstock events.

This book shares some of the stories of the women who skillfully stepped into the stirrups of bucking broncs. Women like the legendary Fannie Sperry Steele of Montana; she would be proclaimed the "Ladies' Bucking Horse Champion of the World.

" In a career that spanned two decades, Fannie Sperry-Steele was the first woman to be inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. There was Mabel Strickland, who won the all-around cowgirl title at Cheyenne one year, and then, to prove herself, returned the following year and conquered every event she entered.

For 25 years her name was respected on every major rodeo circuit. Tad Lucas, “Rodeo’s First Lady,” made her professional debut in 1917 and became a full-time professional in 1922.

She was one of the founding members of the Girls Rodeo Association (GRA) in 1948, now the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), the oldest women’s professional sports association and the only one governed entirely by women. Dorothy Morrell was the World Champion Cowgirl Bronc Rider at the 1914 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming.

She rode in the First International Rodeo in London, England in 1924, later appeared in Hollywood movies as a stunt double. Stepping into the saddle of a bucking bronc is not a move to be taken lightly, it can reasonably be considered a somewhat dangerous proposition, as it does not always end well for the rider.

Yet professional bronc riding has been woven into our heritage for well over a century. Women’s bronc riding may have been quieter for a time, but lately that is changing, as more people are discovering this historic sport.

The women who choose to ride broncs are maintaining a tradition among some of the most iconic athletes in history, and they are helping to redefine the sport of rodeo and women’s place as professionals within it. To be involved with rodeo is to be a part of preserving the traditions of our heritage through the values that are inherent to our integrity, as individuals and with respect to our positions as representatives of those values and beliefs.

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