Cowgirls can ride, too.

Ever since I was little I remember going to rodeos. I wasn’t like every other girl you’d come across. All I ever wanted to talk about and do was horses and horse riding. Then it hit me, this is what I wanted to do. Mum and Dad didn’t really want me to get into bull riding at first but barrel racing they thought was a great idea.

At the time I only rode my little pony he was only 11.2 hands high. It was quite a sight watching me run him around three barrels in a clover leaf pattern as he had a strong head and I would often stop next to a fence and wedge my leg in between him and the fence and not move. He really is a big sweetie though.

Anyway…. I kept begging mum and dad to let me ride a poddy calf at a rodeo. When I was eleven I started riding a bigger horse as well as riding Ticko who will always be my favourite. Her name was Misty and was 14.2 hands high. She was very young and I was the very first kid to ride her. As we all know nobody’s perfect but I have to admit Misty and Ticko were to horses that weren’t far from it. I rode Misty bareback a lot and gained a lot of trust in her. We’ve gotten lost in acre paddocks and stuck in storms.

When I was twelve we went to another rodeo and this time I couldn’t help it I came home that night telling mum and dad how much I wanted to bull ride. They finally gave in and said at the next rodeo we promise. One day a big box arrived in the mail I opened it up to find a bull riding vest. I was delighted. The next rodeo came round and I nominated for the rodeo. When I rode my first poddy calf my mum had hoped that it would turn me away but I was hooked. I loved the adrenalin rush and had stayed on for four of the six seconds. I couldn’t wait for the next rodeo.

When it came round we had organised an entire weekend to camp at the rodeo grounds with some other people. I called the National Rodeo Association office to nominate but the phone call resulted in tears. I’d just recently ridden with their association but all of a sudden I can’t. They said it was something to do with someone complaining about a girl riding a poddy calf. I couldn’t believe it. After my first ride we’d bought all my bull riding equipment and now I believed I’d never be able to use it.

Instead at the rodeo I competed in my first official barrel race on my horse Misty. We did our very best but Misty was one of the youngest horses competing and we were up against massive quarter horses. Misty is big but she’s a smaller thoroughbred and doesn’t have much muscle as she’s still filling out. I was still proud of competing in it and super proud of Misty.

When the Gympie show turned up I nominated Misty and me in all the novelty events and the barrel race later that night. I tried nominating again but they said no ‘GIRLS CAN’T BULLRIDE’. A man who runs some of the rough stock events tried to talk them into letting me ride but they said no to him, too. I competed at the show and we won Misty’s first ribbon, we came second in keyhole event. Barrel race went well, I got a faster time than last time but the girl who won the junior barrel race also won the open ladies barrel race.

The man who had tried helping me nominate told me about another rodeo association that would let me ride, the Queensland Rodeo Association (QRA). Their rodeos are further away but are worth it. We own a little pony with a bad temper so I would often hop on him and hope he’d buck like a maniac so I could get some practice it wasn’t the same but there was still some adrenaline rush. I nominated for the Gin Gin Rodeo. This has been my biggest and best rodeo yet. I rode my first Juvenile Steer here. I stayed on six second out of eight but it was a mighty fine ride. I think people will remember me for that one. I also rode another poddy calf at this rodeo. Let’s just say poddy calves are a lot harder to ride than steers. Again I showed the boys how it was done at that rodeo.

I also competed on my Dad’s horse in two barrel races. This was quite a big rodeo and we did okay but didn’t place in anything.

One of my most recent rodeos was in Mulgildie. I rode two steers. One was for a ladies steer ride. For this one they got me to stand up on the back of a truck along with five other ladies and people they bet money on us. This was scary to me and I was under a lot of pressure thankfully some people put money on me, one person had 100 dollars on me. When we got to the easy bit I reckon I did pretty well and my steer bucked like a maniac. I still didn’t ride time but came forth; none of the girls rode time. With my second steer ride I was disappointed in the way my steer bucked. If I had ridden time I wouldn’t have won anyway I don’t think. It’s the luck of the draw.

To all the people who said I couldn’t do it here I am, and I’m doing it well. I’d like to also thank my Mum and Dad for all their support and time they put into this and also my Grandad for his encouragement. To any girl who has ever been told you can’t do it, you can as long as you put your mind to it.

To find my videos on youtube just search Girlbullrider2011 on youtube.