Rodeo

Women have participated in the rodeo since it originated in the late 19th century. By the 1920s in the United States, women participated in many of the same events as men. However, women's opportunities in the rodeo decreased in the 1930s, and it was not until the rise of all-women's rodeos in the 1940s that the situation began to change. At that time, women formed their own organizations, and since the 1980s have worked to increase their participation and recognition in the rodeo.

Early rodeos included female riders in roughstock events like bronc riding. The Cheyenne Frontier Days, one of the most well-known competitions, did not specifically mention female contestants. Because of this, women were neither officially barred nor admitted. As such, women participated freely in some events yet struggled to gain admittance to others. For instance, one rider was able to take part in bronc riding in 1901 only after she petitioned the board. By the 1910s audiences expected to see cowgirls like Vera McGinnis, Tad Lucas, and Lucille Mulhall compete and perform in many events, including trick riding, relay races, bronc riding, and steer wrestling.

This changed in the 1930s, when the role of women in rodeos was limited dramatically. In 1929, a champion rider was thrown from her horse and killed in the bronc riding competition at the Pendleton Round-Up. Because of this, the rodeo committee eliminated the bronc riding competition for all women. Other rodeos soon followed suit. At the same time, the Great Depression reduced the prize money in women's events, and rodeo also began to professionalize. Female competitors were refused membership to these new organizations, received no voting rights, and lacked the ability to safeguard their purse size and control their involvement in different events.

Seeking a Comeback

By the 1930s, the governing bodies of rodeo largely accomplished their goal of eliminating most events for women by relegating them to a showier, more superficial type of competition. While women were no longer encouraged to participate in many rodeo events, particularly not roughstock events, not all women were willing to accept these limited options. In the 1940s, several all-women's rodeos were held throughout the [Page 1246]West. These rodeos held competitions in bronc riding, calf roping, barrel racing, and team calf tying. In 1948, the Girls Rodeo Association (GRA) was formed, and in 1981 the group's name was changed to the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA).

By the 1910s, audiences expected to see cowgirls like Vera McGinnis, Tad Lucas, and Lucille Mulhall compete and perform in many events, including trick riding, relay races, bronc riding, and steer wrestling.

Today professional cowgirls are members of the WPRA, but can compete only in barrel racing at Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeos. Other rodeos do permit women to compete in some other events, such as team roping, and the WPRA also holds its own rodeos and includes a division for rough-stock competitions. Despite these options, women still face limitations in events and prize money.

The WPRA set an ultimatum in 1980 that required PRCA rodeos to offer equal prizes for all competitors. This has been met, but women still struggle to compete in the all-around competitions and to receive lucrative endorsements, often reserved for male roughstock riders. Women in other countries, including Australia, Canada, and Mexico, face similar restrictions, and many have formed their own rodeo organizations in order to combat this discrimination and provide a place for competition.

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