For these cowgirls, rodeo skills come naturally

Eight teams will compete Friday and Saturday in the 2009 Women's Ranch Rodeo Finals at the Bar K Bar Arena at Celebration Centre. "In this competition, it's the luck of the draw," said WRR special agent Billie Franks. "A bad cow can put you down pretty quick in more ways than one." The rodeo will feature two competitions daily, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The eight teams, with four women to a team, will compete in calf branding, roping, sorting, doctoring, trailer loading and tie-down/mugging, which involves roping a calf, dogging it down and tying three legs. "Not to take away from the girls who ride barrels and pole bending, but ranch-based competition makes people aware of the ranching end of riding," Franks said. "A lot of the girls who are there are out on the ranch every day. It's a part of our heritage."...read more