Victoria Ivey
Professor Preston
English Composition I
28 Sep. 2015
The Life of a World Class Cowgirl “The Cowgirl Way,” an article written by Lonn Taylor and published by Texas Monthly (http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/the-cowgirl-way/), tells the story of a young woman who grew up to become a great rodeo icon for females around the world. Barbara Inez “Tadpole” Barnes, “Tad” for short grew up to be a great trick rider and all-around cowgirl. In this article, Lonn Taylor quotes Dan Fox’s writing in the rodeo trade paper Hoofs and Horns, “Tad has always been admired by everyone who had the good fortune to meet her. She is considered the world’s greatest woman rider.” Taylor relates incidences in Tad’s background, that shaped Tad’s ambition and aspirations that helped established her as an icon for women, not only in the world of rodeo but also for women in all walks of life in that era. In paragraph one Lonn Taylor writes, “She was born in Cody, Nebraska in 1902, she later settled in Fort Worth and considered herself a Texan.” When reading this article, there is an understanding of Tad’s life and how it was shaped from the different places she explored as she competed in rodeo events. Paragraph five of the article shows us how she started out in the rodeo circuit. Taylor states, “Tad Lucas was a cowgirl’s cowgirl. She left Nebraska at the age of sixteen and joined “California” Frank Hafley’s Wild West Show…. First [appearing] on the Western rodeo circuit in 1922, winning prizes at Belle Fourche, South Dakota; Pittsburg, Kansas; and Fort Worth.” It is obvious that being a cowgirl was important to Tad and she poured a great deal of energy and enthusiasm into the sport. Mr. Taylor provides us with information on the golden age of rodeo where Tad Lucas earned her fame. Taylor tells us, “ in the twenties and thirties, she was one of the most famous rodeo cowgirls in the world, earning prize money for bronco riding, trick riding, relay racing, and best all-around cowgirl...” Taylor’s vivid description of different tricks and riding techniques honed by Tad gives us a glimpse of the pageantry and thrills associated with the wild west shows of that era. Tad learned trick riding from a group in the Wild West Show she joined at the age of sixteen. The Cossack trick riders helped this young girl to become a great trick rider. The Cossack Drag, the Back Drag, and the Fender Drag became signature tricks that came to be associated with the rodeo shows of Tad Lucas. At the end of every show, Tad would leave the arena in the Hippodrome stand. As explained by Taylor in paragraph six, “she galloped out of the arena while standing on her saddle, her back arched and her arms extended upward.” Sadly, cowgirl participation in professional rodeo dwindled in 1942 when Gene Autry took over the two major rodeos events at Boston Garden and Madison Square Garden. It is stated that “Autry’s rodeos had no place for cowgirl contestants…. Women played peripheral roles in parades, horseback square dances, and beauty contests.” While she was a major star, Tad was unable to escape from this exclusive philosophy and found herself out of the major rodeos in that time period. Although major rodeos ended the inclusion of cowgirls in major rodeo productions, Tad Lucas followed her dream and continued performing as an exhibition trick rider. Even though she was not in the rodeo circuit for a period of time, Tad Lucas never quit perfecting her riding skills. She refused to let Mr. Autry’s exclusion of cowgirls in his shows keep her from doing what she loved. Her passion for riding and performing continued to grow and she continued to perform when given the opportunity. She felt it necessary to provide the audience with an exhibition of riding and she enjoyed looking good while she performed. When Tad performed, she always wore tooled cowboy boots. These boots were designed in the 1920s, and “they were modeled on those worn by her Cossack friends.” They were both beautiful and practical. No other boot would let her perform the tricks she did, as “the flat heels provided the grip required to stand in the saddle and the rubber vamps were more flexible than the leather ones.” It is doubtful that Lucas would have been able to perform her riding tricks without those special boots. The boots helped her perform at her best throughout her career. Tad’s career resulted in her winning many competition and honors. “She won first prize for trick riding at Madison Square Garden in 1925-1926, also 1928-1932, as well as the all-around cowgirl title in 1926 and 1928-1932.” At the end of her career she retired holding the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer $10,000 silver trophy. This trophy was the most prestigious award available for cowgirls at the time. While she ended her career by winning the Metro Goldwyn-Mayer $10,000 trophy, it should be noted that she was awarded this trophy on three prior occasions in her illustrious career. Following her appearance at the 1958 World’s Fair, Tad Lucas retired from exhibition riding and served for the next two decades as the secretary for major rodeos. She passed away in 1990. In honor of her mother, Mitzi Lucas Riley wore her mother’s boots as she preformed trick riding. The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth now has the boots of Barbara “Tad” Lucas on display, on loan from her daughter Mitzi. As is evidenced in Mr. Taylor’s article, Tad Lucas was indeed the “best all-around cowgirl” in the world.