Ride like a girl: A narrative exploration of women in the rodeo

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to 're-present' women's rodeo stories, illustrating and unpacking the meaning they narrated from within the masculinized arena. Ten cowgirls, 6 White and 4 Native American/First Nation, were engaged through in-depth interviews and three participated in photo elicitation. They compete in barrel racing, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, and raised bucking bulls. I present the cowgirls' storied experiences using a narrative inquiry approach modeled after Clandinin and Connelly's (2000). I drew from feminist theory, social capital, and thematic analysis to make meaning of the narratives that I and the participants co-created. An all-encompassing theme of Learning the Ropes emerged through data analysis focusing on how the participants narrate their nonformal and informal learning experiences in the rodeo, the techniques they used to navigate the masculinized arena, how they resisted hegemonic rodeo norms, and their learning throughout these processes. Women described the importance of their identities as cowgirls, their family involvement in the rodeo, and their hard work to excel in rodeo. Their experiences legitimize their place in the arena. This study evolved from its beginning emphasis on the rodeo's masculine and patriarchal characteristics to find women's experiences of agency, freedom, and joy in rodeo. This study contributes to the limited scholarship on women in the rodeo, how women create a sense belonging in a traditionally masculine sport, and women's learning within and about rodeo.