GRAVITY DEFIED: Trick Riders of The Cowgirl

GRAVITY DEFIED: Trick Riders of The Cowgirl

They were fearless athletes, daring innovators and some of the first female superstars of Western entertainment.

Experience the breathtaking world of trick and fancy riding in GRAVITY DEFIED: Trick Riders of The Cowgirl, a photography exhibition celebrating the remarkable women who challenged gravity, defied expectations and helped transform one of rodeo’s most spectacular traditions.

Trick and fancy riding, an extreme sport long before the term existed, found a national audience through Wild West shows, and cowgirls from all backgrounds made the sport their own, refining, popularizing, and creating some of the most recognizable and daring tricks in the discipline.

Featuring photographs selected from the Museum’s archive and featuring Cowgirl Honorees, the exhibition also includes Champion Cowgirl Tad Lucas’ trick riding saddle and her diary.

Why This Exhibition Matters

Trick riding was part of early rodeo contests in the United States (1900s – 1930s) and the heyday for trick riding was in the 1920s. Trick riding did not become a standardized, long-term competitive event the way bronc riding or other events did for a variety of reasons: difficulty of scoring, rodeo becoming more standardized and establishing itself as ranch-skills related, and becoming seen as a female event over time. Their accomplishments represent an important chapter in women’s athletic history.

Why You Should See It

This exhibition marks the first time The Cowgirl has exhibited archival photographs exclusive to trick riding. It captures the early days when riders were limited only by their imagination.

Discover the women who defied gravity—and changed Western history.