Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls: Life Lessons Learned on the Back of a Horse - Hardcover

Coming from diverse backgrounds, the Cowboy Girls are renowned for their trick riding and roping act, but they are the real thing. Here is both the grit and the glory of world-class trick riding, plus real cowboy work - handling herds of horses and cattle, saddling mustangs, and driving stagecoaches.

This is the story of Tom Maier, of Riata Ranch, and of the young women whose lives have been enriched there. Told through rich text, entries from the diary of a current Cowboy Girl, the memories of Riata Ranch alumnae, and full-color photographs throughout, the story is spectacular and inspiring.

The Cowboy Girls have performed on network TV and in rodeos, Olympic exhibitions, horse-driving competitions, and NFL half-time shows. They have traveled to 15 countries and have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, and Cowboys & Indians magazine.

Spectacular is the only word to describe a performance by the Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls. They streak into the arena on their horses, vaulting off and on at a full gallop, hanging just above the flying hooves. These young women have dazzled audiences worldwide with their daring trick-riding routines, but breathtaking performances are only part of the picture. The Cowboy Girls are "hands" in the best Western tradition. They can ride, rope, show, and beat the toughest competition.

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the values, hard work, discipline, and endurance that it takes to make the team, and share the thrill of international performance and competition. Experience the grit and the glory of Riata Ranch!

"With dazzling trick rides, the Cowboy Girls keep alive a grand rodeo tradition." (Sports Illustrated)

"Tom Maier has the rare ability to bring horsemanship to an art form. Tom's Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls are not only dedicated showmen and talented horsewomen, but most important, they are ladies." (Sharon Camarillo, barrel-racing champion, former Women's Professional Rodeo Champion, author, and clinician)