When the subject of the West comes to mind most of the images tend to be masculine. Tough men who worked as cowboys, trappers, lawmen and hard-nosed businessmen. But women have also played a major role in the West. Now, Gail Hughbanks Woerner shines the spotlight on women who played major roles in rodeo, ranching, business and more. Gail brings to life the women and their accomplishments that set them apart and makes them unique. She has spent a lifetime documenting the history of professional rodeo, but now tells stories that are much more personal to her. During her career she has had the opportunity to cross paths with and in some cases become friends with women who have unique stories. She even has the opportunity to tell the story of her pioneer great-grandmother. The women coming from a wide variety of backgrounds and many have overcome hardships that would stop most people. Their accomplishments have come in a variety of fields, normally dominated by men. Some succeeded in the rodeo arena, while others found success in farming and ranching. Many of the women found their success in the business world and even the movie industry. Most of the women have similar strengths such as hard work, determination and belief in family. But all of their stories are unique and inspiring.

The story of the cowboy strike in 1936 at the Boston rodeo is a well-known bit of rodeo history. It is also no secret that the Cowboys' Turtle Association was the forerunner of the Rodeo Cowboys Association and today's Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. But Gail Hughbanks Woerner charts new territory by telling the whole story about how professional rodeo got it's start. From the men and women who were the pioneers to the behind the scenes struggles to keep the dream alive.

The most important tool for a cowboy is a rope. What he has done with it in the last 200 years is amazing. The evolution of the cowboy from taking care of cattle on the range to his competitive, top-level professional roping is all covered here. Why did calf roping replace steer roping? What kind of rope is best for each roping event? Since ranch cowboys have been team roping forever, why has it just become so popular? What makes a good roping horse? The answers to these questions and many more are in these pages, as are the stories and lives of ropers, and some of their mounts, from every era. As J. Frank Dobie once said, ?Facts are stubborn things.??but they do make a good read!

Author Gail Woerner used her life-long association with the rodeo world to research and write a history of this paradoxical profession that requires a laugh-getter dressed in baggy britches and wearing a clown face to put his life in jeopardy to protect cowboys from the dangerous Brahma bulls, and sometimes death. All aspects of the world of the rodeo clown are included -- how the profession began, comedy acts created by the rodeo clowns, the animals they trained so masterfully, the evolution of the profession. Other aspects include bullfighting, development of the barrel, injuries which are a part of the job, frustrations in organizing, a cowboy clown's role in the world of rodeo, how sponsors changed the profession, how specialized the bullfighter has become and today's fearless funnymen. Information has been gathered from hundreds of rodeo clowns, bullfighters and barrelmen, plus interviews with wives, sons and daughters, friends and co-workers. Included are more than 700 rodeo clowns, their hometowns along with the years of performance. Other information includes honors and awards given these hilarious risk-taking heroes.