THE ROUND-UP 



contestants await the call. The women are now to 

 compete. 



Sensational rides are always made by every one 

 of the cowgirl contestants, but all save Bertha Blan- 

 cett, Nettie Hawn, Fanny Sperry Steele and Tilly 

 Baldwin ride with hobble stirrups ; but hobble stirrups 

 or not, the hurricane deck of a bucking bronc is no 

 place for a clinging vine, and it was a close contest 

 between these champions. 



When Bertha Blancett's father took all the docile 

 horses away to prevent his little seven-year-old from 

 riding them, she learned to "handle and ride," by cap- 

 turing wild colts and riding the milch cows nearly to 

 death. In 1904, she not only rode the famous bucker, 

 Dynamite, at Cheyenne, but at Calgary drew and rode 

 that wicked animal, Red Wing, which killed Joe Le- 

 mare. Out of five annual contests she entered at Pen- 

 dleton, she rode out of the arena with three world's 

 bucking championships and two second trophies — the 

 greatest record made by any woman rider here. 



In the cowgirls' class none but those who have been 

 tried out and proved star riders are allowed to take 

 chances, whereas any old cowboy is welcome to 

 risk his neck; and in this contrast is an interesting 

 phase of the psychology of the crowd, who dearly love 

 to see a cowboy bucked off, but who take no delight in 

 seeing a cowgirl go the same way. 



"Going up!" says someone behind us, and sure 

 enough, auburn-haired Minnie Thompson in her at- 

 tractive leather-fringed skirt is swinging into the 

 saddle over Sugar Foot and the bucking is on — and 

 Minnie stays her horse in a pretty ride. Katie Can- 

 nutt, Lorena Trickey and Mildred Douglas, all of 

 whom have won first honors in recent Round-Ups 



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