The Omaha Sunday Bee
AMUSEMENTS
EDITORIAL
TEN CENTS
VOL. 61 NO. 2.
WORLD CHAMPION
Little Oregon Lass Working
Haxd To Duplicate Wonder teats
ftqimdup World's Greatest
7orseomen Challenge For
viitie
By JACK A. BRISTOL.
Cinderellt rose from the ashes
tnd tattcri of. the cullery maid to
Ihe envied place as belle of the
prince's hall in but the wave of a
wand and then when the clock
struck 12 she was transformed
back in the twinkling of an. eye.
But here is a modern Cinderella
who rose almost as quickly from
taking a cowpuncher's place oil an
obscure Oregon cattle ranch run
by herself and two brothers from
roping' steers, branding calves and
horses, frequently sleeping on the
ground at the side of a range
campfire to the prominence of
champion woman rider of the
world, winner of the McAlpin
trophy at the great Frontier day's
roundup at Cheyenne, and much
entertained guest of the largest
cities of the east. And for her the
clock is not going to strike 12, she ,
says, for she will defend her title,
successfully she hopes, against the
most famous cowgirls of the west
when the world's championships in
the cow country sports are again
fought for at Cheyenne during the
last week in July.
A Slim Lass. " '
Slim, weighing a scant 100
unds and barely turned 21, little
Miss Lorena Tnckey looks any
thing but the champion horse
woman of the world. , It is harder
still to believe that she is known
as one of the best "cowboys" on
sher home range, and yet for several-years
she rode with her broth
ers, handling lariat and branding
iron with the best of them, and she
has "bossed her own roundup;"
no mean accomplishment for one
small maid.
Miss Trickey learned " to ride
literally before she could walk,
her fondest memory of the father
who died, while she was yera
child being that of having him lift
her to the broad, seat of his cow
addle and giving the reins into
her baby hands. His death left her
and her two brothers to run the
ranch, and as a child she would
follow them on the roundup, help
ing where she could, until she her
self developed into a full-fledged
"hand."
Her Fame Spreads.
Her fame as a rider and absolute
superior of "anything that ran on '
fonr legs," spread over the range
until someone suggested that she
enter in a small, nearby rodeo.
She did. won every event in
which the entered,' the success
bringing a desire for greater fields
to conquer. Cheyenne, where the .
world's championships are decided, .
became her goal, and with her
Iftt ria$ money, as a acst egg,
, -k fife i Ajk Wii fl.
wsry
she began to save "for a tentative
timid entry in the 'great rodeo
where the famous ones of the
cattle regions gather; -v
She raised horses, trained polo
ponies, traded for horses and cat
tle with the Indians, and then or
ganized her own roundup to
gather them up from the range,
brand them, and ship them to
market This was all but a short
while ago.
; : New Trick Feats.
And then last year, before the
gathered thousands, she electrified
the big rodeo. She won the cow-
girls' relay race, and conquered
the worst outlaw bronchos that a .
combing of the ranges of many
states could produce. She startled
other ridert with new trick feats .
. while her pony was dashing at
break-neck speed. She rode in the ;
Roman standing races against men
contestants, and overcame a wild
steer, riding with but a circingle to
hold on with.
' No lengthy deliberation on the
part of the judges was needed.
Little Miss Lorena Trickey was
announced as the champion horse
woman of the world, and the gold,
silver and diamond : McAplin
trophy became hers. A modern
Cinderella had come into her own.
Entertained at Princess.
But that was not all, she was
taken to New York to receive the
plaque, emblematic of her cham
pionship, and in her first view of
the big cities of the east, this lit
tle Cinderella was truly entertained
as a princess. Maids and motors
were at her call. Millionaires and
society folk lionized her. Boxes
at the opera and the horse shows i
were hers, and theater invitations
poured in until toward the end of
her stay she had shyly to beg off.
With the 1921 championship in
July offering the possibility of a
repetition of all this, is it any won
ucr iu miss a i niicjr wui again
battle wild horse, and wilder -
der that Miss Trickey will again
steers, risk life and limb in devis
ing new feats of horsewomanship
to go the other girl contenders one
better?
, , Covetous Eyes.
.It wilt not be at all easy, either,
this holding of a world's cham
pionship. Others have covetous
eyes on the beautiful trophy, the
trip to the east to receive it and
the wonderful experiences Miss
Trickey had there.' For the east,
to one of these cowgirls, holds all
the glamour and romance that the
west does for the eastern maicL In
factalmost . every girl on the
Vanges who has any pretense to
real horsewomanship, seems to be
W
fm
in determined training, for the
event.
Several of the more famous cow-
girls, already well known at Fron
tier days, are among those who are
expected to give Miss Trickey the
keenest competition.
Wonderful Trick Rider.
There is Ruth Roach of Fort
Worth, Tex., who won the
broncho-busting championship for
women at Cheyenne two years
ago, and who has been prominent
in several preliminary events this
year. A wonderful trick! rider,
graceful even in the saddle of the
worst outlaw horse and the abso
lute mistress of any of them, pro
Whenever I see a film cowboy leap
!'8htly to the saddle, subdue a malev-
olent mustang with one cut over the
flanks and dash madly over the mesa,
bounding over the chapparal as he
dashes, I wonder how he .gets' away
with it . ' ,;
Sometimes I think it must be trick
photography. But people who have
: . . . ,,
been in Hojlywood say theactually
qo Ii. iney uo 11 wun mean nurses,
too, horses that live only to curse
the day they were born, and' revenge
the misfortune. of . their nativity on
anybody who attempts to ride them.
I love and admire hones, but
neither my love nor admiration is in
the least degree returned..
The most gentle horse , that ever
drew a junk wagon . will' bare his
fangs and try to sink them in my
quivering flesh if I attempt to pet his
nose or give him a lump of sugar.
The first time I ever mounted a
pony he turned his '.head, 'regarded
me with a glance in which' pity and
hatred strived for the mastery and
proceeded to roll over on his back.
"He was a light pony, otherwise I
would have had to wear plaster casts
on both arms and legs instead of
merely one 'arm and one leg.
There are people who can . win the
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING; JUNE 26, 1921.
COWGIRL TRAINS
ficient in the quick changing from
horse to horse in the cowgirls
relay, and the winnef of prize
after prize in the smaller rodeos
preliminary to the big Wyoming
one, she is said to be one of the
little Oregonian's most formidable
competitors.
Among the favorites, too, will
be Mrs. Hugh Strickland, who en
joys the distinction of - nearly
keeping even -with the laurels won
by a famous husband, who is the .
broncho-busting champion.
Emulates Husband.
When Hugh began to win
broncho-busting events, his wife,
not to be outdone, 'commenced to
A Noble Animal, the- Horse
By JAMES J.
respect and confidence of a horse by
merely looking at him. I am not
one of them. Somehow or other
horses resent my glances as if they
were mortar insults and fly into a
black rage if they find me in their
neighborhood at all.
You will, therefore, understand
that I was rather reluctant, while the
guest at a farm last Sunday, to join
a little riding party that was sallying
forth to view the countryside.
I requested, when the invitation
was extended, to be allowed to ac
company the oarty in a fliwer. I
don't know . much about a flivver,
but at least it is incapable of person
al hatred, and I knew that the worst
it could do was to refuse to go.
A Fliwer Is Impersonal
Flivvers follow people about and
assault them in moving pictures, but
rarely elsewhere. I felt that with a
fliwer I should be reasonably safe.
But the man who was organizing
the party was one of those back
slapping, buck-up-old-scout pests
who wouldn't take "no" for an
answer.
"We're going over rotten roads
that no car could stick to," he said.
"I'll put you aboard an old crowbait
that is. only about two days ahead
of the sausage factory, and he can't
Hfa0L STRICKLAND,
-CHAMPION BRONCHO BUSTER, OUT AFTER.
VWOMBN3. TITLE.
enter the cowgirls' riding events.
She became a noted wild horse
tamer herself, a leading competi
tor in the cowgirls' relay races,
and thinks nothing of mounting a
wild long-horn steer for a thrilling
dash across the range.
Ak the Frontier Days last year,
when Strickland was riding a
vicious bronc to victory and the
championship, . Mrs. Strickland,
perched high upon a corral fence,
kicked trim-booted heels - against
the. boards and remarked, "Well,
there is one championship in the
family, I'll have to go after the
McAlpin trophy next time to keep
up' with him." .
,And this year she is after it
Prairie Rose a Favorite.'
The noted Prairie Rose will also
be on hand, with many who have
seen her mount a blindfolded and
roped broncho, fighting the four
or' five wranglers attempting to
MONTAGUE.
do .'any thing but die under you at
the worst. Don t stick around here
and be a kill joy. Buck up and come
6n al6ng." -
Ten minutes later he practically
carried me out ; , to the barn and
showed, me an aged shipwreck that
might have been a horse 20 years
ago, 'but which now could not be
sure that he wasn't a hat rack.
I walked up and looked at the
horse. The horse looked back at me
and his pale dead eyes lit up with a
dull glow of animosity.
He pawed the ground once or
twic e with his foot, . and again re
garded me, this time with a challenge
in his glance.
But the animal appeared so frail,
so, worn by the years, that it seemed
impossible for harm to be in him.
So,' when the farm boy had saddled
him,. I, mounted.
He stood stolidly at first Then,
suddenly realizing that I was not in
the foreground, where he had seen
me first, he cast his eyes about to
discover what had become of me.
With a final twist of his rheumatic i
neck he brought me within the line
of his vision, t ...
He Wished. No other words can
deaerttfe - the demoniac chuckle that
ecaped; from his throat
1 D
iDlFE OF WORLD
hold him , yell "Turn 'im 'loose,
boys," and with a shrill "Yrp
Yip" ride him to a finish, golden
curls streaming out above a gay
colored cowgirl costume. Prairie
Rose will be a favorite for the
closely contested championship.
Daisy Parsons, the wonderful
little rider who is not yet even in
her 'teens, is mentioned as a possi
bility, although she is too small to
take part in the broncho-busting
portion of " the contest Kitty
Cannutt, Joella Irwin, Bonnie Mc
Carroll, Dona Card Glover and
other ,noted western riders are all
said to be desirous of annexing
Miss Trickey's honors, and the
maid from the Oregon ranch will
have to surpass herself to retain
her title.
To Include Several Events.
Judged by a committee headed
by "Miss Wyoming," whose figure,
carved in gold, is the principal one
Then he brought his four feet to
gether, and with a swift upward
movement of his. back shot me up in
the air. .
When I returned to the ground,
he had gone on, but only for a little
way. I was directly in the range of
the heel that reached out for me,
but fortunately I crawled away just
in time to avoid it.
Again the farm boy held him, and
again I mounted. This "time the
horse instead of bucking proceeded
at a slow trot toward the carriage
house. I soon discovered why. The
door he went through was low, too
low to admit anything but the horse.
I was scraped off, and left flounder
ing on the floor.
Again a questirtg heel sought my
ribs, but I had rolled out of the way.
I was mad now, and determined
that no horse should conquer me.
So again soliciting the aid of the
farm boy I made my third mount.
I had just settled in the saddle
when the horse darted out of the
barn at a gallop, slid down a steep
bank to a pond nearby, and with an
acrobatic flip tossed me into the wa
ter. I decided then that time had
taught me nothing about equitation.
I quit ft
UCowlfht, nil. br SU Midictt Inc.)
LIKE
FIGHTER
UOELLA tmlN, WQTEQ COWGIRL, OF
Y 6, RANCH.
on the championship trophy, the
contest will Include several events.
The cowgirls', telay will be one
of the most exciting events. Here
each girl rider dashes in to her
station, dismounts . usually while
her first mount is still in full gal
lop, remounts a fresh horse, some
times not gaining the saddle until
she has gone a hundred feet or
more. The race demands a high
degree of horsewomanship, as a
bad break in luck might cost even
the most skillful the victory. How
ever, " the judges . will award the
highest points toward the cham
pionship to the best rider, regard-,
less of place. ,
Thrills From Trick Riders.
The trick riding furnishes thrills,
and several points toward the
trophy. In this the girls ride up
side down, jumping on and off, at
the horse's side, under it, and go
through all manner . of exciting
stunts while the horse is on a tear
ing run In this event Miss Trick
ey is said to be the . only girl who
can go entirely around under her
horse's neck and back up to the
saddle on the other side while the
horse is on the ran.
- The broncho busting is the
strong point of many of the girl
contestants,' and to see a slight,
pretty maid walk over a. a squeal
ing, kicking, biting outlaw strug
gling blindfolded against several
strong men, mount and defy him
to do his worst, makes the heart
of the normal spectator skip sev
eral beats. Ability in the broncho
riding will count heavily toward
the championship.
To Rope Own Horse.
, In one event of the champion
ship contest each maid will have
to rope her own horse, saddle him,
tie a blanket roll and slicker to the
saddle, mount and ride to a goal.
Another is left open, and each cow
girl can do in it whatever she
thinks will best demonstrate her
horsewomanship. Some will choose
broncho-busting, some . trick-riding,
but what the little champion
plans has so far been kept a dark
secret ' '
Some say it .will be something
sensationally new. Some even
think that Miss Trickey will at
tempt to bulldog a. young steer, in
, Itself conclusive . proof, of horse
womanship for a cowboy, but ab
. solutely unheard of for a girl
In bulldogging, the rider guiding
the horse with the knees, pursues
the fleeing steer. He leans far out
from the saddle over the animal's
horns and at the proper moment
. throws himself from Tiis horse
grasping the steer's horns, and with
a deft twist of the animal's head,
throws him.
. On her home ranch, back in Ore-
: gon, Miss Trickey has done this
with a yearling steer, having been
. taught the trick by her brothers.
, It is extremely dangerous, though,
even for a husky man, and should
this slight, wiry girl succeed in
such a thing, her championship
, would be assured without further
contest
Miss Trickey, in addition to de
fending her championship, intends
issuing a challenge to eastern girls,
to compete in their own kind of
' riding.
Can Ride Eastern Style,
, ' "I don't want people to think
that I am only a roughrider," she
said. "At the New York horse
; show last, winter, when I sug
gested that I'd like to try one
ol the hunters ihey seemed
shocked as though they thought
I might try to make him buck or
something. I'd like the chance to
. show the eastern girls that we of
the west can ride in their style
-as well, and should any of them
; accept my challenge, they'll find
!me ready to back it up at Chey
' enne in any maner they want from
polo riding to tooling a hunter
over the jumps."
Starts Training.
Needless to say, there is a mar
velous strength in Miss Trickey's
wiry figure, and already she has
started training for her defense
of the title in July, training as
painstakingly and strenuously as
that of any pugilist, for as she
says she thinks the east is won
derful, and she has set her heart
on winning, with the return there
as an important part of the prize.
Will the little modern Cinderella
succeed in stopping the clock from
striking 12 for her, so that she
may remain a celebrity, and per
haps while again in the big cities
meet the prince who logically be
longs in .every Cinderella's story!
She .think she. wilL , ,..
wry
