Cowpunching was a man's world; women who entered had to conquer it or get out.
Those who were successful, however, left their own special brand on the West.
Some learned how to ride, rope and shoot as well as any man, and became well-known rodeo celebrities.
Not all ranchwomen became rodeo queens, but there were many who could do a "man's work" on the range.
It was grueling work, usually without pay, that often required women to do things such as
ride astride wearing buckskins, which some people considered scandalous.
But on a ranch where the cattleman's family set the tone, there were few other women to pass
judgment and few men who dared. A cowboy was not likely to criticize his boss's wife or daughter -
especially if, as sometimes was the case, she was a better shot.

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