You could just as easily break your ankle slipping on ice while crossing a road - that's the view that Canadian Rae Snider takes towards her hobby of bucking out horses at rodeos.
Speaking after taking third place in a heat of the female-only ranch bronc ride at Alberta's Ponoka Stampede held at the end of June and early July, 25-year-old Rae is happy to be helping lead the way for other young women in a sport long dominated by cowboys.
While only a young sport for women in Australia, the Women's Ranch Bronc Championship was founded in North America in 2016 by Daryl and Michelle McElroy when a group of young female athletes expressed a desire to compete.
Their goal was to help women of all ages and backgrounds reach their dreams as ranch bronc riders, now known as The Trail to Cheyenne Tour, and which will culminate this year in the world championships at Cheyenne, Wyoming on July 22-23.
As well as five US competitors and three from Canada, two Australian women, Emily Collits and Emily Hawkins, plus a female contestant from Belguim, will be taking part.
The differences between their event and saddle bronc riding are that they use their usual saddle, which they'd round up cattle in the paddock with, that they're not required to 'mark out' as they come out of the chute, and they can hold a rope or 'night latch' with their free hand, though a one-handed ride will result in a higher score.
Rae Snider, one of five women competing at Ponoka, which markets itself as Canada's best rodeo, has been taking part in the sport since February 2018 and says she got her passion for riding roughstock when she started breaking in colts as part of the summer work on a family property in Alberta.
"(Ranch bronc riding is) really no different than putting a first ride on a colt, and sometimes we know the horses, sometimes we don't," she said. "We're mostly getting on not knowing what it's going to do - that's your ride."
Rae works by day for a decal company in Calgary and starting colts is her evening job.
"I get it constantly that I'm crazy, or how do you do it," she said.
"When I broke my ankle, the funny story was, when I was in the hospital almost everybody asked me if I slipped on ice and fell, and I said no I actually had a bronc step on me.
"They're, OK, it's no different, there's so much risk in everyday life.
"I'm putting myself in a situation but it's no different than me crossing a road, right."
Rae estimated probably around 100 women in Canada were taking part in the sport, saying that the ranch bronc event was a bigger sport in the United States.
"The more that it's getting out of Alberta, the more people want to start doing it, and the more rodeos start popping up in other provinces," she said.
Her tips for those women wanting to compete is to have a good seat and sit back.
"You have to have a good muscle memory and sit back," she said.
While horses acting mean in the chute could be offputting, Rae tells herself she just has to get on, ride and get off.
"That settles a lot of stuff down," she said. "It's more mental than physical."
She regards a ride earlier this year as her best result to date, getting on the same horse that she'd broken her ankle while competing in January, and winning the event.
"That to me was good," she said.
Saying that women are competinig until their mid-thirties, Rae said she'd likely saddle up to ride until she had no more fear of the event.
"Another 10 years, that's what I'm aiming for - there's going to be some good drugs on the market, that's all I'm hoping for."
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
