The Life of an African American Rodeo Cowgirl | VOA Connect

why people don't realize that their there - you are black cowboys and cowgirls because you don't see them in the history books my name is Denise Tyus I compete in rodeo it's a competitive event gives you such an adrenaline rush it's like a drug less high it's it's a good thing you're playing in the dirt but it's it's good clean fun that the whole family can do and enjoy I've been around it just about all my life I actually didn't start competing until I was grown but my children have grown up around rodeo it helped us to teach our children about responsibility I'm setting some goals it was really something good that it kept him out of trouble and then of course my niece she's just been coming over and riding and I try to give her a few pointers it's kind of a neat thing to be recognized as a black cowboy and cowgirl in the area but at the same time there are so few it's one of those things that you Wow we are actually on our way to a friend of ours in Hebrew Springs Arkansas now my son and my husband they're gonna do a little steer wrestling practice steer wrestling as it's called now was once called bull dogging but that event was invented by an African American cowboy by the name of Bill Pickett I don't see a lot of that on TV so African Americans played a pretty big role in the Old West [Music] trying to take extra good care of the animals from the stock to the horses that we ride we're not being hurt during the rodeo you take care of them they enjoy what they're doing they're really going to give you everything that they have you know there's no reason to mistreat them this weekend the Bill Pickett Invitational rodeo is going to Memphis Tennessee is just an event that portrays the cowboy and cowgirl from the african-american community grandbabies stuff it's like a little mini vacation get an opportunity to travel with again my husband and children granddaughters my mom [Music] have the next rodeo this evening at 7 o'clock but right now just doing lunch for everybody some of my homemade sausages that I make and everybody should be real good to go the ability to be full the horses are happy and this is what takes us to the top did you try it did you try a piece of it just a little more than an hour before rodeo time Oh hurry up and finish getting dressed you know as part of the requirements of rodeo is that you have on a long sleeve shirt pair of boots our belt buckle says a lot about what you've accomplished in rodeo and you gotta top it off with a hat pretty exciting it'll be loud and wild out there [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] right now they're doing some calf roping and you steer wrestling I'm still wrestling the guys did jump off their horse and throw the steer down and it's a race for time the guy with the fastest time wins didn't turn out the best skills get a little strong on my horn so I didn't really finish him good and the end results was he pulled it up on me and so I just let him go here a minute we're going to do some more ladies steering decorating I also do an event called barrel racing you run a cloverleaf pattern it's a speed event you have to leave all three of the barrel standing because you can hit it as long as it stays standing but if you knock it over them it's a five-second penalty then go as well as playing actually mode the second barrel down so therefore I got a five-second hemorrhage so no no no purse no no women's today [Applause] [Music] [Applause] to make a nice one probably one of the best ones we've seen her just pretty proud of her right now nice everything we've been practicing she she got that done 198 fireplace [Music] I'm pretty well you know come got the win mr. Essen finally you know everything come together horse to work good got a good skier and it's actually my full-time job now so it's a hard way to make a living but I love it [Music] [Applause] you [Music]

Channel: VOA News

Views: 25,913

Rating: 4.9100204 out of 5

Keywords: African American, black cowboy, black cowboys, cowboy, black, cowboys, black rodeo, black history, black history month, black rodeo cowboy, black rodeo cowboys, black (ethnicity), black cowboys history, cowboy (profession), cowgirl, black cowgirl, African American rodeo, VOA, Voice of America, cowgirls

Id: oNusMKgg9Dg

Length: 7min 55sec (475 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 17 2019