Cowgirl Truth

I was just asked again today if I am a real cowgirl. That's a tough one to answer. I mean, if you ask anyone in my family, they would say that I am in fact a cowgirl. I ride horses, so that must make me a cowgirl, right? Also, I have a silver belt buckle, so that there is a dead giveaway, right? So you might agree with the family, but let me tell you what I think. I don't consider myself a true cowgirl. I was raised in Southern California and grew up riding horses in a drill team. I moved to northern california after high school to attend a junior college where I could take my horse and use him in some of my classes. My major there was "Pack Station and Stable Operations." A very unique major, I must admit. My major professor was also the owner of a modest ranch in the town. I would go out there and help work the cows. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I loved every minute of it.

I spent a lot of time on horseback during myh college years. I learned to start 2 yr olds under saddle and get them ready for sale. I would expose them to cows and do light cow work and rope off of them. (I can't rope worth a darn, but I do what I can) When I transfered to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (YAY!!!), I continued on in the animal science dept. Again, I spent most of my time on horses and even got paid to do it! I also spent a lot of time on one end of a rake...if you know what I mean. Job security, I guess you could say, cuz I got paid for that too! I worked a lot of cows and started a bunch of horses on cattle and took one to the Annual National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity Horse Sale. While at Cal Poly, I also helped at brandings, doctored cows, gave shots, dewormed them, etc. Yes, I rounded up cows and moved them out on the ranch. I don't call myself a cowgirl, though, because in my opinion, a cowgirl is someone who does all that stuff for a living. I unfortunately, am not at a point in my life where I have the privilege to do that full time. One day, I hope to do it again. Until then, I have just one horse that I ride and am training. She's far from being a cow horse, but I'll forgive her for that.

So there you have it. Straight from the "cowgirl's" mouth. Oh yeah, and since you asked "what do I sing?"...well, pretty much anything that I can. My biggest claim to fame is that I sang the national anthem for an Alan Jackson concert in front of about 8000 people. My dream is to sing at the National Finals Rodeo, the Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall...hey, a cowgirl can dream, can't she?