The western Wyoming sun beats off her dusty black Stetson and she can feel the sweat beads on her back. They are both anticipating their turn in the arena. Her heart races as the horse between her legs begins to lunge towards the gate.

Rodeo, one of Wyoming's most popular sports, is not just enjoyed by cowboys, but also by thousands of cowgirls. Like the cowboys, these girls start at a young age and compete in junior, high school, college and professional rodeos. The girls' events require every bit as much practice, talent and riding skills as the boys' events do.

In junior rodeos, the contestants can be as young as three years old, all the way through high school. The junior cowgirls can compete in up to six events, including cutting, barrel racing, pole bending, breakaway roping, goat typing and team roping. In college, girls can compete in four events, including barrel racing, goat tying, breakaway roping and team roping. At the professional level, women can only compete in two events, barrel racing and team roping.

One of the most popular women's events is barrel racing. This event requires a very unique horse with lots of speed and agility. He must be able to reach top speeds very quickly and slow down enough to make three tight turns around three barrels in a clover leaf pattern. A five second penalty is added to the score if a barrel is knocked over. Not only must these animals be in extremely good athletic condition, but they must also have a sound mind and be able to handle the stress of such a fast and physically demanding event.

Unlike many rodeo events, there is less physical interaction from the rider during the run. Instead, the rider must be very focused and know when and how to cue her partner. Most of the work is done in the practice pen. By the time that they get to the rodeo, the girls should be ready to trust their horses. Don't misunderstand, riding these athletic animals at top speed around the clover leaf pattern is a workout for any cowgirl. However, the horse has the more physical job while the cowgirl's job is to let the him know when to speed up, slow down, turn and stop.

The cowgirl must be thinking about several different things at once, which is a real challenge when the average barrel run lasts from fourteen to eighteen seconds, depending on the size of the arena. Each barrel requires a top speed approach, a rate or slow down, a tight turn and a quick acceleration. The condition of the ground must always be considered as it will effect how a horse can run. For example, deep dirt in the arena may make it a little harder to accelerate quickly so the rider may have to push harder. The size of the pattern also plays a big role in the run. Typically a larger horse will run better on a large pattern, usually found in outdoor arenas where as the smaller patterns, found in indoor arenas, favor the smaller horses. Every arena is different.

For a cowgirl to be able to think of all of these variables and give her horse all of the necessary cues in only fourteen to eighteen seconds requires an amazing amount of mental condition, just as the ability to perform all of these tasks requires a very unique horse.