Wild Women

Talented, tough and jaw-droppin’, these riders metformin hydrochloride brand name know their horses metformin 850 mg weight loss and their herstory just they know the back of their guns
Story by Stacey Jo Geier    Photography by Jason Dailey

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Though they raise money for charity, sell cookbooks and often wear wedding dresses to authenticate the lace and tassel fashions of the late 1800s, there is nothing prissy about the Wild Women of the Frontier.

They’re likely to call you a “skunk- smelling cactus face” or, if they take a particular interest in you, a “possum-faced scallywag.” They whoop and they holler and they’ll warn you to keep an eye on your menfolk, your women and your wallet when they storm into town.

Their paths often meander on the wrong side of the law and are littered with ex-husbands and fools who should have known better. These gals are reincarnates of outlaws, gun slingers and madams storming back from the past to remind us and themselves of the famous phrase from historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich that “well- behaved women seldom make history.”

Unrepentant heartbreakers, they do have one true love: their horses. They coax and pamper their steeds through rigorous training to condition them to the roars of firecrackers, guns and cowgirls. And then they ride them hard.
Founded in 1996 by a group of 35 local women who shared an interest in horses and history, this nonprofit group saddles up for parades, arena performances and even the occasional wedding reception— with no prior promise they won’t abduct the groom.

“During parades we ride down the street making as much noise as we can.

We like to flirt with people and get them into a hee-haw yelling contest from one side of the street to the other,” says Jane Pennington, a Wild Women rider for the past three years.

Their one big secret—though don’t let them know that we wrote this—is that they all lead secret lives. The cowgirl characters are all unruly personas portrayed by shockingly respectable modern-age businesswomen, community leaders and kind souls with—are you ready for this?— somewhat bookish dispositions.
Each real-life cowgirl is required to choose a historical figure and write a biographical sketch of her character. There are even rules for cultural authenticity. The cowgirls create their own historically accurate costumes before riding out with the pack.

During the performances, they tell people about their characters and impart some pioneer history.
“We strive to preserve history through education,” explains Pennington.
But all that sensitive book-smart business doesn’t mean they aren’t the most hellacious riders to ever put on a pair of bloomers. And if you have a problem with that,theWildWomenwillprobablyletyou know you’re just a lily-livered coward.