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being created just for girls by girls to compete at rodeos.

The actual truth is that women began competing in rodeos produced by men in a number of events as early as the 1880's when the early rodeo producers realized that women competitors drew crowds. In 1940, the Cowboys Amateur Association held barrel races at rodeos for both men and women to compete in. During World War II 'all women" rodeos blossomed primarily because the men were at war.

Men have actually been competing at speed events on horses all over the world prior to women claiming they developed the sport in the 1940's. The ancient Romans, the Native Americans, and the Spanish all competed in various speed events. Early American rodeo historians forget that barrel racing actually came from the Mexican rodeos where men competed. Barrel Racing historian Gail Woener recalls the first person she saw running barrels was her grandfather.

Today's exclusion of men from barrel racing at rodeos is upheld by the claim of tradition when real history and tradition of rodeo does not support the claims of the WPRA and the cowboy culture.

Cowboy Barrel Racers: Rodeo's Most Divisive Issue

Like so many young men, I was introduced to barrel racing through my local 4-H club more than 25 years ago. It was one of the many events at our gymkhana play days. I quickly learned to love the thrill of the race. As I got older I found out that men did not barrel race at rodeos and that for a man to be a barrel racer set him up for ridicule. Even today male barrel racers are called, 'queer, sissy, faggot'.

The high school bully mentality is alive and well in the sport of rodeo and male barrel racing remains the most divisive issue in rodeo. Today, professionally competitive barrel racers have three venues to run barrels. Those are rodeo barrel racing for women only, open barrel races and futurity barrel races. Men are allowed to compete in both the open and futurity barrel races but are barred from the professional rodeo barrel races.

There is a great deal of money to earn in both the open and futurity races but the title of World Champion Barrel Racer come from the rodeo circuit and the National Finals Rodeo hosted every year by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, PRCA. For decades until last year, 2006, the WPRA was the only women's professional rodeo association that the PRCA sanctioned to compete at rodeos and the National Finals. This year, 2007, the PRCA created their own barrel racing association for women only called

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