Skip to main content
The San Francisco Standard
Culture

Photos: Women of Rodeo celebrates barrel racers and bronc riders

Cow Palace hosted the second annual event over the weekend.

Malika Otsmane and Klara Lavicka dance with newly purchased cowboy hats at Women of Rodeo at Cow Palace in Daly City. | Source: Vivian Wan for The Standard
Culture

Photos: Women of Rodeo celebrates barrel racers and bronc riders

Cow Palace hosted the second annual event over the weekend.

By The Standard StaffPhotography by Vivian Wan

Thousands flocked to Cow Palace this weekend for the second annual Women of Rodeo event, with competitions in bronc and bull riding, barrel racing, and calf-roping.

The gathering in Daly City also honored women who have made contributions to the sport outside of competition through photography, timekeeping, organizing, and promotions.

The Diablo Ladies flank Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen KaeLee Gates.

Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen KaeLee Gates said she enjoys the community of the women’s rodeo circuit and is eager to support the agriculture industry while representing female athletes.

A young woman in a blue floral shirt, white cowboy hat, and a sash reading “Grand National Rodeo” stands beside a brown horse, with other riders and horses in the background.
Gates with a friend.
Stacks of white and brown cowboy hats sit on tables, with leather vests, bags, jewelry, and other western accessories displayed on walls and shelves.
There was plenty of merch for sale.
Shirley Chong and Christina Tan, first-time participants.

The rodeo was full of first-timers who said the event piqued their interest because they enjoy horses, the aesthetic of Western culture, and want to support women in a traditionally male-dominated arena.

Asia D., Michelle B., and Dee rock coordinating cowboy hats and denim.
The Diablo Ladies Rodeo Drill Team.
Two riders in blue shirts and black hats ride horses side by side inside an arena with spectators seated in the background.

Women of Rodeo followed the Junior National Livestock Show. The Grand National Rodeo (opens in new tab) kicks off Friday at the Daly City venue.

Two children wearing cowboy hats, one pink and one white, lean on a fence watching a rodeo arena inside a large stadium.
Young attendees watch competitors in the ring.
A white cowboy hat with a large silver and gold plaque reading “Cow Palace Miss Grand National” featuring a longhorn skull and western motifs.
Karen Pruitt and Adrianne Gorman came to support women in rodeo.
A woman in a blue denim dress and straw hat smiles while standing in a busy indoor hallway with people in the background.
Tracey Mulder, a first-time rodeo attendee, said she loves seeing women carve a path in a male-dominated sport.

Filed Under

Cow PalaceCultureEvents