Celebrate Western women at Art of the Cowgirl
It’s January, which means we successfully made it through the craziness known as “the holiday season.” The only bad thing is, now we’re stuck in the doldrums of mid-January. The ground is too frozen for daily rides, unless Santa brought you an indoor arena. In which case, where do you live, and can we be best friends?
There’s not much to do besides bundle up to ride through the snow and muck and dream of springtime shows and brandings. It’s too late to eat Christmas cookies and too early to eat Valentine’s Day chocolates.
There’s only one logical thing to do: eat dessert in another state. Preferably, a warm, Southwestern state where no one needs an indoor arena. So, get your tickets, gas up the truck and book a room to attend this year’s Art of the Cowgirl gathering in Wickenburg, Arizona, held February 24-28. Here’s what awaits at this year’s annual five-day event.
Handy Horsewomen
There’s no better place to watch top-notch trick riding, ranch rodeo, colt-starting demonstrations, and an elite horse sale. All events feature female riders, many of whom are teenagers blessed with athletic ability, horsemanship skills, and youthful joints. Just watching 16-year-old Piper Yule race around the arena at a full gallop, Roman riding two horses while waving to the crowd, makes my knees hurt. It also fills me with awe for the next generation of horsewomen. These young ladies are amazing, but don’t take my word for it — come check out their talents for yourself.
Learning Lessons
Don’t just watch all the cowgirl action — jump boots first into the action yourself! Sign up beforehand for classes ranging from silver bracelet making to backcountry packing to songwriting. You can even make your own stamped leather purse or buckskin vest.
I compiled this list using a little alliteration because I like to play with words. If you also like words, join my writing workshop on Thursday, February 26, from 9-11 a.m. Stay after for an optional third hour where we can delve deeper into the publishing process, work on your second draft, or look up words in the dictionary for fun. Your choice; I’m down for all of it.
Cool Crafts
You don’t have to sign up for formal instruction to indulge your artistic side. In between checking out the shopping, demonstrations and competitions, drop in at one of the many free craft stations available throughout the week. Projects change each year, with previous years featuring stamped bracelets, braided leather jewelry, and hand-twisted cowboy toothpicks made of copper. Dental consultations not included.
Family Friendly
Unless your dogs are your family, which of course they are. Maybe I should say, “Human family friendly,” but it ruins the alliteration theme I had going on. “Furry family free, friends!” But that sounds like we’re giving away free dogs, possibly cats.
What I’m trying to say is that dogs aren’t allowed inside the event gates. It’s actually kinda nice because then you don’t have to clean up after them. Kids and babies are more than welcome, but you will need to clean up after them. Unless they’re not your kids. Then forget about the whole thing.
That got way too confusing way too quickly. Anyway, there are lots of (human) family-friendly events offered throughout the week. Kids under 15 get in free every day, and everyone can partake in the many free crafts. Saturday, February 28, is Family Day and includes a library bag event complete with a selection of Western-themed books kids can take home. Stop by, decorate a bag, grab a book and say hi to yours truly. I’ll be handing out fabric markers and encouraging kids to read, promoting their future literacy and my job security.
Fostering Friendships
At my first AOTC, I met writers in the Author’s Tent who I keep in touch with today. I shook hands with longtime readers, snapped pics, and signed books. I reconnected with childhood friends I hadn’t seen in 20 years. I sat by a random woman at the horse sale, and we got to chatting. At one point, we switched phone numbers so we could exchange information about a particular horse we were both interested in. I have yet to hear from her, but my fingers are crossed that I’ll see her at this year’s horse sale and get the scoop.
