The gendered barrel racer–horse relationship in Western Canadian rodeo

Abstract

On investigating the gendered experiences of Western Canadian ‘ladies barrel racing’ rodeo competitors, the sportswomen we interviewed emphasized their unique bond with the horse as the distinguishing feature that made them ‘legitimate’ barrel racers compared to other rodeo cowgirls, and ‘feminine’ compared to cowboys. This paper further explores how the barrel racers studied focused on their rider–horse interaction to discursively separate themselves from other rodeo women and men. First, we examine how discourse informs the creation of subjects in the rider–horse relationship among ‘legitimate’ barrel racers. An expanded understanding of subjectification reveals three distinct, yet interrelated subject positions in barrel racing (the athlete, the team member and the trainer) that set them apart from other rodeo women. Second, the analysis uncovers their reproduction of normative femininity in the way they differentiated themselves from male horse trainers and rodeo competitors based on their distinctive rapport with the horse.