Trick riding: CFD’s most acrobatic entertainment

CHEYENNE — We’ve all heard of the bull riders, bronc riders, Miss Frontier and her lady-in-waiting, the Dandies and other notable figures in Cheyenne Frontier Days, but there is another group of people who are just as influential — the trick riders.

The trick riders are the people running back and forth at the bottom of the grandstands before and during the rodeo. They are known (and named) for doing their acrobatic tricks on horseback, like hanging off the side of the horse, standing on its back, or jumping off and tapping their feet on the ground before throwing themselves back on, all while the horse is running at near-full speed.

Piper Yule, a 14-year-old fifth-generation cowgirl from Canada, does Roman riding, liberty horsemanship and trick riding at rodeos all over the nation. This is her first time at the CFD Rodeo, she said, and her 10th year as a trick rider.

“It’s kind of like gymnastics on horses,” Yule said. “You have to have flexibility. You definitely have to have a lot of determination to do it. It’s something that’s not everywhere, so it’s kind of hard to find — it’s a very small world.”

Ginger Duke, 42, is another trick rider and Roman rider originally from Granbury, Texas, at CFD this year. She said she travels back and forth between Granbury and Georgia to perform in shows, and this is her first time performing at CFD.

Duke got started in trick riding after getting involved with a trick riding group at age 20. She did gymnastics and cheerleading before that, so all she needed to do was add the horse. She got her first horse when she was 19, she said.

“It actually wasn’t very difficult,” Duke said. “Other girls I rode with would always make comments about how frustrating it was that I could just pick it up. … I would say the hardest part is having a good horse, and I just got lucky that I had a good horse.”

Yule began trick riding because her parents both did it competitively and were among the top trick riders in the world, she said.

The most difficult thing about being a trick rider is trying to avoid psyching yourself out, Yule said. It takes a long time to learn, master and obtain muscle memory for the tricks she does.

“Sometimes you get into your own head about it,” Yule said, “and you’re like, ‘No, I can’t do it,’ and you psych yourself out. Or sometimes you get into a bad position on the horse and you get into a little wreck, but you either have to commit to it or don’t commit to it.”

Bleu LeDoux-Butler, a 15-year-old trick roper from Sheridan, Wyoming, is also experiencing her first CFD, she said. A lot of what LeDoux-Butler does involves tricks with a lasso-like rope on horseback. It provides more of a traditional western feel, she said, and she began learning the art in July 2023 after horseback riding since she was 3 years old.

“It takes a lot of work and a lot of practice to get it down, to be able to feel your rope,” LeDoux-Butler said. “... It takes a lot of hard work and concentration and patience to be able to do it, because you’re going to get frustrated, but you just have to keep having patience and keep trying.”

LeDoux-Butler is the granddaughter of one of CFD’s most notable figures: Chris LeDoux. She said the western tradition of horseback riding and being involved in rodeo activities for her family began with him.

LeDoux-Butler said it’s amazing to have the opportunity to finally perform somewhere where her grandfather is widely known and represented.

LeDoux-Butler said she also loves meeting new people at CFD, especially little kids who are excited to see the tricks she does. She’s also talked to a lot of people who have told her stories about her grandpa, which she loves to hear, she said.

“I love being able to come here and just think back on how my grandpa was here and was able to ride barebacks here,” LeDoux-Butler said. “It’s just super exciting. It’s also kind of funny at the same time because I can just be on the Ferris wheel at the carnival and say, ‘Oh, there’s my grandpa.’ It’s super special to me. It’s very exciting to see that statue, and to know he was here and he’s staying here.”

As someone who has been to many rodeos in many different states, Yule said it’s very cool to have the opportunity to perform in a place for the very first time. Duke agreed, saying it’s an opportunity many trick riders hope to have some day.

“It’s a bucket list rodeo for performers,” Duke said. “This is definitely one of those rodeos that every performer — and I don’t just mean trick riders, any specialty act — this is probably on their vision board that they want to be here at some point in their lifetime. … It definitely was a dream come true, so I’m soaking it all in. I’m loving every minute of it.”