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It reads like the setup of a blockbuster movie: a second-generation rodeo cowboy starts an all-women rodeo school in Pennsylvania, with the help of a scrappy Hall of Fame Montana cowgirl. On the first day, thirty women show up, from all different backgrounds. They proceed to sell out rodeos across the country. Lifelong bonds are formed, new rodeo fans are created, and some bones are broken.
Dave Zebrovious, owner of Circle Z Bar Ranch in Fredonia, grew up in a rodeo family and has spent decades as a pickup man, stock contractor and trainer. He noticed more women were becoming interested in the sport. While women were holding their own against the men, Zebrovious believed they deserved a division designed specifically for female athletes and horses appropriately matched to them.
In 2023, Zebrovious took a chance on an idea he'd been considering--an all-women rough-stock bronc riding school. But he needed help, and he wanted the best. He teamed up with Brittany "Bucking Horse Gal" Miller, a Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame phenom who has started women's rodeo schools all over the world. On the first day of rodeo school, a whopping thirty women showed up.
"This is the wild part," says Zebrovious. "We've had girls that had never ridden a horse or been around horses. Then we've had girls that have
an extensive background in the horse industry. We've had cage match fighters, beauticians, mason workers, blacksmiths."
The common thread between these women was the desire for adventure, competition, and community.
The All-American Roughstock Academy Ladies Ranch Bronc division became the first and only all-women ranch bronc riding team in the northeastern United States. The team quickly became a hit with audiences who enjoyed seeing these strong female athletes handle such powerful animals with grit, control, and finesse.
Becki Hockenberry of Shippensburg, PA is a hair stylist, an aesthetician, a mom, and now, a rodeo star. She has been around horses her whole life but hadn't given rodeo a serious thought until her young daughter started competing in rodeo queen pageants. She wanted to show her daughter that women can do anything, whether that's putting on the glam as a rodeo ambassador or riding the bucking broncos in the ring.
Hockenberry knew that if she was going to pursue this, she was going to do it the right way. She signed up for Brittany Miller's school at Circle Z and was equally as impressed with Zebrovious' professionalism and dedication to the sport.
"He's extremely adamant about taking care of his horses and making sure that they're saddled properly," she says. "I didn't realize the horsemanship that went into this."
Zebrovious owns his horses and is incredibly selective, choosing horses that are specifically bred for rough-stock riding and have the temperament to excel at training. This is crucial for safety.
Hockenberry says that even though they are competing against each other, the women are all incredibly supportive of each other and celebrate each other's wins wholeheartedly.
"One woman just won her first buckle after a year and a half of doing this at the last rodeo we were at and everyone was ecstatic for her. No one cared that they didn't win," she says.
The rodeo is notoriously rough though, and Hockenberry recently sustained an injury that she blames herself for. She tried to ride at five weeks postpartum because she was so eager to get back to her sport. She quickly realized that even though her mind was ready, her core muscles were not, and she ended up fracturing her hand.
That's where some people are critical of female rodeo riders. Hockenberry has come across a few older men in the sport who are set in their cowboy sensibilities and don't like seeing the women get hurt.
"Even then, once they see us ride, most of the time they come around," she says.
Since her injury, Hockenberry has devoted herself to training and conditioning in the gym, building back her strength.
"I don't think a lot of riders think about how much conditioning is involved. Yeah, I took it for granted," she says. "You need a lot of core
strength for this, core and upper body."
Beyond the physical strength she's developed, Hockenberry says the rodeo has given her something even more valuable: mental resilience and a sense of community. She has formed incredible bonds with the team, Miller, Zebrovious, and his partner Karin Powell.
"I have this whole sense of community that I really didn't have before," she says.
You can catch the AARSA Ladies Ranch Bronc Division at the Washington County Agricultural Fair Rodeo on Sunday August 16 at 2:00 p.m.
Sponsored content brought to you by Visit Washington County and the Washington Agricultural Fair.