No trick to it - Rodeo rider group defies gravity in style

SEDALIA, Mo. -- Speed! Danger! Thundering hooves! And to top it all off, striking young women decked out in glittering cowgirl costumes doing amazing stunts on horseback.

That describes one of the most exciting rodeo and wild west acts in central Missouri.

It also describes the dreams of four young women who combine their love of horses, their athleticism and their courage to reach their goal of becoming professional entertainers.

They call themselves the Coyotes.

"It's kind of a symbol of the Old West," said Jennifer Trammell, one member of the daredevil troupe. "We wanted a name that would give an image of wild, and free, and untamable."

Riding mustangs

The troupe includes Jennifer, who at 21 is the most experienced of the trick riders, and is a junior at Central Missouri State University majoring in education and history; Suzie Bird, a 15-year-old freshman at Leeton High School; and Diana Thebo of Warrensburg, who acts as manager, mother-figure to all and, in reality, mom to Angela.

To add to the wild west tableau, three of the four ride mustangs, two of them captured from wild herds in Nevada and Utah, the third a son of that pair. Only Jennifer rides a quarterhorse, but has a young mustang in training to replace her 16-year-old mount.

While the oldest in years, Diana is the least experienced trick rider, getting the itch to perform while watching Angela, Jennifer and Suzie riding with a youth drill team/trick riding group from Independence called the Rodeo Kids.

After some time practicing on weekends, Diana and the others last October formed a troupe of their own and tried to make it to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit as a contract act.

Moving in that direction, they already have been able to convince a couple of local rodeo producers to let them perform in Missouri and Kansas. They also produced the opening act for the American Royal Concert of Champions in Kansas City.

A lot of exercise

The Coyotes exercise daily and watch their diets. All do stretching exercises, and Diana and Angela add weight training to their regimen and Jennifer does yoga to add to her agility and focus.

"You have to be strong and limber, too, to do these tricks without getting hurt," Jennifer said.

Weekend practice sessions begin with heavy stretching exercises and ground sessions, working out the tricks on foot before going to horseback. Then, the riders practice new tricks, first at a walk, then a trot and then a canter with the horse controlled by a lunge line.

"We do everything, even practice, with an eye to safety," said Diana. "We don't want to get hurt, and we certainly don't want our horses to get hurt."

The girls also perform the daily chore of feeding, caring for and exercising their horses to condition them for the hard work of constant, consistent galloping during tricks and to keep them looking their best for the shows.

"It is really hard work for the horses to take the transfer of weight during the tricks and still keep on the consistent gallop. At their age, they can get as sore as we girls do," said Diana.

Oooh and aaah

Each Coyote has a favorite trick to present to the crowd.

Diana, with her rock-hard abs and free weight-developed strength, said her favorite is the cossack drag, held to Cody by slipping her right foot through a loop and letting her body straight down the horse's side, ending with her head just inches from the ground.

Daughter Angela favors the hippodrome stand, putting her feet into loops at the pommel of the special trick saddle and standing straight up at a full gallop, sometimes displaying an American flag waving in the wind.

For Suzie, it's the reverse side layout, where she puts right foot into left stirrup, holds a cord around the saddle horn and lets herself down alongside the galloping mare. It's a version of the technique once used by Plains Indians to protect themselves from flying arrows.

"I love all of the tricks," said Jennifer, "but I guess my favorites would be the ballerina stand and the death drag. I also like the vaults where you drop off the side of the horse, hit the ground with your feet and flip over to the other side of the horse."

The death drag includes hooking both feet to straps at the rear of the saddle and dropping the body backward, down over the tail of the horse, with her head inches from the ground.

Why risk life and limb?

"We do it to please the audience," Angela says, "to make them say 'oohh' and 'aahh.'"