08/17/2026
Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls have been performing for 50 years. Traveling all over the world and even performing for the Queen Elizabeth’s 60th Diamond Jubilee at Windsor Castle.
There is a certain kind of emotion that comes with watching the next generation of Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls grow up before your eyes—especially when you were once one of those little girls or boys yourself.
I remember what it felt like to be young, standing at Riata Ranch with a horse beside me, dreaming about the places we might someday go and the things we might someday accomplish. At the time, I don’t think any of us truly understood that we weren’t just learning how to ride, trick ride, rope, perform, or entertain a crowd.
We were learning how to become women and men.
Riata taught us to work when we were tired. To get back up when we fell. To practice something a hundred times until we finally got it right. To take care of our horses, our teammates, and each other. It taught us responsibility, humility, courage, and the importance of showing up—not only for ourselves, but for the girls riding beside us.
And then somehow, the years pass.
The littles become the leaders, then mentors and finally alumni. And suddenly, you’re standing outside the arena watching another generation saddle their horses, fix each other’s costumes, calm each other’s nerves, laugh together, cry together, and ride through that gate—and you realize you’re watching your own memories happening all over again.
That is when you understand just how special this place really is.
For generations, girls and boys have walked through the gates of Riata Ranch and left a piece of themselves here. Different faces. Different horses. Different eras. Different arenas around the world. But the heart of Riata has remained the same.
There are memories here that cannot be measured in trophies, performances, miles traveled, or applause.
They are found in dusty boots and dirty jeans. In early mornings and late-night practices. In bruises nobody complained about. In the horse that taught you patience. In the teammate who became family. In the coaches who believed in you before you believed in yourself.
They’re in the nervous little boy or girl waiting for their name to be called—and in the confident young man or woman who eventually rides into an arena knowing they belong there.
To have lived this life as a Riata Ranch Cowboy Girl was a gift.
To come back as an alumna and watch another generation live it is an honor I don’t have words big enough to describe.
To these girls: We see you.
We see the work nobody else sees. We see how much you’ve grown. We remember the days when you were little girls just trying to figure it all out, and we see the strong, capable young women standing in front of us today.
And we hope someday you’ll get to experience what we are experiencing now.
Someday, you may stand on the other side of that arena and watch another little Riata Cowboy Girl climb onto her horse. You’ll recognize that nervous smile. You’ll recognize the determination in her eyes.
And for just a moment, you’ll see yourself.
That’s the beautiful thing about Riata Ranch.
We grow up. But a part of us never really leaves.
The horses change. The girls grow up. New opportunities take you to new arenas. New generations take their turn carrying the flags and wearing the Riata name.
But the legacy continues.
And after all these years, there is still nothing quite like watching a Riata Ranch Cowboy/ Girl become who she was meant to be.
To every generation that came before us, every boy and girl riding today, and every child still dreaming of their turn—
Thank you for allowing us the incredible privilege of watching you grow.
Once a Riata Ranch Cowboy/ Girl, always a Riata Ranch Cowboy/ Girl. ❤️🐴
And what an honor it is to watch the next generation carry the legacy forward meeting new horizons.
