Billie McBride (March 4, 1927 – May 10, 2017) was inducted into the

ProRodeo Hall of Fame The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, p ...

for

barrel racing Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur an ...

in 2018. She won the barrel racing world championship title four times.

Life

Billie McBride was born Billie Hinson on March 4, 1927, in

Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove ( ) is a city located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, Texas, Coryell County with smaller portions in Lampasas County, Texas, Lampasas and Bell County, Texas, Bell counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranch ...

. In 1937, McBride witnessed a barrel racing event at a rodeo at 10 years old. From then on, she wanted to be a barrel racer.

Career

About 10 years later, the Girls Rodeo Association (now the

Women's Professional Rodeo Association The Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) is one of the largest rodeo sanctioning bodies in the world and is open exclusively to women eighteen years of age and older. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Association current ...

) was established in her hometown of

San Angelo, Texas San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin (North America), Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert ...

, and she joined, becoming a charter member. She became the association's first star by competing almost exclusively in barrel racing. For the latter half of the 1950s, she reigned over the event. The GRA was formed by women who competed in multiple events such as

tie-down roping Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping in the United States and Canada and rope and tie in Australia and New Zealand, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to cat ...

and roughstock. McBride tried her hand at roping momentarily. However, she returned to barrel racing and dominated it. She won the reserve championship in 1954, then won four straight championships, all on her horse Zombie. The record stood until

Charmayne James Charmayne James (born June 23, 1970) is an American former professional rodeo cowgirl who specialized in barrel racing. In her career, She won 11 Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) barrel racing world championships, the most in hist ...

broke it 1988. McBride also held several leadership roles in the GRA. For 13 years she held roles that included the president, vice president, and secretary roles. She was part of the team of ladies who attempted to get the barrel racing included as part of the

National Finals Rodeo The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier championship rodeo of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). It showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money winners in the season for each event. The NFR is held each year in the f ...

and produced by the Rodeo Cowboys Association (now the

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the N ...

). However, she was successful in getting them a spot in the

National Finals Steer Roping The National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR), organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), is the premier championship steer roping event in the United States. It showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money winners in the steer ro ...

for the women which made the way for the barrel racing to join the NFR eight years later. She was a four-time barrel racing world champion. In December 1955, 1956, 1957, and 1958, she won said world title.

Death and legacy

She was inducted into the

National Cowgirl Hall of Fame The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Established in 1975, it is dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an edu ...

in 1980. Her horse "Zombie A" was inducted into the

Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame The Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas, dedicated to the sport of rodeo. History This hall of fame was founded by Johnny Boren. Also contributing to the foundation were a group of Belton, Texas, b ...

in 2012. McBride died at 90 years old on May 10, 2017, in San Angelo, Texas.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Women's Professional Rodeo Association

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

National Finals Rodeo
{{DEFAULTSORT:McBride, Billie 1927 births 2017 deaths Sportspeople from San Angelo, Texas People from Copperas Cove, Texas American barrel racers American female equestrians Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductees 21st-century American women 20th-century American sportswomen