Tall in the Saddle : Conejo Valley Days Rodeo Draws Crowd Despite Heat

They call it Dances With Hooves.

Fifteen cowgirls from Thousand Oaks galloped into the arena, hooves pounding the turf in precise drill-team formation before a receptive crowd watching the final events of the Conejo Valley Days festival.

Thousands of people turned out for the afternoon rodeo, despite blistering temperatures that event organizers said may have slightly diminished attendance.

The heat never seemed to bother the Equestrian Trails Incorporated drill team during their routine, which merges the speed of rodeo riding with the choreographed grace of a horse show.

Other traditional events, such as the steer roping, bronco bucking and bull-riding, drew the loudest applause. But the rough and tumble cowboys weren’t the only ones strutting their stuff for the crowd.

The 15 self-described cowgirls, ranging in age from 9 to 26, had ample opportunity to demonstrate their riding skills during a 10-minute display of team riding.

“It’s exciting, it’s a real rush in there,” said drill team member Bekie Bowerbank, 15, a Thousand Oaks High School student.

The drill team performance began as loud, rhythmic synthesizer music blared from the arena’s sound system, replacing the traditional rodeo music that had accompanied previous events.

The riders--wearing matching black jeans, hats and red vests--galloped through a series of coordinated steps, which they had practiced for more than six weeks, said drill team captain Kristi Johnson, 17, of Thousand Oaks.

At one moment the riders gallop in two lines, weaving figure-eights in an intricate game of follow-the-leader. A moment later the lines charge each other, narrowly avoiding collisions as they pass inches from each other.

Although the drill team riding is about as similar to rodeo as ice dancing is to ice hockey, the cowgirls scoffed at the notion that the professional cowboys might not take them seriously.

“Rodeo has always been a male-dominated sport, but more women are getting into bareback riding and other events,” Johnson said.

“We’re just not so much into falling down and getting dirty,” Bowerbank said.

Another successful cowgirl on Sunday was Twila Haller, a professional barrel racer from Phoenix, Ariz., who was finishing a four-rodeo tour in Thousand Oaks.

A barrel racer for more than 30 years, Haller and her horse Cuidell whisked through the three-barrel course in just over 16 seconds, the top time of the first rodeo session, putting her in line for at least $500 in prize money.

“This has changed a lot over the years,” Haller said of her career in the rodeo.

“We’ve really got a good reputation these days,” she said, referring to the positive public perception that she and her fellow professional women riders now have.

Aside from rodeo, the main action at the Conejo Valley Days on Sunday was the food.

By far the most popular booth was the western pit barbecue, run by the Methodist Men’s Fellowship Club for about the past 30 years.

Around lunchtime, Bruce Oxford was doing his best to lure festival-goers into the barbecue area, where the church group annually serves up more than 2,500 pounds of barbecued beef.

Even with a proven track record like this one, Oxford wasn’t about to rest on his laurels given the recent attacks on eating beef from environmentalists and medical authorities.

“Now I know it’s kind of trendy to eat chicken or turkey these days, but it’s time to knock off this foolishness for Conejo Valley Days,” he said.

“You know, we’ve got lean, tender barbecued beef here, and we’re not talking about any puny food.

“We’re talking strong food, good American food, real beef.”