Cowboy to the Core: Cowgirls of Color

When the Cowgirls of Color relay team first assembled, only one member knew how to ride a horse. The team quickly mastered the art of riding together and their mission has since expanded outside of the arena as an all female group made up of black cowgirls from the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.

“Overall, The mission of the group is to show women that barriers can be broken no matter what you go through, or what people think, or how hard it is, or whatever the case may be,” Cowgirls of Color Manager Crystal Orr said.

Over the past five years, the Cowgirls of Color have competed in numerous events and attracted the attention of major media outlets like The Today Show, The Guardian and The Washington Post. When they aren’t competing, the team hosts their own events to introduce young kids to horses and the Western lifestyle in an area where there aren’t many opportunities to do so.

“If you’re doing something that is non-traditional and what some people might think of as amazing, it’s important to stick with it, go as far as you can go with it, and then also pass it down, pass it over, pass it up and forward to everybody else that you come in contact with,” Orr said of what the group is hoping to do. “The world is a stage and you get to choose your role,” Cowgirls of Color team member Brittaney “Britt Brat” Logan added. “It’s up to you to decide what type of impact you will make.”