|
In the old days of the wild west, trick riding was a colorful, dare
devil event in which contestants competed for first prize. They
did so by performing the most difficult stunts imaginable on the
fastest horses they could find. It was called trick riding due
to the fact that most of the stunts looked impossible to
perform. As the years went by fewer people were willing to
learn the dying art. Currently there are less than 100 active
trick riders in the United States, and that number could be
exaggerated. No longer do the participants have to compete;
they are now hired by rodeos as a special entertainment for crowds.
Windy Ratchford-Lattin happens to be one of the few that had the
dedication to make a trick rider. Being raised in a southern
Oklahoma rodeo family, riding a horse came naturally to
her. Windy's parents were both successful in rodeo.
Wendel Ratchford was the 1976 IPRA world champion bull rider and
Donna Ratchford was a top fifteen barrel racer. Windy is now married
to Stacy Lattin, a IPRA bullfighter. The two have a son, Trevor.
Windy started at the early age of three watching some of the best in
the business of trick riding. At thirteen years of age,
she began teaching herself how to trick ride on one of her
barrel horses. With the help of veteran trick riders, by the
time she was 19 she was ready to turn professional. Windy now
has twelve stunts available, featuring the Stroud Layout and the most
dangerous Tail Drag. As an added twist, Windy can trick ride in
a wild west theme. This included riding upside down on the
horses neck while spinning a rope. Another stunt is shooting a
balloon with a .22 pistol while laying along side of her running horse.
Since 1991, Windy has entertained crowds at hundreds of rodeos across
the nation. She has been a member of the of the Professional
Rodeo Cowboys Association and the International Professional Rodeo
Association for over ten years. She was selected to perform for
the International Finals Rodeo in 1996 and 2002.
Windy credits her team of horses for her ability in the arena.
Bucky is a registered Palomino gelding, who has wowed the crowds with
his speed and beauty. He enjoys performing his side pass during
the opening ceremony while carrying the American Flag. Thunder
and Lighting are a matching pair of tri-colored paints. They
work together side by side during the Indian roman riding act.
Outside the arena the two work at the local track ponying race
horses. Windy has trained all three horses to become a seasoned
and well oiled team.
Windy is a part of the Red River Express Trick Riders. She
becames partners with Penny Walton of Krum, Tx. in the year
2002. Together they offer a variety of themes in the trick
riding such as "wild west", "comedy" and
traditional. The wild west theme has the girls in early century
outfits, twirling ropes, spinning guns, and performing fancy
pick-ups, all while doing a trick on a fast running horse. The
comedy trick riding has Windy's husband, Stacy in his
bullfighting gear, put on a skit to show the girls his hilarous
version of trick riding, while the girls show him how is suppose to
be done. As always the Red River Express has openings available
at no extra charge.
Windy is always willing to help with pre-rodeo publicity and will
arrive early if needed. With the combination of talent, speed, and a
little sparkle, it is guaranteed that Windy will surely entertain any
rodeo crowd. |
