Celebrating a Decade of Excellence in Women’s Ranch Bronc Riding

 By Lori Bizzell//Photo Courtesy of Michael Magill

Every summer, roads from across the world lead to Cheyenne.

Some journeys begin a few hours away. Others begin thousands of miles from Wyoming, crossing oceans, borders, and time zones. Yet each year, women from around the globe make their way to chase the same dream ~to ride beneath the bright lights of Cheyenne Frontier Days and earn their place among the best in women’s ranch bronc riding.

Today, the Women’s Ranch Bronc Championships is recognized around the world. Riders qualify through events stretching across multiple countries. Friendships have been forged, confidence has been discovered, dreams have been realized, and opportunities have been created.

Yet ten years ago, none of it existed as it does today.  There was no international organization. No Trail to Cheyenne. No world finals drawing competitors from multiple countries. No network of riders connected by a shared love of ranch bronc riding.

Until there was an unexpected turn in the lives of Daryl and Michelle McElroy.

And a vision that would eventually change the landscape of women’s rodeo.

Like many stories worth telling, the WRBC’s story did not begin in an arena.

It began with people.

The McElroys recently celebrated their eighteenth wedding anniversary.

Long before championships, rankings, sponsors, and international affiliates, there was simply a husband and wife building a life together.

Rodeo had always been part of Daryl’s story. Michelle’s story looked very different.

“I’m originally from Florida,” she said. “I always joke that I went from beach life to rodeo life overnight.” Growing up, rodeo was not part of her world. “I was a beach girl,” Michelle said. “Daryl has been involved in rodeo his entire life. I think he was born on the back of a horse.”

While Daryl spent much of his life riding saddle broncs and immersed in the Western lifestyle, Michelle brought a different perspective. Over the years, she embraced the culture, the people, and the values that define rodeo life. Looking back now, she laughs about the learning curve.

But neither of them knew how important those lessons would become. Because in 2015, everything changed. Daryl was entered at a rodeo in Wickenburg, Arizona, when a ride ended with an injury. “I broke my back,” he said. The severity became clear almost immediately. “The doctor was like,  “Two millimeters from being a spinal cord injury.’” Had the injury shifted slightly differently, Daryl could have been paralyzed.

What followed was a long list of things he would no longer be able to do. “You can’t do this anymore. You can’t do that anymore,” Daryl remembered hearing. Rodeo. Dirt bikes. Skydiving. Many of the activities that had defined his life suddenly seemed gone. “I’d never had somebody tell me I couldn’t do something.”

The injury affected far more than his body. There were days when simply getting out of bed felt impossible. The pain was constant. The uncertainty was overwhelming. Michelle watched it all unfold. “He was in pain all the time,” she said. “It basically changed his life overnight.”

While she knew rodeo was important to her Daryl. What she didn’t fully understand just how important and just how deeply it was woven into who he was.

“Once it was taken away from him, I saw what an integral part of his life it actually was.” She knew something had to change. Not because she could fix the injury. But because she wanted to help him remain connected to the sport he loved.

What eventually became the WRBC started with a much simpler idea.

Scholarships. Daryl wanted to create opportunities for rodeo athletes who, like him, might one day face an injury that would change everything. “I wanted to give back,” he said…

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