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In the early 1900s,
Mabel DeLong Strickland was called "the lovely lady of
Rodeo". Some said she looked more like a glamorous stage star than a
rodeo cowgirl champion. She was always "picture perfect" with
flawless hairdo and makeup, even while riding or roping.
She was active in the rodeo for over 25 years.
A very talented racer, she never suffered an injury. She was not
only a relay racer but one of the best trick riders of the day.
She was married to Hugh Strickland, a bronc rider and calf roper. He
taught her how to ride broncs, and rope steers and calves; and Mabel
was very competitive in these events. She had the respect of
all in the rodeo community who knew her. The rodeo
prowess of Mabel DeLongStrickland has been recognized by various
Halls of Fame.
Rodeo
Fever
I woke up early one morning
Just before sunrise
Went out to the barn there
And found to my surprise
Your horse's stall was empty
My Dooley it was gone
The Rodeo Fever had took you
You left me home alone
Now we had hauled together
For so many many years
Until that bronc broke up my back
In Jackson Hole last year
I'd thought it would last forever
We'd be together all our lives.
But when the Rodeo Fever gets you
It takes control of our lives
Oh! I've heard all the stories
How cowboys can't let go
I guess it's the same with cowgirls
You have to make that show
Well, Honey I will miss you
Still I wish you all the luck
And if you ever haul thru here
Will you please bring back my Truck
Woody Woodruff ©All rights reserved.
Rodeo Cowgirls at Cheyenne rodeo, circa 1908.
From left to right: Rene Hafley, Fox Hastings, Rose Smith, Ruth
Roach, Mable Strickland, Prairie Rose Robins Henderson, and Dorothy
Morell.
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About The
Author......
WOODY WOODRUFF |
2005 ACADEMY OF
WESTERN ARTISTS
COWBOY POET OF THE YEAR (male)
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About "RODEO FEVER", Woody Woodruff said this: "I
tell folks in my shows that rodeo is a hard sport
and has broken up a lot of bones and that has also
broken up several homes. "Rodeo Fever" is a poem about how Rodeo can
take you over."
He
was born in Hickman Co. Kentucky.
He and Carla, his wife of thirty years, have been blessed with 3
daughters and son-in-laws. They have 3 granddaughters and 1
grandson. Woody is first and foremost, a family man who is very
proud of his family and is always ready to share information about
them and pictures of them.
 Visit his web site and you will find
posted by this proud father and grandfather,an abundance of photos
of his clan.
After spending his early years in west Tennessee and west Kentucky
he moved to Nacogdoches, Texas for a few years then in the mid
80's moved back to Tennessee to Centerville (Home of Minnie Pearl),
50 miles west of Nashville. Woody has always had a strong love
for the west and the western way of life. He owned horses for years;
and spent 12 years as manager of Country Gold Farms, a Quarter horse
operation just outside of Nashville.
Although he has written stories and poetry most of his life, in the
90s he devoted his writing to the west and the cowboy way of life.
He calls
himself "the World-Wide
Unknown Poet" but that belies the facts.
Woody
has received many honors over the years culminating with being named
the Cowboy Poet ( male) of the year 2005 by The Academy Of Western
Artists. In 2004, he was top ten finalist for that honor along with
the poetry CD of the year. In 2004,he was chosen to play an extra in
the movie, "The Secret Life of Daltry Calhoun" that was released in
2005.
You can read more of the poetry of Woody Woodruff at:
http://www.woodywoodruff.org
http://www.wacobelle.org/woodywoodruff.htm
http://www.cowboypoetry.com/woody.htm
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No material on this web site may be excerpted,
copied, or reproduced, used or performed in any form (graphic,
electronic or mechanical) without the express written permission of
Woody Woodruff.
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