|
|
Rhonda Stearns, Cowboy Poet - Writer - Historian
|
Ranch-reared in northeastern Wyoming, Rhonda has spent most of
her life in the ranching industry. She has been riding since she
was 2-years-old and began rodeoing at age 8. She has been actively
involved with breeding, training and exhibiting both Quarter Horses
and Appaloosas on a national scale. A trainer, horsemanship instructor
and judge, Rhonda is a longtime member of the Girls Rodeo Assocation
(GRA, now WPRA) and is a Gold Card member of the Rodeo Cowboys Association
(RCA, now PRCA). She was Wyoming Girl's Barrel Racing Association
champion for 1994 and 1995.
In high school rodeo she qualified for four NHSFR's (1959-1962)
and competed in three. State titles include All Around Cowgirl,
Pole Bending and Barrel Racing champion three consecutive years.
National titles include Queen in 1960 and Pole Bending in 1961 and
1962. Rhonda and her gelding General Leo set a national record in
that event in 1961 which was never equaled, 15.7 seconds on five
poles.
In addition to state and national high school queen titles, Rhonda
was Miss Rodeo Wyoming 1963 and won the Horsemanship division of
Miss Rodeo America competition. She was Runner Up for National Appaloosa
Queen in 1966, and served as Wyoming Ambassador for the National
Senior Pro Rodeo Association in 1995 and 1996. As a queen judge
she has officiated at state pageants in Wyoming, North and South
Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado, at the Miss Rodeo American Pageant
in 1985 and the National High School Rodeo Queen competitions in
1993 and 1998.
Rhonda is a professional rodeo organist featured at major prorodeos
across the nation since 1966, including National Finals of high
school, college and senior pro rodeo. Since 1977 she's been writing
for horse publications, writes a weekly horse news column, and has
four books and thousands of published articles to her credit.
As a writer and performer of cowboy poetry, she's been featured
at cowboy culture events in Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota,
New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming. She's been chosen as an invited poet
for the Arizona Cowboy Poet's Gathering at Prescott in August, 2001.
Rhonda announces rodeos and horse shows and co-hosts the Double
Spear Ranch Radio Show heard across the intermountain west. She's
recorded a tape of cowboy poetry and piano music, and in 2000 published
a book of cowboy poetry, and had a poem chosen for the Cowgirl Poetry
book recently released by Gibbs Smith Press. She makes most of her
living doing ranch day-work with her husband.
She and her husband Will Stearns have published a booklet of cowboy
parables titled THE GOOD WORD, and she's well-known across the region
for her work in cowboy evangelism.
Rhonda is featured in such biographical works as The World Who's
Who of Women, International Register of Personalities, Community
Leaders of America. Directory of Distinguished Americans, Personalities
of Americas and many others. She was inducted as a Cowgirl Honoree
to the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1977 and received the All-Around
Cowboy Culture Award at the 2000 National Cowboy Symposium &
Celebration in Lubbock, Texas. She is the first woman to receive
that prestigious award.
|
|
|
|
