“Cowboyin’ is women’s work.”
Bobbie Hammond, Olpe, has managed as many as 25,000 acres of Flint Hills grass and 8,000 head of cattle.
Saturday afternoon, October 8, 2 o’clock, at Pioneer Bluffs, a historic Flint Hills ranch near Matfield Green.
At the same time, she was a professional rodeo barrel racer. She won in the Old Timers’ Rodeo National Finals when she was a grandmother, and that was 40 years ago.
Hammond will share her life’s story in a Prairie Talk, Saturday afternoon, October 8, 2 o’clock, at Pioneer Bluffs.
“I always thought cowboyin’ is women’s work,” said Hammond. “It never occurred to me there was anything I couldn’t do because I was a woman. I was working with my dad from the time I was big enough to ride.
“I know it isn’t the kind of work every woman would want to do. Probably not every man can do it,” she continued. “It’s a lot of hard work. I do everything from breaking colts to fixing water gaps to treating sick steers. It’s knowing what an old steer will do before he even thinks of it himself.”
Today at age 83, Hammond is still working. “I don’t let a lot of grass grow under my feet,” she declared. “It is a lifestyle, I think.”
There is no cost to attend, but reservations are requested, with additional information, from Lynn Smith at lynn@pioneerbluffs.org, or 620-753-3484. Details can be found at pioneerbluffs.org, or on the Pioneer Bluffs Facebook event page.
Mission of Pioneer Bluffs is to preserve and share the ranching heritage of the Flint Hills. A National Register Historic District, Pioneer Bluffs is on Flint Hills National Scenic Byway K-177, one mile north of Matfield Green.