OklahomaHorses Magazine November 2022

November / December 2022 • OklahomaHorses 15 award because of Bobby’s performance — standing still until the rider was ready. Karen Bailey Cooper from Bartlesville started to participate with the SS in the ninth grade. She and her pinto named Baldy scored ribbons of all colors — blue, red, yellow, white, pink, and green. In 1973, Cooper was named SS queen for be- ing the best representative of the club based on riding skills and personality. The queen always participated in the Pawhuska Cavalcade Rodeo, and one year, Cooper faced 53 queen candidates. The competitors were hosted at a queen breakfast where they were judged on poise, personality, horsemanship, and reining. Preparing for Competition The Sooner Saddlers group was formed in the late 1950s and had its first showing against its archrival, the Bartlesville Round Up Club. It is estimated that 50 youth roundup clubs were active in Oklahoma at about that time. Young lady saddlers far outnumbered young men — but the two boys in the Sooner Saddlers club were competent and well respected. The SS practiced every Saturday on a clearing near Rice Creek Road in Bartles- ville. If the weather turned bad, the practice session moved inside the Bartlesville First National Bank building — without the horses. To prepare for competition, the Sooner Saddlers studied the moves by becoming fa- miliar with the steps, handwritten on pieces of paper. The Sooner Saddlers Facebook page shows a few of the moves blocked out, such as thread the needle, pinwheels, circles, and cloverleafs. Arrows were drawn to indicate the intricate, complex competi- tive steps for pair-ups, split-offs, single file, and circles. Each competitive event ran through the weekend, with the first day for qualifying and the second for competitors who had advanced. Trophies were handed out on the second day. The Cavalcade Drill Team was dubbed the “thrill team,” and it involved a group of competitors who rode horses in a series of patterns. The Sooner Saddlers made sure the horses and their riders were positioned to take advantage of their particular skills and experience. Cooper described what it was like prior to opening day of the Cavalcade. The SS girls camped on cots in a big tent near the arena, and a smaller tent was staked for the boys. A horse trailer was turned into a shower. “People just tied their horses to their trailers with a long lead,” allowing the horses to lie down at night. “There was no theft. No bad guys. Just a lot of fun,” Cooper added. Dressing To Impress In addition to their impressive horseman- ship skills, the Sooner Saddlers dressed to impress. “We looked cool,” Allison said. The Sooner Saddlers’ uniform consisted of a vest, white shirt, white cowboy hat, pants, and superbly decorated chaps. If a rider could not find the right color hat, it was spray-painted white. The former Sooner Saddlers claim on the Facebook page that they wore the chaps proudly. Allison said the chaps “weren’t so bad, but they were hot to wear.” The horses might not have been all that comfortable in competition gear either. Each wore a Sooner Saddlers logo breast- plate and leggings with six buckles per leg. It was time-consuming and somewhat difficult to fasten them all. The Sooner Saddlers were trained and chaperoned with safety in mind, but some- times close calls occurred. One day two horses collided in an incident that Allison said could have been tragic. The exercise involved crisscrossing, and apparently one horse did not get steered properly and ran into Allison’s Bobby. It could have been serious, she said, because horses are 1,300-pound animals. Cooper has fond memories of the Sooner Saddlers. “Most of my competitors were my friends,” she said. “What’s better than spending a day with your friends, showing off your hard work, and doing so with your best horse friend?” Karen Bailey Cooper was Miss Sooner Saddler in 1973. Photo courtesy of Karen Bailey Cooper. A belt buckle is a cherished souvenir from the Sooner Saddlers’ competition days. Photo courtesy of Andrea Chancellor.