Stunt performance stuns from horseback
While the cowboys were impressing the audience with their riding and roping skills, the duo of Ginger Duke and Kayla Miles wowed the crowd with a different kind of horsemanship.
Performing death-defying stunts while their horses ran at full speed, Duke and Miles, the Dynamic Dames, showcased their skills at the recent Wimberley Memorial Day Rodeo.
“Ninety percent of it is our horses,” Duke said. “We drop the reins in order to perform our tricks, so we are handing over our lives to these animals. The bond we need to have with them and the trust we put into them, brings out a different kind of athleticism of trust and patience.”
Combining their individual skills–Duke with cheerleading and gymnastics and Miles with powerlifting– with their horsemanship, the Dynamic Dames perform all over the Lone Star State and out of the state, as well.
But as talented as the duo is, their figurative dancing “partners” are keenly important.
“We try to find a horse with a little bit of brains to them but also have that fire,” Miles said. “Everyone wants the fast and the furious, which is a delicate balance to find. Once you can find a horse with a good brain, you can teach them anything–to run that fast and do that job. It’s about convincing them to trust you enough to do that job, so you can trust them in return.”
Their horses, Cuss and Pocket, are each responsible for the well being of their riders as they go around the arena’s floor.
As Duke explains, teaching the horses what to do in a worst case scenario is essential.
“It’s not a matter of if an accident is going to happen but when,” Duke said. “When an accident does happen, you need a horse that is going to take care of you and think through the situation.”
The trust between a rider and the horse starts at the beginning, as the riders take in horses that have never been ridden before.
From there, the Dames said they practice on building trust with their mounts.
“We spend hours with these horses,” Duke said. “We train them ourselves to do the Trick Riding, Roman Riding and the Liberty Riding. When we get them, they are untouched and are not broken to ride, so we do all the training with them. That way, they know us inside out and we know them inside out.”
Because of this method of training when the horses are starting to learn how to carry their prospective riders, they now know what to do when a certain trick goes wrong.
“It’s where we build that foundation,” Miles said. “I’ve had tricks where they have gone sideways and it comes down to when I need to fall and bail out … it’s nice to know that with her (Miles’ horse) she is going to stick to her job and she knows where to go. She waits in the corner and won’t move till I can get her. It’s all about their dedication because they trust us and we need to trust them.”
For Duke, that scenario became reality the weekend before.
“My horse fell on what was not the greatest ground,” Duke said. “He got up and stopped–where he could have got up and kept dragging me around in the arena. But he didn’t, because he knew I needed to stand and get my wits together, then make sure he was OK. Then we just started over.”
The bond between the horses and the riders doesn’t just end only in the events.
“Their jobs are not just in the arena,” Duke said. “They carry our children, check fences at the ranches and do real jobs during the week with us. We really do spend a lot of hours with them.”
As amazing as their work is, the Dynamic Dames said they hope to be a big influence on the kids in the stands and especially to the young girls watching, to see that there is a place for them in a male-dominated event.
“That’s why we do it,” Miles said. “It’s for the kids. It’s very hard these days to find positive role models. … To bring this undisputed level of joy and being a role model is important, because you never know when you are going to be that big influence in somebody’s life.”
