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Mich. firefighter/paramedic rides to break barriers in women’s ranch bronc circuit

Alpena Firefighter/Paramedic Abby Smith is one of only a handful of women riding rough stock in Michigan

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Abby Smith bronc riding at the Twisted P Rodeo at the Alpena County Fair.

Heather Shape of Heather Rae Photography

ALPENA, Mich. — Alpena Firefighter/Paramedic Abby Smith climbed aboard bucking stock during the Twisted P Rodeo at the Alpena County Fair, one of only a few women in Michigan competing in the women’s ranch bronc circuit.

Smith says she knows of just three female rough stock riders statewide. Bronc riding has a “thick and rich history,” Smith told the Alpena News, but women have only been welcomed back in the last decade after competing from the late 1800s until the mid-1900s, when participation ended following a rider’s death in 1929.

“It’s definitely a man’s world,” Smith said. “People kind of look at us like we’re crazy.”

Raised in suburban Rochester Hills, she gravitated to bucking horses rather than bulls and competes under the tagline “From burbs to broncs.”

Smith trained at a bronc school led by champion rider Brittany Miller, logging six practice broncs there and 10 more in competition across Michigan. After Alpena, her total rides will reach 18. New to the circuit but committed to growing it, she hopes more women will step in.

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Bill Carey is the associate editor for FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com. A former Maryland volunteer firefighter, sergeant, and lieutenant, Bill has written for several fire service publications and platforms. His work on firefighter behavioral health garnered a 2014 Neal Award nomination. His ongoing research and writings about line-of-duty death data is frequently cited in articles, presentations, and trainings. Have a news tip? He can be reached at news@lexipol.com.