In the rugged world of bull riding, Sonja Pfeiffer is a rare breed.Last summer, the Cremona-area woman became the first female bull rider in Foothills Cowboy Association history, making her debut at the Water Valley Stampede. Since then, the 24-year-old woman who works as an accountant and flight attendant has tested her bull riding might at 14 rodeos.Historically, bull riding's male domination may be linked to the punishing nature of the sport. However, Pfeiffer's experience in the bruising competition has left her unfazed. In fact, she talks about her battle scars like a badge of honour.ìIt comes with the sport,î she said.ìIf you can't deal with pain then you can't bull ride.îAmong the injuries, Pfeiffer said she suffered a cracked bone in her leg and a torn rotator cuff. The cracked bone was easily explained.ìThat's what happens when you have a big bull come straight down on your leg,î she said.Pfeiffer was bucked off a bull she believed to have been between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds in Didsbury. Before she had time to scramble away, the animal's hoof landed on her leg.ìI was actually surprised that it wasn't broken,î said Pfeiffer, who was raised on a dairy farm near Ste-Brigitte-des-Saults, Que.ìI must have some strong bones or something.îDespite the injury, Pfeiffer wasn't willing to be sidelined.ìI wrapped it up, went down to Vulcan and rode another one the next day,î she said.Whether riding with such an injury was safe or not, Pfeiffer shrugs.ìIt was just swollen to the point where I could barely put a boot on,î she said. To that end, Pfeiffer calls the rotator cuff a worse injury.Being thrown from a bull at Buck Lake, Pfeiffer fell on her shoulder hard and at an awkward angle.ìMy whole arm was twisted underneath,î she said. ìI really didn't know how bad it was.î She continued on to a rodeo in Caroline for a ride the next day.When Pfeiffer later felt the pain at work, attempting to move a suitcase into the airplane's overhead compartment, she considered seeing a doctor.ìI thought maybe I should, but they would just tell me I can't ride,î Pfeiffer said.In terms of her performance, Pfeiffer's rookie campaign wasn't what she envisioned. Her aim was much higher than a summer of development.ìI didn't make the finals,î she said with disappointment.The prized eight-second mark eluded Pfeiffer.When asked if the lack of instant success left her discouraged, Pfeiffer didn't hesitate.ìYes,î she said.ìNot discouraged to the point that I ever thought about quitting but it played on my mind.ìSometimes it's tough.îPfeiffer said she was continually drawing highly-ranked bulls.ìBut then you keep getting bucked off,î she said.ìMidsummer I kind of hit a low, which wasn't helping.îRegaining a positive mindset was important for Pfeiffer's resilience.This was something that wouldn't have been made possible without the support of others.ìI had a guy that I didn't even know who was standing behind the chutes that came up to me and said, ëI'm sure glad you're doing this,'î Pfeiffer said, adding that the stranger offered pointers on how she could improve. As a whole, Pfeiffer has only been on 20 bulls in her life, which is a relatively thin resume for a competitive rider.ìFor how many bulls I've been on, I've done pretty good,î she said, adding that she finished her year with a strong ride at the Cochrane Lions Club rodeo earlier this month.ìEverybody was like, ëI thought you had him.'îHer highpoint was a ride that lasted just more than six seconds in Millarville. Her stock draw was Sparky, the same bull she took for 4.7 seconds in Water Valley at the start of the season.ìI like the bull,î she said.ìHaving Sparky again in Millarville, I was definitely excited.ìMy whole mindset was good going into it.îGoing forward, Pfeiffer's off-season will be spent committed to getting better.ìI need more practice,î she said.ìI'm going to hit the practice pen a lot this winter.îPfeiffer also has plans to revisit a U.S.-based rodeo school for guidance on how she can improve. She had been to the three-day camp prior to the start of last rodeo season.In terms of Pfeiffer's influence as a trailblazer, she's caught the attention of females inspired by her willingness to buck gender barriers.ì(I've met) two little girls, one's seven the other's three, who are like ëI'm going to grow up to be a bull rider,'î Pfeiffer said with a smile.ìI wouldn't say that it's opened doors, but it's put it out there that it's OK for girls to do something that's not typical.î
