Born Barbara Barnes in 1902, Tad Lucas was raised around Cody, Nebraska, and started racing horses in her youth. She entered her first rodeo in 1917 (taking first in steer riding) and, within a few years, was a rising star among female performers.
A racer, trick rider, and rough stock contestant, Tad Lucas was among the colorful cowgirls who performed at the 1924 Tex Austin Rodeo in London. In 1930, she won permanent possession of the coveted Metro Goldwyn Mayer Trophy for three successive victories as All-Around Champion Cowgirl at the great Madison Square Garden rodeo. In 1940, Lucas joined the U.S. Rodeo Team, competing in the Royal Easter Show at Sydney, Australia.
With husband Buck, Tad Lucas produced rodeos for several years and rodeoed in some capacity for four decades. Until her death in 1990, she lived in Fort Worth, Texas, not far from her daughter Mitzi Riley, herself once a trick rider. In 1989, the Tad Lucas Memorial Award was inaugurated in her honor.
Bio
EVENTS All-Around Champion Cowgirl, 1928-1930
Born Barbara Barnes in 1902, Tad Lucas was raised around Cody, Nebraska, and started racing horses in her youth. She entered her first rodeo in 1917 (taking first in steer riding) and, within a few years, was a rising star among female performers.
A racer, trick rider, and rough stock contestant, Tad Lucas was among the colorful cowgirls who performed at the 1924 Tex Austin Rodeo in London. In 1930, she won permanent possession of the coveted Metro Goldwyn Mayer Trophy for three successive victories as All-Around Champion Cowgirl at the great Madison Square Garden rodeo. In 1940, Lucas joined the U.S. Rodeo Team, competing in the Royal Easter Show at Sydney, Australia.
With husband Buck, Tad Lucas produced rodeos for several years and rodeoed in some capacity for four decades. Until her death in 1990, she lived in Fort Worth, Texas, not far from her daughter Mitzi Riley, herself once a trick rider. In 1989, the Tad Lucas Memorial Award was inaugurated in her honor.
