Born in 1930 at Grandfield, Oklahoma, Frances Smith practically grew up on the back of a horse and could do just about anything while seated in a saddle. She began running barrels long before the cloverleaf pattern was implemented and joined the Rodeo Cowboys Association in the 1950s.
Smith joined the Girls Rodeo Association in 1967, the same year she qualified for the National Finals Rodeo, and won the NFR average. She would go on to qualify for the Finals again in 1969.
She won pro rodeos across the country, including Houston, Denver, San Angelo, and Little Rock. She also served as a timer and bookkeeper at professional rodeos and was a 40-year member of the American Quarter Horse Association. A longtime horse trainer, Smith also gave barrel racing lessons and clinics.
A 2000 inductee into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, Frances Smith died in 2013 at age 82.
