Ruth-Less: A Ruth Parton Story

Ruth Parton is a part of the local history that no-one seems to know about, largely because her extraordinary abilities were displayed on the road. She literally gave up family, friends, and a home to be a successful horsewoman. Her direct descendants have provided old family ranch journals, as well as artifacts and archives of her life. The rodeo life had just begun, and initially the women competed with the men. Ruth was acknowledged as the World Champion Relay Racer from 1914 thru 1917. By the 1930's thoroughbred horse racing was growing at established tracks on the west coast. Ruth Parton excelled at that sport as well, winning 45 races at Longacre's in 1945 and 26 wins with a horse named Cyclonic. Ruth was the first woman to be issued a Thourobred Trainers license. She was Native American. Her lifetime included the woman's right to vote, Prohibition, World War One, the Great Depression, the repeal of Prohibition, and World War Two. She was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame in 2019. Both forms of horse racing have evolved over time, but Ruth Parton was at the ground level beginning of what is truly an American sport today.