Bronc Riding

Lisa LeAnn Dalton, 44

Fort Worth, Texas

"Nineteen years as a modern dancer prepared me for bucking broncs," says Dalton. "You dance against metal walls, on trampolines, in rock-climbing harnesses. So there may be women who are better riders than me, but few are better athletes."

The year Dalton turned 40, she decided it was time to reevaluate. "Ever since I was 5, I have been horse-crazy," she says. "So I told my family I was retiring from dancing and either taking up bronc riding or racing horses." Dalton moved back to her hometown of Fort Worth, where she landed a job managing a 25-horse stable. "I went to a lot of rodeos as a kid," she says, "and I always said that I'd someday ride bucking broncs." Female riders must stay on a bronc for six seconds to be scored, and her first year out, Dalton placed fifth in the world.

So what's the appeal for someone who's been knocked out twice, broken a finger in three places, and separated a shoulder? "I just love that adrenaline rush when you go to the edge and step off," says the one-handed rider (rare among women). She's not shy about competing against men, either. "They don't expect me to win, so when I do, they're very surprised," she says. "I beat nine cowboys once."

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