Teaghan Bertamini is getting ready for another trip. She’s heading to Hinton, Alta., for the Brule Heritage Rodeo this weekend. The 18-year-old from Acme, Alta., is one of the few female bull riders in her sport. She says it all began seven years ago. “My brother was riding, and when they were at the rodeo, there was this little calf in the back, so everyone told me to get on it,” she said. “So I did, and I was like, ‘This is kind of fun,’ and I entered my first rodeo school in 2019 and was like, ‘This is fun, and this is what I want to do.’” Injuries part of the game Bertamini rides both cows and bulls. Getting on the backs of those big animals isn’t for the faint of heart. You have to be tough, and you know there’s a good chance you’ll get hurt, and Bertamini says she’s had her share of injuries over the years. “I’ve definitely had several concussions,” she said. “In October, I tore my MCL and PCL in my right knee, so that definitely took me back a few steps.” Adrenaline junkie None of those injuries have made Bertamini think about giving up on the sport. She’s an adrenaline junkie and says there’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting in the chute and trying to get the better of the beast. “I just feel like I’ve conquered something so big after I’ve stayed on for the eight seconds, and I think, ‘I just did that,’ and the adrenaline rush really gives me something,” she said. Bertamini would love to inspire other young females to give the sport a shot. She says she plans on competing for many years to come. “Kind of wherever it takes me,” she said. “I just want to keep riding. Right now, I’m more focused on the cow riding because a new association just started for just ladies’ cow riding, and I’m really trying to advocate that and get more girls into the cow riding just to show that girls can do rough stock—it’s not just for the men.” Eventually, Bertamini says she may head to the United States to compete in bull riding. There’s an association in Florida and Texas called the Elite Lady Bull Riders, and she wouldn’t mind trying her hand there when she’s a little older.
