Cowgirl Smarts: How to Rope a Kick-Ass Life [Paperback]

Ellen Reid Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

Cowgirl Smarts will make you want to saddle up, and follow your dreams!

Wild West cowgirls were bodacious and lived amazing lives, almost too fantastic to believe. They bucked all the norms and persevered against tremendous odds to live full and adventurous lives. Cowgirl Smarts identifies the characteristics that made these cowgirls successful at roping more out of life when others thought they shouldn’t.

Cowgirl Smarts is about being fearless, adventurous, original, resourceful, independent, faithful, honest and genuine. The book demonstrates how to get cowgirl smart through the stories of real cowgirls from the Wild West and early rodeo days. If you want to rope a kick-ass life or to enjoy some fun cowgirl history, then this book is for you. It’s a sassy guide for finding your cowgirl spirit and thinking outside the ranch.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Cowgirl Smarts is for cowgirls and city slickers alike who want to rope more out of life. Cowgirls who lived in the 1800s and early 1900s are inspirational to all women because of their passion for life and their tenacity to live it on their own terms. They bucked the norms with all they had, and lived a fuller life for it. They were bodacious, clever and admired. You don’t have to ride horses to appreciate these cowgirls’ amazing stories, but if you do ride, you’ll love the horse metaphors the author uses. It’s a fast-paced trot down a remarkable path that you’ll want to emulate.

The author defines Cowgirl Smarts as the winning characteristics of amazing Wild West cowgirls and organizes these characteristics into the new Cowgirl Creed. The Cowgirl Creed is seventeen lessons for roping a kick-ass life. Each lesson is illustrated with a story about a cowgirl who exudes that characteristic. Each chapter ends with suggestions on how you can adopt the characteristic into your own life. It’s a sassy romp through the Wild West that has immediate correlations to your own life.

While the book will definitely motivate you to put more giddee-up in your stride, you’ll also love the fact that each cowgirl story has been carefully researched by the author—these are real women you’ll want as your heroes.

From the Author

This book is based on my life-long love and admiration for cowgirls, particularly those who settled the West. I spent years identifying and researching the cowgirls in this book. The stories almost seem too amazing to believe, but I assure you that they are all true.

As a reader, I was always disappointed that most published western history focused on the bad girls of the West, this book focuses solely on successful cowgirls who held honor and ethics above all else. These are the women that lead the way for the modern Americana woman. These are the women who burned their sidesaddles in protest and swung their leg over a horse to ride astride—scandalous at the time. We all owe them our gratitude. I hope this book not only sheds light on these women's accomplishments, but also motivates you to be more like them. Read it to get some cowgirl smarts of your own, then let 'er buck!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Reid Smith & Associates, Inc. (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976080508
• ISBN-13: 978-0976080503
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 4.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BOOK for every woman!!!, January 4, 2007

By 

Richard R. Ashbaugh "Old Geezer" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cowgirl Smarts: How to Rope a Kick-Ass Life (Paperback)

Every woman, whether a teenager, whether in her twenties and thirties, or even in her sixties, should read this book. Based on the TRUE lives of women who lived in the West, or Cowgirls, this small volume provides an enormous amount of insight into life in general and to growing and living as a woman. Very inspirational.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cowgirls' inspiring lives, May 2, 2007

By 

Foto Gato "critical amateur photographer" (Ft. Thomas, KY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cowgirl Smarts: How to Rope a Kick-Ass Life (Paperback)

Using the lives of western women who made a difference in their own lives and that of others, the author provides brief biographical sketches and relates those lives to her typology of self improvement. It's an interesting approach and serves well to exemplify how ordinary folks provide the substance of history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BIGMAC, January 18, 2008

By 

Susan K. Mcknight "SKM" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cowgirl Smarts: How to Rope a Kick-Ass Life (Paperback)

Great book in that it combines little known historical info about women pioneers that the author turns into ideas which inspire positive thinking/actions. Definately a good gift for a girlfriend, woman business colleague & a guy who thought only the cowboys ruled the West!