A raging bull is looking to toss off whomever has the guts to get on his back when suddenly he’s straddled by a pair of bright pink chaps worn by arguably the toughest cowgirl around – Jessica Eveland, a 20-year-old bull rider from Worland.

Three years ago, Eveland took a dare to compete in a rodeo and has been hooked ever since.

“I fell in love with it and wanted to keep doing it,” Eveland said.

Now she competes in rodeos across the Big Horn Basin, practices daily and has a bull of her own as well – an unexpected hobby for a Wyoming newcomer hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio.

“‘I always wanted to rodeo, but was a city girl from Ohio,” Eveland said.

As a little girl, she never pictured herself donning a pink helmet and riding bulls, she said. Dressage and jumping seemed like more likely events, she said, noting that she jumped at the opportunity to move to Wyoming when her grandpa bought a ranch near Worland.

“I thought she was kidding until she went to a rodeo camp; then I saw how serious she was,” Eveland’s mom, Susan McSherry, said.

Eveland’s mom, Susan McSherry, was among the cheering spectators at the Pioneer Day Rodeo in Cowley on Saturday.

“The first time she rode, I was scared to death,” McSherry said, noting that it’s easier to support her daughter’s hobby now but still gets nervous about injuries.  “It’s really exciting now.”

Bull riding is traditionally a male-dominated sport, so the bulls aren’t Eveland’s only challenge to overcome.

“I get a lot of dirty looks,”

Eveland said as she explained that many people are surprised about her hobby and ask her why she does it. “I’ve had a hard time – you’ll hear things, but don’t let affect you if you love it.”

Fortunately, Eveland is used to getting knocked around as a bull hooked her knee in the chute, and she recently got hit in the thigh and thrown into the fence down in Meeteetse, she said.

“They’re not used to having a girl ride. Some people didn’t want me there or thought I would out-ride them,” Eveland said. “But they saw how much I loved it and wanted to help out,”

Like any bull rider with half a lick of common sense, she starts each ride with wondering “why am I doing this,” she said.

“Then I sit on it and the adrenaline kicks in and I love it,” Eveland said, describing how she thinks over what she needs to do differently from her last ride while pulling up the rope.

“Then my mind goes blank – after (the ride), it is the best feeling in the world. It doesn’t compare to anything else,” Eveland said.

Despite daily practices, Eveland has a lot of catching up to do with her competition and describes herself as a beginner but does well on steers, she said.

“It takes a long time,” Eveland said.

She competes in about 10 rodeos a year in places like Meeteetse, Lovell, Worland and Ten Sleep, she said.

For now, she said she is just giving it her all and considers joining the ranks of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association a dream she wishes to achieve.

“I love the support and adrenaline,” Eveland said. “I couldn’t see myself doing anything other than this.”