Photo: Getty Images
A seven-year-old Arkansas girl is breaking barriers as the state's youngest and only Black female bull rider, per THV11.
Viewers witnessed seven-year-old Laithan Dickerson's bull riding at a cowboy ropin' rodeo in El Paso, Arkansas earlier this month.
Dickerson's father, Cowboy Doc Leavy, said his daughter had been riding horses since she could walk. Dickerson's interest in riding eventually pushed past horses and into bulls.
Leavy now coaches his daughter in bull riding.
When I see her, I know she can do it," Leavy said. "She just goes out there and gets it done."
Dickerson, who's making history as Arkansas' youngest and only Black female bull rider, said she's not intimidated by the animal.
"When I ride, I feel like a real cowgirl," Laithan said. "I'm in there too, so let me try that."
Leavy said he's encouraging his daughter to break gender barriers in bull riding.
"The guys always claim to be the toughest in the rodeo world," Leavy said. "When you hear a little girl that likes to ride animals like that, you encourage her to ride more and do more."
At the rodeo earlier this month, Dickerson took home the gold, earning a trophy almost her size.
"Sometimes I can't do it because it's really hard," Laithan said. "If I try again, I'll always achieve my goal."
See a video of her bull riding here.
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