ProRodeo Sports News - June 23, 2022

BARREL RACING

“Oh Wow! This is a surprise to

me, but I feel deserving of this recogni tion. I am honored to be joining an elite group of hard-working ladies who have received this honor before me.”

– ARDITH BRUCE

Kenneth Springer photo

Ardith Bruce World champion barrel racer gets Hall of Fame recognition BY ANN BLEIKER, Courtesy WPRA

Red loved running close to home – he won the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Bruce’s hometown of Colorado Springs, Colo., six times. She was inducted into the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1997. Bruce was among the early GRAmembers to conduct barrel racing clinics and often traveled to Hawaii to conduct them. In addition to barrel racing, she spent a great deal of time on the racetrack and became the first female licensed outrider in the State of Colorado. She also gave back and remained loyal to the association for decades even after retiring from full-time competition. When the Association’s headquarters was moved to Colorado Springs, Bruce was there to help get things up and running. Her dedication and loyalty to the association carried over to the next generation with her granddaughter, Amber Bruce West, serving a term on the WPRA Board and now her great granddaughter is running barrels in college. Ardith was the one to put together a celebration party when Scamper was the first barrel horse to be inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and was once again on hand to see the first WPRAmembers inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2017.

A rdith Bruce, a standout barrel racer in the 1960s and the 1964WPRA World Champion, is getting the nod into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Bruce, who was born July 22, 1931, and currently resides in Fountain, Colo., has been a member of the WPRA since 1960, reaching the pinnacle of the sport in 1964 when she won the world title aboard a horse known as Red, registered as Straws Kingwood Snip. The duo won $6,510 that year, edging SissyThurman by $400 to win the title. That same year, Red was the AQHA Reserve World Champion Barrel Horse and in 1965 was the first GRA/WPRA barrel horse to ever be featured in color on the cover of the Quarter Horse Journal. “Oh wow,” said Bruce upon learning of her induction into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. “This is a surprise to me, but I feel deserving of this recognition. I am honored to be joining an elite group of hard-working ladies who have received this honor before me.” Bruce landed among the Top 15 seven consecutive years from 1963 1969. In 1967, she and Red won the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo the first year it was held in the Astrodome.

ProRodeo.com PRORODEO HALL OF FAME 38 ProRodeo Sports News 6/24/2022