CALDWELL, Idaho — The Caldwell Night Rodeo has long been a front-runner in championing female athletes, and this year is no exception. From the arena to the boardroom, women are playing a central role in one of the Pacific Northwest's most celebrated rodeos.
Megan McLeod-Sprague, a champion barrel racer competing in this year's rodeo, said the road to equal pay was not easy.
"It was a fight for a lot of years for the women's purse to match the men's purse," McLeod-Sprague said.
McLeod-Sprague lives in Marsing, making the Caldwell Night Rodeo her hometown event. She said she is proud to be among the women helping to shape its future.
WATCH | Hear from the women of the Caldwell Night Rodeo
"I think that kind of commonly in rodeo, the old-school cowboy mentality shows through, um, where I think that with growth and progress, the women have a real unique vision of that," McLeod-Sprague said.
RELATED | Caldwell Night Rodeo announces record-breaking purse increase totaling $378,000
Matching purses for women's events is common in nationally recognized rodeos, but the Caldwell Night Rodeo was among the first in the Pacific Northwest to do so.
"We're up to $42,000, which is pretty amazing," McLeod-Sprague said.
Women are also leading the rodeo off the dirt. Angelique Rood serves as the third female president in the rodeo's 102-year history.
"It's been the greatest honor of my life," Rood said.
Rood pointed to the rodeo's history of inclusion as a source of pride.
"We were one of the first large rodeos to include breakaway roping; many rodeos didn't bring that on until the last couple of years," Rood said.
She also emphasized the rodeo's commitment to equal pay for all competitors.
"All of our events have an equal payout to make sure we support all our athletes," Rood said.
While many rodeos have added breakaway roping on a limited budget, the Caldwell Night Rodeo has paid out cowgirls equally and has done so for years.
During a visit to the rodeo, the second-ever female president, Nikki Zachary, stopped by, carrying a picture of her mother, Melda, who served as the very first.
"She was the first female president ever of any large rodeo," Zachary said.
The rodeo runs through Saturday, with champions declared Saturday night.
For Canyon County happenings, news, and more— join our Facebook Group: 2C Neighborhood News - Nampa, Caldwell, Middleton
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
