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London Gladney’s mom says her daughter has a need for speed.
At age 16, Gladney is a prodigy on the junior rodeo circuit. She started competing at age 7 and, earlier this year, won first place in pole bending at the California Junior Rodeo.
When Gladney arrives in Portland this weekend, she may defy some Oregonians’ stereotypes about rodeo riders. A self-described Black cowgirl from Compton, Calif., she’s grown used to brushing off incredulous remarks. “A lot of people, they’re like, ‘Oh, she’s from Compton? They have horses in Compton?’ And I’m like, yeah, they do have horses in Compton. You’ll be surprised.”
Gladney is traveling to Portland for the Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo on Saturday, June 17—the first Black rodeo held in Oregon. The event at the Portland Expo Center is the brainchild of Portland photojournalist Ivan McClellan, who has spent much of his time documenting Black rodeos across the country and decided to host one of his own. Events will include bareback horse riding, breakaway roping, bull riding and barrel racing.
Gladney is bringing her horse Chrome with her to compete in the barrel race. In that race, the horse and rider sprint out to a set of three barrels spaced roughly 30 feet apart. The horse races to the first barrel, circles it, and then does the same with the other two before sprinting back to the start line. Gladney can do it in less than 14 seconds.
For Gladney, it’s about going fast—and a little more than that. This will be her first Juneteenth rodeo and she says she can’t wait. WW spoke to her by phone last week about how she got her start in rodeos and what it means to be a Black cowgirl.
WW: You began riding as early as 4. What was it like, essentially growing up riding a horse?
London Gladney: When I was little, I used to cry when my dad or anybody used to try to take me off the horse. I looked up to my dad, and everybody around him. I’m like, “That’s what I want to be like, I want to ride horses.”
Your dad, Dihigi Gladney, was a bull rider. What is it like having someone with that kind of experience so close to you as you’re growing up and competing?
Being a Black cowgirl, you show up and people are like, “Oh, she’s black, She don’t know what she’s doing.” Well, I show up, and they’re like, “Oh, she do know what she’s doing.” And I do know what I’m doing. Because I have my dad, who knows a lot.
When did you first begin competing in rodeo?
I was 7. It was scary at first. I was a little girl and I didn’t have enough friends. I had this little pony, Asia, we would be starting to run in and, before you know it, she’s bucking me off. And then everybody just used to laugh. Then as I got older, I had a lot of friends and then I started winning a lot and I just love it.
How often do you switch horses?
As of right now, I personally own 10 or 11 horses to myself. Right now, I have two solid horses that I use, Chrome and Cruiser. Chrome is my pole and barrel horse and Cruiser is just my barrel racing horse. Chrome is like a little puppy. Sometimes, I could just be standing next to him and he’ll just lick my face like a dog, or sometimes he’ll just rest his head on my shoulder.
Every now and then I’ll sneak off and go ride my auntie’s horse Pumpkin. She’s a really good barrel horse. I’ve got wins back to back on her before. I always rode different horses growing up. I could just jump on somebody’s horse and I’m like, “Oh, I’ve rode this horse’s style before. I should be good to go.”
Between barrel races and poles and any other events, which one is your favorite? Why?
I really like barrels. Barrels is my favorite.
Gladney’s mother, Shavon, interjects: The need for speed.
Gladney: Yeah, you get to go really, really fast, and I like that.
Barrels can be kind of a scary thing to watch. What are you thinking when you do barrels?
I’m going to be honest with you: I black out half of the time. I don’t remember anything, like half the time. I remember some things but like, once I’m going, I’m going. I’m just like, “Oh my gosh, I need to go faster.”
How do you get yourself mentally prepared? When you’re riding up to the barrels to get started, what is going through your head?
I isolate myself away from everybody. Like some people are like, “Oh, I saw London during the barrels. She didn’t say hi to me.” I’m like, I promise I saw you, but right now I’m getting ready to go. I try to stay away—that way, the nerves don’t kick in.
What drew you to the Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo here in Portland?
I’ve always wanted to attend a Juneteenth rodeo. But they’re always in Oklahoma and Texas, far away. Then I saw that it was coming and I got the text message. And I begged my dad, “Please, let me go.”
Is there anything specific that you’re really looking forward to?
I hope it’s really a big audience. I love the big audience. My horses love the big audience. And it’s good to see a show sold out because that means a lot of people that drew their attention, like, “Hey, Black cowgirls, let’s go watch. This should be fun.”
I try to show out to represent us Black people. It surprises a lot of people. Sometimes a lot of people are like, “They have Black rodeos?” I’m like, “Yeah, they’re really fun to go to, trust me. You don’t want to miss out, you better be there.”
GO: Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo is at the Portland Expo Center, 2060 N Marine Drive, 8secondsrodeo.com. Doors at 3 pm, show at 7 pm Saturday, June 17. $42.
Correction: This story incorrectly identified the rodeo where London Gladney won first place in pole bending. It is the California Junior Rodeo, not the Colorado Junior Rodeo. WW regrets the error.