by Carol Mowdy Bond
“I am a fourth-generation cowgirl,” says 17-year-old rodeo performer Sophie Duch (pronounced “Duke”) of Stilwell, Oklahoma. “My great-grandfather was a pickup man. Pa Duch, my grandfather, was a bull rider. Nana Duch, my grandmother, was a barrel racer, and Daddy was a bull rider.”
Raised on a 15-acre farm where she and her family still live, Sophie first sat in the saddle on a horse when she was a few months old. Her first horse was a first birthday gift, and then she immediately began to ride alone.
“I loved horses the first time I sat in the saddle,” says Sophie, who now has seven horses. “My first horse was a Welsh pony named Spanky. At age two, I got Bailey. Bailey taught me how to ride, and she taught me lots of responsibilities of owning a horse. My next horse, Jessie, was my first trick-riding horse. Jessie got me started in competitive cowboy mounted shooting. I was four years old.”
She adds, “I always loved attending rodeos, and I enjoyed specialty acts like trick riding. At three years old, I decided I not only wanted to barrel race and rope, I also wanted to be a trick rider and rodeo performer.”
Sophie began to compete in cowboy mounted shooting at age four, using toy guns. She won her first big championship buckle for mounted shooting in Texas when she was six.
“When I was 11, I started trick shooting by performing my Annie Oakley act at local rodeos, and I eventually booked a few sanctioned rodeos and bull-riding events,” Sophie says. “In 2019, I entered three sanctioned rodeo contract act showcase competitions. I won the gold championship buckle in the International Professional Rodeo Association contract act showcase, I won the gold championship buckle in the Cowboy Regional Rodeo Association contract act showcase, and I was the reserve champion of the United Professional Rodeo Association.”
Sophie also qualified for the world championship three times in the wrangler division.
Creating Specialty Acts
“As my rodeo career progressed, I stopped competing in the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, and I focused on my rodeo performance opportunities,” Sophie says. “I perform my Annie Oakley act based on a Wild West–type show, where I ride my horse in a down-and-back pattern, shooting balloons, and then dismounting for my reenactment of Oakley’s famous over-the-shoulder shot.”
Annie Oakley (1860–1926) used a hand mirror to shoot at targets behind her. She performed the act in numerous shows, including as a star performer in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Oakley primarily performed from 1885 to 1901, with a few more performances until her retirement in 1913. She also might have performed in the early 1920s.
William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846–1917) had kick-started the Wild West show idea by producing and promoting his own show starting in the 1880s.
As Sophie advanced in her abilities, she performed with the award-winning Great American Wild West Show. Founded and produced by the Endsley family, the show maintains Wild West traditions, having appeared nationwide for more than 25 years.
Sophie performed for the Dixie National Rodeo at the Mississippi State Fair in 2023, where she worked with Forrie J. Smith. He is the real-life rodeo cowboy and seasoned actor who played the part of Lloyd Pierce on Taylor Sheridan’s hit television series Yellowstone. Sophie also worked with Smith’s son, Wilder Smith, aka Forrest Wilder and Forrest Smith.
Now a nationwide act, Sophie per-
formed in the cast of the Wild West Show-
case, a new show which debuted during the 2024 Oklahoma State Fair. Billed as a trick rider, Roman rider, and mounted reenactor, Sophie worked alongside top Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) specialty acts. She also has been a guest performer in other rodeos.
“In addition to my Annie Oakley act, I also perform traditional trick riding and Roman riding for a variety of entertainment for multiday rodeos,” Sophie says. “My trick-shooting Annie Oakley act is my most requested act. It is always a crowd favorite, and it is fairly unique to the rodeo specialty-act scene.”
“Trick shooting is an adrenaline rush,” says Sophie, who was the annual American Cowboys Rodeo Association finals specialty act from 2021 through 2024. “It’s fast and fun. I always get a great response from the crowds. I am fulfilling one of my life goals as a PRCA specialty act.”
Sophie is also a seven-time Bull Riders, Inc., finals specialty act.
Moving into Movies
With her horses Darby and Jolene, Sophie filmed in 2023 for the Universal Pictures movie Twisters, released in 2024.
“The director, Lee Isaac Chung, actually grew up in a small town near me [Lincoln, Arkansas],” Sophie says. “The experience of filming and being a part of a major motion picture is indescribable. I was able to sit with Mr. Chung in the director’s tent and watch from behind the scenes.”
In Twisters, Sophie performed in the opening scene, a barrel-racing scene, and a rodeo scene. She also presented the flag in country-music star Luke Combs’ Twisters title video track, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma.”
“Performing is fulfilling because I love my horse, I love to ride and perform, and I love to inspire and meet the kids who cling to the fence at rodeos watching me,” Sophie says.
