A self-confessed “real-life cowgirl” says she’s been doing extreme horseback riding since she was four years old - and her favorite trick is called a ‘suicide drag’. <br /><br />Bella Da Costa, 19, was taken by her mum, Chrissy, 44, to the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton, Alberta, 15 years ago.<br /><br />She saw a trick rider doing a number of impressive, dangerous stunts at speed - and decided there-and-then she wanted to do them too. <br /><br />Now, she teaches other kids to do ‘suicide’ tricks - as well as performing in rodeos across the US, and says she never wants to give it up.<br /><br />Bella, a trick riding teacher from Edmonton, Alberta, said: “Some may call me a professional trick rider - but I’m a cowgirl all the time. <br /><br />“Trick riding is essentially gymnastics on horseback - it’s pretty girls wearing glittery outfits on fast horses, doing the impossible. It’s all about how you bond with your horse. <br /><br />“I’m an adrenaline junkie, and it looked so fast and dangerous - I just fell in love. <br /><br />“Activists often try to tell us we’re hurting the horses. But it’s their own free will - trust me, if a horse didn’t like us riding on them, they’d let us know.”<br /><br />Bella was just four when she tried trick riding for the first time - after mum Chrissy took her to her first rodeo. <br /><br />Chrissy used to ride horses growing up - and made sure Bella grew up around horses as much as possible. <br /><br />But she was apprehensive when Bella begged her to let her compete. <br /><br />Chrissy, who now manages Bella full-time, said: “I was so apprehensive when Bella told me she wanted to learn how to trick-ride. <br /><br />“But then I saw her ride for the first time, that same day. She was on this lady’s horse - and she could handle it. <br /><br />“Anything thrown her way - Bella could contort her body to do it.”<br /><br />Over the next 15 years, Bella learned some of the most deadly tricks in horseback riding - including the suicide drag, which involves the rider doing the splits halfway-on, halfway-off the horse while it’s running.<br /><br />She learned the backbend - doing the crab on top of a horse and a cartwheel weaving over and under a running horse. <br /><br />She’s spent six figures travelling the world to visit the best trainers. <br /><br />Bella has performed at hundreds of rodeos in eight states, as well as other cities in Canada. But in 2016, she stopped competing. <br /><br />She said: “I’ve performed all across Canada and the US - Washington DC, Oklahoma, Florida, Nebraska, Montana, North and South Dakota.<br /><br />“My job at the rodeo is to keep the crowd entertained by trick riding - I’d go in there and do a handful of tricks - not all of them, just because it’s so dangerous. <br /><br />“But I’ll go in and do a cartwheel vault and suicide drag.”<br /><br />Trick riding is one of the most dangerous stunts a gymnast can perform - and it was banned as a competitive spot in the 1940s. <br /><br />Bella said: “I typically only perform the stunts within my comfort zone, like a neck vault, which involves flipping myself so I’m riding the horse backwards.”<br /><br />The dangers of trick riding inspired Bella to become a teacher - after spotting some kids attempting the stunt in a neighbouring field, without any supervision. <br /><br />Bella said: “About three years ago, some kids came up to me from my town and said their friends were training in the fields without any supervision.<br /><br />“I was like, ‘oh my gosh, that’s not safe’ - so I took it upon myself to teach them. <br /><br />“I started off by just giving them supervision and small critiques - like keeping your arms up and straight, how to properly tie up your straps - and basic horse safety. <br /><br />“But then I went over things like talking to your horse - some people forget this crucial part while trick riding, but it’s a big safety thing. <br /><br />“Like, the second I tell my horse, ‘corner’ and ‘stop,’ they’ll know exactly what I mean."<br /><br />Bella says she wants to shed a more positive light around rodeos in North America.<br /><br />“I don’t hurt them - they literally run up to my trailer when I’m not there," she said.<br /><br />"They love me. <br /><br />“They’re also much more looked after than myself - they get more chiropractic work and massages done than I ever have!”
