Meet the real-life cowgirl who has been riding horsing since she was 4

By Hannah Van De Peer via SWNS

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."

Bella Da Costa, 19, was taken by her mom, Chrissy, 44, to the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton, Alberta, 15 years ago.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

“I’m an adrenaline junkie, and it looked so fast and dangerous - I just fell in love.

“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.”

Bella was just four when she tried trick riding for the first time - after mom Chrissy took her to her first rodeo.

Chrissy used to ride horses growing up - and made sure Bella grew up around horses as much as possible.

But she was apprehensive when Bella begged her to let her compete.

Chrissy, who now manages Bella full-time, said: “I was so apprehensive when Bella told me she wanted to learn how to trick-ride.

“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.

“Anything thrown her way - Bella could contort her body to do it.”

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.

She learned the backbend - doing the crab on top of a horse and a cartwheel weaving over and under a running horse.

She’s spent six figures travelling the world to visit the best trainers.

Bella has performed at hundreds of rodeos in eight states, as well as other cities in Canada. But in 2016, she stopped competing.

She said: “I’ve performed all across Canada and the US - Washington DC, Oklahoma, Florida, Nebraska, Montana, North and South Dakota.

“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.

“But I’ll go in and do a cartwheel vault and suicide drag.”

Trick riding is one of the most dangerous stunts a gymnast can perform - and it was banned as a competitive spot in the 1940s.

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.”

The dangers of trick riding inspired Bella to become a teacher - after spotting some kids attempting the stunt in a neighboring field, without any supervision.

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.

“I was like, ‘oh my gosh, that’s not safe’ - so I took it upon myself to teach them.

“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.

“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.

“Like, the second I tell my horse, ‘corner’ and ‘stop,’ they’ll know exactly what I mean."

Bella says she wants to shed a more positive light around rodeos in North America.

“I don’t hurt them - they literally run up to my trailer when I’m not there," she said.

"They love me.

“They’re also much more looked after than myself - they get more chiropractic work and massages done than I ever have!”