This May Be the Youngest Cowgirl Ever

1 minute read
The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
Caption from LIFE. Jean Anne Evans kisses the horse she first rode on, her mother's horse Bryan. Child's size 3 boots are specially made for her in Austin.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
By Eliza Berman

Living in the YouTube era, it’s never entirely surprising to see a 5-year-old piano prodigy or a breakdancing toddler go viral—impressive as their talents may be. Half a century ago, those baby Einsteins got their 15 minutes of fame in a more old-fashioned medium: the back pages of LIFE magazine.

Fifteen-month-old Jean Anne Evans was one such child. The Texan toddler was born into a family of ranchers and horseback riders, and first straddled a saddle (with her mother in tow) at the tender age of one month. When LIFE photographer Alan Grant visited her family’s farm near Fort Davis, he found her holding her own atop her 25-year-old horse, Toy Boy.

Despite her prowess, LIFE wrote, she occasionally “betrays her years by dropping off to sleep suddenly in mid-roundup.” Thankfully, her mother’s saddle made for just the place to take a nap.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
Caption from LIFE. Jean Anne Evans kisses the horse she first rode on, her mother's horse Bryan. Child's size 3 boots are specially made for her in Austin.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
15-month-old Jean Anne Evans with her horse.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
Caption from LIFE. Hoisted up by her mother, Jean Anne rides her own 25-year-old horse Toy Boy. Both old horse and small saddle used to belong to Jean Anne's father.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
15-month-old Jean Anne Evans gets some help from her mother on horseback.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
15-month-old Jean Anne Evans with her horse.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
15-month-old Jean Anne Evans with her horse.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
15-month-old Jean Anne Evans with her horse.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
Caption from LIFE. Driving in, Jean Anne goes along as parents get part of family's 1,000-head herd to water lot. Mother and father always ride close beside child.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Youngest Cowgirl in 1955
Caption from LIFE. Tuckered out, cowgirl sleeps with pillow on pommel of mother's saddle. She has fallen only once, when her horse shied while she was wide awake.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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Write to Eliza Berman at eliza.berman@time.com