Cowgirl Biography: Mamie Hafley

 Mamie Hafley was a woman who took risks to entertain.  She was a performer in wild west shows.  She would perform acts with gun shooting, sometimes shooting towards others or sometimes towards her with a target held with in her mouth or stuck in her hair.  She would also shoot at targets while she was riding a horse.  She was most famous for participating in horse diving from 40 feet into a 10 foot deep pool.  These acts were very popular for a time.  Over the years there were three accidents.  One time she broke her arm, another the horse landed sideways and was injured, and a third she was pinned in the water an almost drowned.  She did finish the show.  She grew up in Wisconsin where she joined her first show.  She has been voted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.