US cowgirl legend dies

Reeves was a master in the saddle

One of America's most famous cowgirls, whose motto was "Always saddle your own horse", has died at the age of 101 after being thrown from her favourite mount.

Connie Reeves, who taught more than 30,000 girls to ride horses, died 10 days after the accident, the ranch where she worked as an instructor for nearly 70 years.

"Texas lost one of its treasures today. A legendary woman with the strength and character as big as the state she lived in for almost 102 years," the Waldemar Camp for Girls said on its website.

Reeves was the oldest living member of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, based in Texas.

At the age of 100, she saddled her own horse and rode in a parade at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new National Cowgirl museum

"I think I'm the antique around here. I'm representing the past," she told the audience.

Unrivalled reputation

Born in 1901, Reeves learnt to ride a horse before she learnt to walk.

She started work as an instructor in 1936, and went on to earn an unparalleled reputation among her thousands of students and peers.

In a recent speech, Reeves expressed her disdain for modern society.

"Leave the wide open spaces and free fresh air to the West, where one can take an early morning gallop across dew-drenched fields, lie down to sleep beneath the star-twinkling sky, only to be awakened by the crowing of a lone rooster in the far distance."

Reeves was riding her favourite horse, Dr Pepper, when she was thrown off.