On February 26, 2024, Pat Ommert dressed in a bright red blazer and white cowboy hat, arriving by carriage to the Opening of the Pat Ommert Trail in Temecula, California. She has worked to maintain a connected network of safe equestrian trails for over 40 years. She was honored by the trail being named for her. Making trails available and safe for equestrians has been on her bucket list for many years. has also conducted her own personal clinics to introduce youngsters to horses.
Pat was born in Southern California to Bob and Vera North in 1929. Bob started a hardware store in Bell, California during the Depression. Vera was taught how to train ‘high school’ horses – circus-type, and became a well-known performer with her black horse ‘Gypsy’, and also did stunt work in the movies. The North’s had two girls, and they grew up horseback. Pat learned trick riding from her mom when a young teenager. She practiced on the Los Angeles River bed and as she practiced, running her horse back and forth in the sand, her mom was there to coach.
Back in those days horses did it all – trick riding, Roman riding. Pat had ‘Shortcake’ and ‘Cupcake’ the longest. She went to gymkhanas, showed horses, but also jockeyed at the Agua Caliente in Mexico in their ‘Powder Puff races. She was featured at All-Girl Rodeos as “Patsy North and her Trick Horse Rex”. performed for Cotton Rosser, as well as other producers all over California, Arizona, Utah, Mexico City and more.
Since she nor her mother sewed, she had her performing outfits designed by a woman her mother knew. The biggest problem was to keep an outfit that could withstand the action of a trick rider, without tearing or pulling out the seams. Eventually she was referred to two women who made costumes - for strippers. They understood Pat’s problems with her costumes needing to withstand lots of gyrations and such. Pat remembers the outfits they made for her were beautiful.
In 1953 she was invited to trick ride at the Madison Square Garden Rodeo. She also was hired for the Boston Garden rodeo that followed New York. During her stay the gals that performed at the rodeo had a race yearly at Rockingham Park, a nearby racetrack in Salem, New Hampshire, which Pat won that year.
Pat married Willard Ommert, a veterinarian, and they raised two daughters. They lived in Temecula, California, where Will had a clinic. However, Pat continued to rodeo as a contract performer. She admitted she could have made better money in the moving picture business, but Pat said the movie business was a “Hurry up and wait” business. But she did work as an extra for $25 a day, as it wasn’t far from where she lived. But her family was more important. She occasionally went with Will on a medical emergency at night, but otherwise concentrated on her two daughters.
Trick riding was her first rodeo performances, and because she was short she didn’t do many ground tricks. She did the hippodrome stand and went into a one foot stand while still be running. She said, “I did the best one-foot stand of anyone, and I called it a ‘flyaway’ and I did it with one hand.” She finally gave up trick riding, but continued to Roman ride. But when her girls were 12 and 8 she quit and they began going with them to horse shows.
After Will died in 2004 she spent time with the Rancho California Horsemen’s Association as a founder and leader conducting clinics. She and Will received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. Pat was also involved in trail riding and enjoyed it immensely. She not only went on trail rides locally, but also went in Arizona to Las Damas trail ride in Skull Valley, Arizona, in 2006. When she lived near Griffith Park in Los Angeles she rode the trails, but they had to share the trails with walkers, runners and bicyclists.
She was honored by being inducted in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth in 2016, and was the recipient of the Tad Lucas Memorial Award in 2020, which is in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. It’s not unusual to see Pat attending various trick riding, Roman riding or rodeo gatherings, and visiting with friends she has made along the way as well as making new friends.
Pat was born in Southern California to Bob and Vera North in 1929. Bob started a hardware store in Bell, California during the Depression. Vera was taught how to train ‘high school’ horses – circus-type, and became a well-known performer with her black horse ‘Gypsy’, and also did stunt work in the movies. The North’s had two girls, and they grew up horseback. Pat learned trick riding from her mom when a young teenager. She practiced on the Los Angeles River bed and as she practiced, running her horse back and forth in the sand, her mom was there to coach.
Back in those days horses did it all – trick riding, Roman riding. Pat had ‘Shortcake’ and ‘Cupcake’ the longest. She went to gymkhanas, showed horses, but also jockeyed at the Agua Caliente in Mexico in their ‘Powder Puff races. She was featured at All-Girl Rodeos as “Patsy North and her Trick Horse Rex”. performed for Cotton Rosser, as well as other producers all over California, Arizona, Utah, Mexico City and more.
Since she nor her mother sewed, she had her performing outfits designed by a woman her mother knew. The biggest problem was to keep an outfit that could withstand the action of a trick rider, without tearing or pulling out the seams. Eventually she was referred to two women who made costumes - for strippers. They understood Pat’s problems with her costumes needing to withstand lots of gyrations and such. Pat remembers the outfits they made for her were beautiful.
In 1953 she was invited to trick ride at the Madison Square Garden Rodeo. She also was hired for the Boston Garden rodeo that followed New York. During her stay the gals that performed at the rodeo had a race yearly at Rockingham Park, a nearby racetrack in Salem, New Hampshire, which Pat won that year.
Pat married Willard Ommert, a veterinarian, and they raised two daughters. They lived in Temecula, California, where Will had a clinic. However, Pat continued to rodeo as a contract performer. She admitted she could have made better money in the moving picture business, but Pat said the movie business was a “Hurry up and wait” business. But she did work as an extra for $25 a day, as it wasn’t far from where she lived. But her family was more important. She occasionally went with Will on a medical emergency at night, but otherwise concentrated on her two daughters.
Trick riding was her first rodeo performances, and because she was short she didn’t do many ground tricks. She did the hippodrome stand and went into a one foot stand while still be running. She said, “I did the best one-foot stand of anyone, and I called it a ‘flyaway’ and I did it with one hand.” She finally gave up trick riding, but continued to Roman ride. But when her girls were 12 and 8 she quit and they began going with them to horse shows.
After Will died in 2004 she spent time with the Rancho California Horsemen’s Association as a founder and leader conducting clinics. She and Will received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. Pat was also involved in trail riding and enjoyed it immensely. She not only went on trail rides locally, but also went in Arizona to Las Damas trail ride in Skull Valley, Arizona, in 2006. When she lived near Griffith Park in Los Angeles she rode the trails, but they had to share the trails with walkers, runners and bicyclists.
She was honored by being inducted in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth in 2016, and was the recipient of the Tad Lucas Memorial Award in 2020, which is in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. It’s not unusual to see Pat attending various trick riding, Roman riding or rodeo gatherings, and visiting with friends she has made along the way as well as making new friends.
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