Plateau Magazine June-July 2023

“The 40 Something Cowgirls is a unique
social group and organization that focuses
on empowering women,” she adds. “It is
a woman’s group that has no boundaries
or limits on what women can do or accomplish
with the support of other women with
similar goals, dreams, and admirations to
challenge themselves—whether with their
horses or in their lives in general. The
cowgirl mentality is hard-working and
independent, takes self-responsibility, is
kind, and cares for others and themselves
without drama or harshness.”
At just over three years old, the Franklin
chapter is a relatively new one, formed
by a former cowgirl who had been a chapter
member in Georgia. Considering the
growing number of women riding and doing
shows and events in WNC, she decided
to form the first ever chapter in North
Carolina. Stingone joined at the inception
of the chapter in January 2020 and shortly
after became the princess of the chapter,
stepping down in late 2022. She was reinstated
in 2023 to help save the chapter
when their acting queen stepped down for
personal reasons.
Headed by queens and princesses—
Williams was a Disney princess at Walt
Disney World in the 1980s—each chapter
typically holds formal meetings once a
month, ranging from horse events, community
events, trail rides, dinners and
lunches. “Fun comes naturally when you
Nancy Smith and Big
John. Coweeta Lab.
Nantahala National
Forest.
Big John.
have real women with real life experiences
who can laugh at themselves and
with others,” Stingone says. “We share
our stories—the fun ones as well as life’s
heartaches. We have fun whether we’re
with our horses or anything else we go and
get into. We have new riders, old riders,
and non-riders alike—and we just wing it.
All of us have realized that life is short, so
we go and make it happy and have fun and
give back to others.”
In fact, giving back to others is a mis-
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