Snelling, CaliforniaOn a hot summer day, a mocha-colored horse gallops into an arena carrying a woman in an embroidered, wide-brimmed sombrero and a high-necked red dress ballooning over a petticoat and fitted pantaloons.

The woman rides sidesaddle, her calf-length boots dangling over the side of the horse. She tugs the reins with one hand and the horse begins sliding on its back legs. The long slide lasts a full four seconds, trailed by a cloud of dust—a scene reminiscent of a battlefield during the Mexican Revolution, where female fighters did such things to distract the enemy.

But this is July 4, 2021. The ranch is on the outskirts of a small California town more than 400 miles north of the Mexican border. The