The rider lopes one last lap in the arena, then pulls up to walk a few more. Sweat drips down her face from a few blonde tendrils of hair escaping from her hat. The rider stops, dismounts and hands the reins to her husband so he can show the horse. Inside the fairground’s restroom, she quickly styles her hair, changes her shirt and adds some statement jewelry. She has less than 30 minutes to get ready for an awards banquet. By the time she steps out of the bathroom, Cameron Baldus looks like the Western model she is.
“The first rule of modeling 101 is keep your head up and keep moving forward,” says Baldus.
It’s a rule she has followed throughout her exciting life in the Western world, both on the horse and off.
Getting Started
“I got my first horse that was mine when I was 12,” she says. “I got involved in 4-H and did horse judging, horse showing and also the 4-H sewing project. That was how my interest in fashion developed.”
Baldus started making her own show clothes for Western all-around competition, designing jackets and embellishing them.
“Then I went to Weatherford College right there in Weatherford and did an equine production and management degree,” says Baldus.
Then she met Ben. At the time, he wasn’t a noted horse trainer—he was a colt starter at the historic Waggoner Estate Ranch. When they married, all of Cameron Baldus’ experiences in the horse industry made her a perfect fit as an assistant to the horse program manager, Trace Cribbs.
“It really allowed me to further my education with a lot of hands-on experience doing all the AI work there, helping with embryo transfers,” she says. “And when it wasn’t breeding season, I got to go to the shows to help Ben and the other [Waggoner cowboys] who were showing.
“I really enjoyed getting to see all of that full circle, helping breed those mares, see them get in foal, see them foal out, halter-break those babies, watch the guys start those colts, and when they were old enough, see them hit the show pen.”
Baldus was at a horse show in Wichita Falls, Texas, when she stopped by the National Ropers Supply booth to check out the fashions and the tack.
“Mark Pingel, who still works for NRS, had asked me one time, ‘NRS has a catalog. Would you ever be interested in modeling for us?’” Baldus recalls. “I had modeled when I won the State 4-H Horse Show for my sewing projects, but that was the extent of my modeling experience.”
She began modeling for NRS, and it was a fit from the beginning.
“We knew she was going to be great from the very first second of the photo shoot,” says Julie Christian, NRS merchandise manager of apparel. “She adapts to whatever we put her in. The greatest thing about Cameron is she is as sweet as she is beautiful.”
After modeling in the Western world for a couple of years, Baldus chatted briefly with more mainstream fashion agencies. Despite her fit and slender frame, they told her that she needed to lose 20 pounds and cut her exuberant blonde hair.
“At that point I was like, ‘Nope. Not for me,’” she says. “I wanted modeling to be something that fit into my lifestyle, which is the ranch. A Western kind of industry is what I enjoyed. I modeled some jewelry for a jewelry store in Fort Worth. Other than that, it has been Western or outdoor industries.”
Through modeling, Baldus has been sent to exciting locations, such as San Francisco, and she has worked with top photographers for Western brands.
“Usually they throw something at you like, ‘Here, get on this horse and ride bareback or walk out on this hill and act like you’re going to shoot this gun,” Baldus says. “And I live a lifestyle that makes it no problem.”
Growing Into Her Life
Baldus and her husband try to put God first, family second, and their horses third. Those priorities haven’t always been in order, and life hasn’t always been easy.
“There have definitely been times when I have felt like giving up,” Baldus says. “[There have been] lots of days in obscurity and grinding it out in the red dirt dust and 100 consecutive days over 100 degrees, thanks to the drought of 2011, or when Ben and I had started our own business and did it all, from cleaning stalls in our little barn to riding in the mud and trying to wash it out of our cinches in the frigid cold before going to the stock show to compete.
“There have been many times I was not sure I was cut out for the life I had chosen,” she continues. “And to be honest, there are still those days sometimes. The challenges might be different, but the reality is that going after your dreams will always require some sacrifice and sweat equity, no matter how long you’ve been working at it.”
The journey, she says, is worth the price.
“I’m married to an incredibly positive man who sees life as a big adventure, and I have faith that keeps me going as I pray for wisdom and endeavor to trust God’s process,” she says.
“I like to believe that the journey is what can make a life so good—not necessarily the end goal or achievements.”
Western Fashion Advice from Cameron Baldus
Even though Baldus is a model, her clothes aren’t free. She selects each personal piece carefully, finding thrifty ways to build her wardrobe, such as cutting down an old hat into a more fashionable shape. She chooses many separates that can be mixed for new looks.
“There are different looks for everybody,” says Baldus. “My personal style philosophy is organic practicality, because often, at the end of the day, I’m sweating or dirty. I’ve been up late or early, getting horses ready to show.”
She chooses textures when possible.
“I like something like a shirt or jacket that’s a cool texture or maybe a cool statement set of earrings or a necklace I really love,” she says. “If you’re dressing up, boots that have a snip-toe or exotic leather seem to be really in right now.”
Often, Baldus needs to be prepared to go from loping horses to an awards dinner, and she needs to change quickly.
“Speaking from experience, when I’ve had a ball cap on all day, I can just put a nice pair of earrings on, swipe that ball cap off, and put my hair up,” says Baldus. “Earrings are a statement piece that everybody’s going to see, and they can dress up an outfit instantly.”
Don’t be afraid to toss some color in with jewelry.
“There’s no one look that’s beautiful, and there’s no one style,” she says. “It’s really about finding what features you love about yourself and finding ways to build on those. Having self-confidence and a kind heart that sees others—that’s what makes somebody beautiful, even their fashion.”
For more on Cameron and Ben’s horse training business, visit the Baldus Horsemanship website.
This article about Cameron Baldus appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
