Effie Simpson was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on October 27, 1934.
She learned to ride horses bareback while growing up on a farm close to Calgary. She started barrel racing in the early 1960’s in Canada.
Effie became a driving force in the formation of the Canadian Girls Rodeo Association and the Canadian Senior Pro Rodeo Association.
She holds the record for steer undecorating from a rodeo in Hythe, Alberta in 1977.