How To Become A Rodeo Queen

This information is intended for extremely talented and down-to-earth ladies that want to represent their local rodeo and community by winning a Rodeo Queen title. This advice has been customized for the "real" cowgirls out there. If you have been subjected to beauty pageants and other competitions centered around narcissism and appearance rather than intellect and talent, this information is probably not for you. But if you are a real cowgirl that happens to have very little knowledge about the pageantry, clothes, and interviews involved in winning a Rodeo Queen title, you have come to the right place!

Alright, so you've seen the advertisement in the newspaper or overheard a conversation about the rodeo queen tryouts coming up, and you thought to yourself, Hey, I could do that. It sounds like fun!

Well, you're right! It is fun and also a great way to respresent your community and keep yourself occupied during the summer. Just understand that if you win the title, you will probably have a lot of duties including: rodeo representation, radio and newspaper interviews, luncheons, promotional gigs (jr. rodeos, children's costume contests, fairs, etc.), and meetings. All of those events require a "rodeo queen appearnace", friendliness, manners, and a great big smile. If you're the kind of person that fakes those essential qualities, maybe being a rodeo queen isn't right for you. But if you are a genuine congenial hometown cowgirl, you'll do great and love every minute of it! Don't worry, you'll have your best friend with you most of the time... your horse :)

Don't let anyone try to kid you about this, horsemanship is just as important (even more so, in my opinion) as the pageant part of the tryouts. Make sure that you know how to sit in the saddle and properly handle your horse. If you're anything like me, this will be your favorite part of the audition process. I was a horse trainer for the family business and knew nothing about rodeo queening, nor did I know anybody in the local rodeo "circle". I was more excited about showing people what I could do with a horse than I was about parading around in shiny clothes.

If you have a choice, do not pick a horse based on looks alone. A rodeo queen's horse needs to be well mannered and controllable. Whether or not the horse is pretty won't matter when you are stuck fighting with your horse the whole way through tryouts, or worse, ending up on the ground after being thrown. Once you have made your decision concerning which mount to compete on, work with that horse so you can become familiar with each other well before the competition.

Once you have obtained the riding pattern from the contest coordinator, memorize it and practice it with your horse. Be sure to use the same bridle and tack you will use in the tryouts. Walk the pattern first to get an idea of your lead changes and stopping points in relation to the size of the arena. Oftentimes, the pageant coordinators will hold a clinic prior to tryouts so that you can practice the pattern in the actual arena where tryouts are to be held. This is a great opportunity to get to now the surroundings.

I, however, used the clinic opportunity in a very different way. Since nobody knew me, I showed up to the clinic on a colt I was training and not on my competition horse. I did this for 2 reasons: 1. It would be great training for the colt to be around other horses in a new environment 2. I was able to fool everyone into thinking that I wasn't a threat because it seemed as though I couldn't control my mount, and therefore didn't have a chance at winning the title. I sure fooled them!!

Be certain that you can carry a waving flag on your horse. Rodeo queen are often given the responsibility of riding around the arena with the American flag or a falg displaying the name of a rodeo sponsor.

As for the technical stuff, be certain to use a Western style saddle. You are representing the sport of rodeo, not dressage, so don't use an English saddle, sidesaddle, bareback pad, etc. Your bit and bridle should be suitable for show. Use whatever works for your horse. I used one of my family's genuine GARCIA show bits ("Mona Lisa" and "Salinas" made in CA...my mom used it when she was rodeo queen). Make certain that your horse is clean and shod.

Check the cinch and bridle. Getting on your horse, be sure to mount in one jump. Don't hop around on the ground 3 or 4 times before jumping into the saddle. When you sit in the saddle, be sure to sit back and look relaxed the whole time (like my Dad on the colt in the above photo). Move with the horse (don't post through the trots) and always keep you reins in your left hand with your right hand in a relaxed position at your side. This shouldn't be a problem because your horse should respond to your reining and leg movements without you having to jerk the horse's head around with both hands.

Just know, that the horse can sense when you are nervous, so keep it together. Go out there, have fun, do the patterns at the right speeds, have fun, look relaxed, be sure to set for several seconds when you are done with the pattern to show that you have control of your horse and are able to just stand there, and have fun. Be sure to dismount properly. It's safest to hold the reins and saddle horn in your left hand and smoothly swing your leg over to dismount. More "showy" contestants like to flip the reins over the horse's head while simultaneously dismounting. This is unsafe and looks unprofessional. I do not recommend it.

If you think that your beautiful "queen" horse needs a bit more training to get into royal shape, I highly recommend this Guide to Horse Training! Afterall, you won't go anywhere without the basics :)

The hairstyle and make-up guidelines for rodeo queens are pretty standard and probably universal. Rodeo queens have big hair with lots of curls. Time, eras, fads...nothing will change that. They've always had big hair and they always will have big hair. Now, how do you get your mane to look like that?

No matter how thin your hair is, you can get the required style using hot rollers and quality hair spray. Here's how I did it...

Take a shower and cleanse your hair using shampoo (the degunkifying types of shampoo work best). Do NOT use conditioner. You don't want any residue in your hair. The curls will set better that way. Then blow-dry your hair as straight as you can. Make sure that the hot rollers are heating up while you do this. Have a helper (my mom did it) set your hair in the curling rollers. This can be tricky. Take small sections of your hair, pull the section out straight, and cover it in hair spray. Use the aerosol type of hairspray (bad for the environment but good for rodeo queen hair). While the hairspray is still wet, quickly roll the hair with the smallest hot roller available. Thin rollers produce tighter curls :) The heat of the roller will dry the hairspray and set the curl better. Secure the hair and roller with pins provided or those handy little alligator clippie things. Repeat this step with all of the sections of your hair until you look like an old lady at a beauty parlor.

Your head will still feel warm, but apply some more heat with a blow-dryer for a few minutes, wait awhile, and apply some more blow-dryer heat. This will help set the curls faster. Leave the rollers on as long as possible to make sure all of the hairspray is dry! This is important. You want the tightest curls possible. I use the time to apply my make-up or clean my tack in the living room :)

When you are ready to take the rollers out, get your helper to do it for you. Start by removing the rollers near you neck first and work up. Be careful not to pull the curls. That will straighten them. If everything has worked, the hairspray should have set the curls like plaster! Once all of the rollers are out of your hair, cover your curly head in hairspray. Lots and lots of hairspray! Then apply more blow-dryer heat to dry and areas that may be still wet. Once that is done, flip you head (so you're looking at the ground), and have your friend gently pull the rigid curls apart. Don't worry if you end up with a poufy afro-type hairstyle. That's what we want at this stage.

Once the curls are pulled apart, apply even more hairspray and gather your hair in a hairnet. While the hairspray dries, you can get dressed in your glittery rodeo queen clothes and finish your makeup. When you're ready to put your cowboy hat on, take the hairnet off of your head and shake your curls. Style them in preparation of the cowboy hat. HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART: Spray that quality hairspray all over your forehead until it's about ready to drip down your face. While it's still wet, put on your hat (just above your eyebrows). This will glue your hatband to your head. You want this to be a great seal. You do NOT want your hat coming off in the arena! That is a huge no-no. If in doubt, use more hairspray :)

Now that you have big hair, you need to apply the royal cosmetics. Color, color, color. Now is not the time to look "natural". Make your face come to life with colorful eye shadow and bold lipstick. Your competition outfit will dictate what colors you use, but bright blues, pinks, and purples look great under a black cowboy hat. I had learned some cosmetic tricks from working as a runway fashion model in New York City, so this was fun for me. It's important to use eyeliner to bring out your eyes because the brim of your hat will try to hide your face. The competition might take awhile, so use some long-lasting lipstick in a bold red or dark pink color. Place some blush or bronzer high on your cheeks to give your face some depth under the shadow of a cowboy hat.

Keep the jewelry to a minimum. You can get away with some nice western-style earrings (Montana Silversmiths makes some classy ones). Necklaces will flop around and bracelets will be hidden by your long-sleeved shirt anyway.

Rodeo queens are always in the public eye since they represent the entire community and such a traditional sport. This means that you'll have to be on your best behavior whether you're wearing the crown or not. But like I said, if you're genuine and deserving of the crown, this won't be a problem for you.

Rodeo queens have to do a lot of public speaking to promote the rodeo, so you should speak clearly and intelligently. You'll also have to meet a lot of people. Just be super friendly and try your best to remember names. Don't be afraid to start conversations with people. I drove an orange 1955 Mercury when I was PRCA Rodeo Queen and that was a great conversation starter!

Don't talk bad about other people, even if you really dislike the other contestants, and never cuss! Just converse like a queen should and don't offend anyone. If you get mad (your horse misbehaves, your attire fails, etc.) try to figure out a solution instead of cursing, yelling, and getting mad. For instance, a tire on my horse trailer went flat on the second day of my 3-day rodeo. I wasn't happy at all, but by staying congenial and approachable, I was able to get lots of guys to help me fix the problem.

Rodeo queen clothes are fun. The shinier, the better! Many clothing items fit for a queen are available online, like eBay. I bought a few things online, but my mom and I also made a lot of my clothes. You can't go wrong with Wrangler jeans. Wear the Cowboy Cut style jeans, and you should pick a color that matches your hat. In my case, that was black. Some girls like to wear more feminine jeans like Rockies. My favorite outfits included black tuxedo shirts with glittery vests. My mother would purchase vests (thrift stores are great) in my size. The fabric didn't matter, just the style. Then we'd get shiny, shimmering material and cover the vests with it. Then we'd take the same material and use it for the bow tie. To customize the tuxedo shirts to match the corresponding vests, we'd sew the same material on the cuffs of the shirt. The resulting outfit was both eye-catching and functional.

It's important to wear chaps while riding your horse. Mine were plain black with long fringe, but many rodeo queens opt for customized brightly colored chaps. Keep in mind that you don't need to spend a fortune on chaps. Use what you're comfortable with and what's available.

The pageant part of the competition may require a fashion show portion. These events usually call for classy formal attire including a western-style skirt and fashionable boots. Even though the hair and make-up styles can remain the same, the judges will want to see your more feminine side here.

Just don't feel like you have to spend an arm and a leg to look like a rodeo queen. Surf the internet and get ideas. Like I said, eBay is a great place to get new and used rodeo queen clothes.

The pageant part of the rodeo queen contest is more like a beauty queen competition. This part will focus on your style, grace, poise, appearance, public speaking skills, rodeo knowledge, and congeniality. You won't have your best friend by your side to support you (your horse).

You will have to walk on a stage in front of your friends, family and lots of strangers. Walk gracefully and smile as you execute your turns and poses on the stage, always keeping your eyes on the audience. When the officiant asks you questions and puts the microphone in your face, be sure to look at the audience as you answer, not at the person asking the questions. The judges will be in the audience and they want to see your smiling face.

As for the questions, keep up with current events and hometown happenings. Mostly, though, they will ask you questions about the sport of rodeo. There are many helpful sites like Rodeo Royalty that have example questions to help you formulate the correct answers and memorize them. you should also be prepared to answer personal questions about your attire, your horse, and your equipment (tack).

• Always smile
• Sit back in the saddle
• Never let your cowboy hat fall off of your head in the arena
• Hold your reins in your left hand
• Use quality hairspray to glue your cowboy hat to your forehead
• Eyeliner makes your eyes stand out under a hat brim
• Create simple saddlepad covers out of glittery material (washable and changeable)

When it came time to give up my title, my best friend was interested in running for rodeo queen. She didn't know anything about it. She'd never run for rodeo queen before nor had she ever competed in any sort of pageant. She was just an excellent horse trainer and a fantastic "real" cowgirl.

Before the try-outs, I coached her and gave her the same advice offered in this article. We covered everything from horsemanship, to hair, to interviews, to make-up. I watched my best friend compete against other more seasoned rodeo queen-type people that have tried out time and time again. Following my advice, my best friend won the title! I couldn't have been happier to hand the crown down to her. The next year, she became the National Queen for LBR!!!!!! I'm so incredibly happy for her success :)

There are lots of helpful sites for aspiring rodeo queens. Oftentimes, these websites tend to focus on the big-time rodeo royalty and their intense competitions, expensive clothes, high-dollar horses, and extensive travel itineraries. Don't get discouraged. Just realize that your aspirations are more community-based, and you're in it to have fun, not to have it take over your life. Good Luck!!!

• http://rodeoroyalty.com/
• http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080104222621AAb2Uiy (how to become rodeo royalty in your area)
• http://www.rodeoattitude.com/main/rodeoqueens.htm (list of state rodeo queen sites, great photos on those sites)
• http://rodeoqueenclothesonline.com/ (rodeo queen clothes)
• http://www.queenconnection.com/ (more queen clothing)
• http://www.saddlebarn.com/queen_chaps.htm (rodeo queen chaps)