Pig tails, miss-matched red boots, and my favorite pink-trimmed white plastic hat.
I strode into my first pageant with all the confidence in the world and all the poise a tomboy girl could muster. My pink checked shirt clashed with my red boots and my belt buckle slid toward my belt loops, but my appearance was the last thing on my mind.
I was there to ride my horse.
Like many little cowgirls, the draw of pageants was not merely the sparkly crowns (although that was a big plus) but rather the chance to ride in and be a part of the rodeo with my beloved horse.
Whatever your reason to step into the world of rodeo queen pageants, you never know too little to begin.
First Interview
The interview, luncheon, and speeches were merely a hoop to jump through to me. They were a necessary evil to be endured so I could climb onto the back of my little dun mare and ride into the arena.
With a smile on my face, pig tails flapping, and nervous butterflies dancing in my belly, I walked into my first interview. My limbs were too long for my small body I sat as gracefully in my seat as I could making sure to look the judges in the eye like my mother told me.
She had helped me practice for this since first planting the idea to enter the pageant in my head. We studied horse science and horsemanship questions and a few "silly" questions like "if you were a fruit what would you be?"
But my judges didn't ask me what fruit I was or even where the frog of the horse could be found. Instead, they asked me about current rodeo cowboys, politics, and local history (which thanks to a report my older brother had presented the previous spring I felt like I nailed that last part).
Looking back I'm sure my answers were abrupt, incorrect, or only partially true, but I was confident and kept my smile of my face, which would reveal itself to be the most important aspect of an interview after all.
Introduction to Stage Work
At the end of the interviews I sat and watched as the older girls did modeling and gave their speeches. I still remember thinking I'm so glad I don't have to do that.
The thought of standing on a stage mortified me, let alone the notion that I would have to memorize a three-minute speech. I vowed silently in my head that I would win the junior queen so I wouldn't have to be the queen when I was older (the irony still gets to me).
Watching and competing in a pageant with speech and modeling can be the first and biggest deterrent for rodeo queen hopefuls like I was.
Being shy and deathly afraid of speaking in public can make the stage portion of a pageant look like a means of mid-evil torture. As a once shy cowgirl myself, I can attest to not only the ability you have to overcome that fear, but the long lasting benefits that will come from it.
Hooray for Horses
When it can time for horsemanship my excitement was plain to see. The only thing that mattered then was that I had my chance to ride in the arena.
With slouched shoulders and my heels in the air, I asked my little mare to carry me into the arena.
Our pattern was far from prefect with oblong circles or various speed and questionable lead changes, but as we rode up to the judges for one final interview I couldn't have been happier.
"You sure love her," I can still remember one judge saying to which I agreed, "and she loves you."
This was perhaps the greatest lesson my first pageant taught me. Whether you feel like you are a great horsewoman, an intermediate one, or you know that you're just learning, don't let your level or experience in horsemanship deter you from competing.
If you love your horse and that is plain to see, don't be afraid to go all in.
Crown or No Crown
My first pageant, a educational and eye-opening as it was, eventually ended the same as any other: with crowning.
I would be lying if I said I didn't think I would win. With what limited knowledge I possessed I believed I had performed to my very best.
I did not earn the title of the junior queen that year, or the year after, or even the year after that.
It can be discouraging to feel so confident and to feel like you have practiced and come so far, but those three years of trying and failing taught me the most important lesson a pageant can teach: determination.
Don't be Afraid to Try
Each year of competing, I added to what little I knew and practiced a little harder. I studied knew things, and practiced old ones until I felt confident, and then I learned some more.
Still to this day I consider myself still learning.
It does not matter where you're starting at or how little you think you know. I can attest to the fact that you will never get any better, never see you're dreams come true, until you make the decision to try.
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