We're excited to share that SaddleBox has donated a one-year gift subscription to our online auction to help raise money for Miss Rodeo, Wyoming 2020/2021, Rachel Derner!

SaddleBox is the monthly subscription box for horse owners. It features exclusive gourmet horse treats, tack and gifts for horse lovers in every box. And all SaddleBox sales help horse rescue shelters, too!

Our online auction starts on November 1st, 2020. The winner of the SaddleBox donation will have a gift box shipped to them every month for an entire year! You can learn more about SaddleBox gifts for horse lovers on their website.

Six month ago my life changed dramatically, when I took over as Miss Rodeo Wyoming. In that time I have been at events in Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, Florida (twice!), Minnesota, Oklahoma, Kansas, and of course Wyoming! During these trips I have gone to elementary and high schools, hospitals, met rodeo fans, had new life experiences, made great friends, and rode many new horses. I have had an incredible year so far experiencing new rodeos throughout the country. PRCA Rodeo truly is the same in every state I have experienced, but the fan experience has made the difference. Small town Abbyville had a rodeo where the whole community came out, and reminded me a bit of being back home. Big city Florida is full of those learning about rodeo and growing new fans. I have seen beautiful nights on the back of a horse, and had my boots fill with water from a downpour of rain. It is hard to believe the year is already half over with the busiest season fast approaching. I cannot wait to continue down the road for a summer season, with my first Wyoming rodeo as Miss Rodeo Wyoming in June.

With applications coming up quickly for the 2020 Miss Rodeo Wyoming pageant I will only give one piece of advice today- go for it! Competing for the title will not be a decision you regret, whether you win or lose. ​

In 2014 I started my rodeo queen journey. Initially it was just something I picked up as a hobby. I never understood all of the impact it was going to quickly have on my life. After completing my first pageant I vowed that I would never ever compete again. However, once it was time to pass down my title I realized that promoting the sport of rodeo had become a part of who I was. 
 
It wasn't until 2016 that I knew, being a state rodeo queen was my passion. I suddenly realized that being Miss Rodeo Wyoming was the ultimate dream. 
 
That’s when the fun began.  I ate, slept and breathed that dream. I took up a philosophy of what I like to call the "Three R’s” Reading. Riding and Rhinestoning. I channeled everything I had into chasing my dream. I made the conscious decision to work harder than I ever had before. This hard work and a will to accomplish a goal is often the part of rodeo queening that others don’t see or even understand.  
 
Winning the title of MRW 2018 wasn’t just a way for me to live out my dream for a year, it was a way to teach myself that I can do anything if I work hard enough for it.  
 
I will take the memories and friendships I have acquired this year with me for forever. I can’t thank everyone enough for making this year a reality. I hope that everyone has the opportunity to fulfill their dreams the way I did.  
There comes a point in life when quarterbacks have to throw their last football, bull riders take their last wrap and rodeo queens have to take the crown off their hat. My only advice, do it. Enter the rodeo, join the team, take the job, make the big move or run for the title. Don’t be afraid to work hard and let your choices change your life. I know they changed mine.   
 
Thank you for the greatest ride ever.   
 
With all my love,
​Morgan

Sometimes things don’t go the way you had hoped but you look back and realize they went exactly the way they were supposed to.

I imagined my Miss Rodeo America horsemanship run plenty of times but not many of those imaginations ended in me two handing the horse to complete the pattern.

Over the course of my rodeo queening career, I’ve had people tell me I can’t do something most of those pertaining to riding. I’ve been on horses that have bucked, kicked, reared, fallen over, runoff and just about everything in between. I’ve been bucked off, I’ve fallen off, hung over the side and stepped on a time or two. I’ve had to double grab, hang on the saddle horn or hang on for dear life. Each one of those experiences making me a better rider than before.

A lot of people have said “man if you could have had a clean run it would have made all the difference” But I think I was supposed to get that horse, on that day, at that time. Things don’t always go your way, sometimes you have to grab life by both hands, laugh it off and move on.

Attention Miss Rodeo Wyoming Contestants and Sponsors!
Changes are coming to the annual pageant program book. Miss Rodeo Wyoming sponsor, Boots and Cleats Marketing, LLC, will be designing the pageant book this year and some changes have been made for the new layout.  For additional information on the pageant program book, please visit the pageant information downloads.