So, you've been asked to be the rodeo queen judge (or someone's calling in a favor and making you do it!). Where do you begin? What traits are you looking for? How do you award the points? What questions do you ask? Selecting the next representative of your local rodeo, state title or national title is an awesome responsibility that can forever change the course of a young woman's life.
Begin by familiarizing yourself with the rules of the association that the pageant is associated with (PRCA, IPRA, etc.) and current trends in rodeo queen fashion and competition. For instance, in some areas queens do not salute they wave during their queen's run. The pageant coordinator should send you a pageant rulebook and any other information that pertains to the event several weeks in advance. Do not hesitate to ask the coordinator any questions that you may have concerning the rules and expectations of the queen. Each year Tom House videos the Miss Rodeo America Pageant and often puts videos of select events on YouTube.com. You can learn alot about speeches, horsemaship and fashion by doing a quick search and watching them.
Each contestant should be judged on her own merits and not compared to other contestants. One system that works well for many judges is to use a system similar to the cutting horse scoring system. Begin scoring with the average points possible. For instance if 10 points are available for the speech an average speech would score a 6 or 7. An outstanding speech would score a 9 or 10. Be cautious when handing out the 10's though. Few contestants are 'perfect' and by rewarding them with such high scores, especially at the local level, says to them that they need no improvement and rarely this is true. There are contestants, especially at the state and national levels, that do warrant perfect scores. However, if there's even the slightest room for improvement a 9 is more appropriate. The same goes for zeros. I once had a contestant come to me after a pageant and show me that she had received a 0 out of 20 for her personality from one judge. Did the judge think this contestant was dead? I've also have seen score sheets where 20 points were possible for each of several areas in horsemanship and the judge scored 1's and 2's! These scores are certainly appropriate for a contestant that is bouncing out of her saddle, is holding on to the saddle horn and has no ability to ascertain a right lead from a lead rope but the contestants in this pageant were all seasoned riders and could hold their own. It's fine to hold high standards but extremes are not necessary (however if a contestant is unable to answer any horsemanship interview questions correctly then a 0 is appropriate as she is showing no knowledge and that is what you are scoring). Be consistent with your scores. Don't be tough in one category and easy in another.
Writing constructive comments on each contestant enables them to learn from their experience and to improve. Simply giving a contestant a three out of ten for her interview appearance does not tell the contestant that she needs to shape her hat, where dress boots and not ropers with a dress, choose a better fitting outfit and to put some make-up on. By telling her the areas that she fell down in she can become a better contestant, and person. But be kind in your comments. Telling a contestant "Your horse is worthless and should go to a glue factory" is uncalled for. Simply saying "Your horse does not allow your full horsemanship skills to shine." with some hints on how to improve is much more diplomatic and professional. Don't forget to tell them what they're doing right too, even if it's "You kept a smile on your face when your horse acted up." Take notes as you go so that you are able to answer questions from the contestants. No one appreciates a judge who says "I don't know." to how a contestant can improve.
Appearance - Contestants should look like a rodeo queen. Cowboy hats should be shaped, boots polished and clothing clean and pressed. Ropers should not be worn with dresses and the hem length on skirts should fall at least mid-calf or lower. All clothing should be fitted but not too tight. Fashion boots are not acceptable, 'real' cowboy boots are a must and so are 'real' cowboy hats. Acrylic nails are not necessary but clean, shaped nails are along with a clear complexion, appropriate make-up and nicely styled hair. Although rodeo queen hair has traditionally been 'big' it is not necessary and can actually detract from the contestants over all appearance. A couple of notes on hats. White, black, silverbelly, cream, buckskin and even brown are appropriate colors at this time and on occasion you will see another color. You may also see hats that are decorated which is fine, too, as long as it goes with the outfit. Hats should be secured tightly during horsemanship and points deducted for grabbing a hat or for it falling off.
Personality - A contestant should be confident without being pushy, relaxed, friendly and obviously enjoying herself. A balance should be struck between a stern business manner and a giddy, giggly girl. This is also true in teen pageants. Her personality should shine through each area of the competition and at other, non-judged events. Observe the contestants from a distance as they interact with other contestants and the people attending the event. Although you will not be scoring these interactions you will have an impression of her that will carry through the event.
Horsemanship - Judging the horsemanship portion of the pageant can be one of the more difficult areas. You don't need to be an expert in horsemanship but you should know the basics such as leads. If you don't then do your homework prior to the pageant and take a few lessons from a trainer. It isn't fair to the contestants when a judge does not know what good horsemanship is and scores her ability on how pretty her outfit is or how pretty the horse is (I know, but sadly it does happen.).
In some pageants contestants ride their own horses and never trade. In others they either ride their own horse once and trade horses for a second pattern or they ride horses that they are unfamiliar with. Because of this difference judging 'expectations' should be altered. A contestant riding her own horse should be able to execute the pattern very well while the contestant on a horse that she is unfamiliar with (such as a stock contractor's horse) does not have the advantage of training with the horse. In this situation more emphasis should be placed on the riders' balance, her ability to handle whatever situation that arises and on the use of aids. Evaluate how much the rider gets from the horse. If the rider is on a lazy horse does she just sit on top of him and allow him to get away with cross-firing and breaking gait or does she get after him and ask him to perform correctly? Does a rider riding her own horse have her act together or is it obvious that she just pulled the horse out of the pasture?
If the contestants are using their own horses make note of how each has prepared her animal and tack. Tack should be clean and in good repair, horses clipped nicely (although muzzle and eye lash clipping isn't necessary, bridle paths and fetlocks are) and the animal should be clean with a free-flowing mane and tail. If the animal is not in good condition this says a lot about the contestant and should be noted in her horsemanship appearance score. A contestant who is riding a supplied animal has no control over this and should not be penalized.
During interviews it is necessary to ask different types of questions. Fact questions such as "How many years has the Buckaroo Rodeo been held?" will tell you if the contestant is able to memorize information (that's not a bad thing but it doesn't tell you much about the contestant). Questions such as "Describe to us the differences between the team roping and steer roping events." will allow you to see how a contestant speaks off the top of her head and questions such as "Describe how you would make schools safer." gives you insight into the contestants personal beliefs and knowledge of current events. If you begin questioning a contestant and it is obvious she doesn't have a clue about rodeo move on to topics that she can answer. Look at her application and pull information from that. She obviously isn't prepared to be the rodeo queen (yet) but don't frustrate her by grilling her on a topic she obviously isn't prepared to speak on. Write a set of basic questions before you arrive at the pageant.
By familiarizing yourself with current rodeo queen trends, developing a standard of quality to judge contestants against and by presenting yourself in a professional manner you will have a positive experience judging the rodeo queen pageant. Unfortunately, you won't make everyone happy, but you will have done the best job possible. Best of luck to you as you set forth on this journey and feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding this article, or any other article, on RodeoRoyalty.
