Rodeo Queens

Moira and Megan Taber grew up on their family’s place just outside of Shoshone, and taking the kids to the local fairs and rodeos was a regular event.

“Moira of course admired the beautiful queens at every rodeo she ever went to and she wanted to be just like them,” said Amie Taber, Moira and Megan’s mom.

“Those girls were so kind to me and I just looked up to them, they were such an inspiration. Really that’s what sparked it for me, and then come to find out later on that my mom did rodeo queening when she  was younger, and the growth that she experienced through that, it was something that I really wanted to get into,” said Moira Taber.

“At the time Moira was terribly shy, she wouldn’t speak to strangers, she had a very difficult time talking to people, carrying on conversations, and that is one of the foremost important roles of a rodeo queen is to interact with the public, interact with the audiences,” said Amie Taber, Moira and Megan’s mom.

“I was so shy as a kid that she knew that for me to want to do this I had to want it enough to be willing Vto give up that shy and be willing to put myself out there in front of people and let them get to know me. So, it became a deal that we made, she I will let you do this and I will support you 100%, but you’re going to bring your side of it. You’re going to have to become an extrovert, put on your extrovert boots is what she used to tell me,”said Moira.

“Moira started when she was 11 years old running for the Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo title.  Megan being 4 years younger grew up in the sidelines of the programs. She ran for her first title, Hailey Days of the Old West Pee Wee Queens when she was 9,” said Amie Taber.

“Moira was running for the teen queen title, and she looked at me and she said Megan, they have a pee wee queen title. Would you like to run for it, they need some more girls,” said Megan. “I lost it. I was like I want to do it so bad because watching her, I had kind of watched her from the passenger seat kind of grow. I mean I was pretty little but I could still see the change in her and I was like, that looks like so much fun.”

“Megan is much more outgoing. She is more comfortable speaking with people probably because of growing up on the sidelines of queen competitions since she was very young,” said Amie.

Rodeo Queen competitions are judged on the contestant’s horsemanship, often 50% of the total score. Plus…

“They’re judged on their public speaking skills, they’re expected to think on their feet and be able to answer intelligently and informatively on a broad range of topics from horse health, rodeo industry, equine industry, current events, politics, etc.” said Amie. “Rodeo queens are judged on appearance, but it is most definitely not a beauty contest.”

Idaho rodeo queens have done well nationally, with Kylie Whiting from Star, Idaho being crowned queen of the National High School Finals Rodeo this past summer, and Miss Rodeo Idaho Nicole Jordan finishing as First Runner-Up in the Miss Rodeo America just last month in Las Vegas.

Moira is the reigning Miss Sunbelt Ag Expo and is competing this month for the Miss Rodeo USA title in Oklahoma, and Megan was just crowned Miss Teen Rodeo Idaho.

“We’re complemented constantly on people that get around our daughters on how well they can speak, how well they can conduct themselves in a public setting. You know put them up on a stage in front of a lot of people, even I do not like to be in that position, and you know I am a heck of a lot older than they are. But they’ve conditioned very well, and they can think on their feet, and they can speak very well with clear and concise thoughts,” said their father,” Darren Taber.