Ramona Rodeo Queen pageant applications open until Jan. 17

Young women with a passion for rodeo and a drive to act as ambassadors of the sport are encouraged to apply to the 2026 Ramona Rodeo Queen pageant, set for April 10 and 11.

Members of the Rodeo Queen court act as ambassadors of the sport of rodeo, appearing at numerous events throughout the year and representing the town throughout the county, said Taylor Trinidad, Ramona Rodeo Queen Pageant director. 

The pageant aligns with state and national standards, while guided by the mission and values of the Ramona Rodeo Foundation, she said.

Trinidad has the experience to take on the role — she was the 2008 Ramona Rodeo Queen.

Incoming 2026 royalty will replace the outgoing 2025 court— Rodeo Queen Nicole Bell, Junior Queen Emilie Hudson and Young Miss Macy Mault.

The Young Miss category is for ages 11 to 13, the Jr. Queen is for ages 14 to 17 and the Rodeo Queen is for ages 18 to 24.

There are a number of benefits to becoming a rodeo queen, Trinidad said.

“It’s an opportunity to share the sport of rodeo,” she said. “Rodeo royalty offers a lot of unique experiences most girls don’t get, such as refining their public speaking and engagement skills, a unique way to give back to the Ramona community and the opportunity to build camaraderie with other rodeo queens.”

An orientation/welcome meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Guy B. Woodward Museum. Details are still in the works.

“The orientation is designed to give potential contestants more information before they decide to enter,” Trinidad said.

Several more meetings will be held prior to the pageant to ensure the contestants are as prepared as possible for the event.

Applications opened Nov. 24 and close Jan. 17 at 11 p.m. A $100 non-refundable fee must be submitted with each application. Contestants are required to sell a minimum of $500 in either raffle tickets or program ads; the funds are used for awards for contestants.

After applications close, a kickoff meeting will be held Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. 

“The kickoff meeting is the first formal meeting with everyone who has applied to be a contestant, and is the beginning of weekly meetings that will be held to help the girls get ready for the pageant,” Trinidad said.

Clothing, appearance and other guidelines will be covered in the meetings. 

Contestants don’t have to be from Ramona, but they must be able to attend all the required events. 

“They also must have good communication skills and good horsemanship knowledge,” Trinidad said. “But we will also have workshops to help them with their communication skills and horsemanship.” 

Applicants are required to attend the weekly meetings and horsemanship practices, pass written tests on rodeo and horsemanship knowledge, pass one-on-one interviews with the judges, give a speech on stage and answer impromptu questions on stage.

She said judges are looking for contestants who present themselves well and can handle public speaking. They also need to be able to ride a horse, and will be required to perform a horsemanship pattern in front of the judges as part of the pageant.

“This year, the pageant takes place over two days,” Trinidad said. “On April 10, beginning at 5 p.m., they will perform the horsemanship pattern and will then be asked impromptu questions by the judges.”

She said the public speaking and rodeo knowledge aspects of the pageant take place on April 11, and the new queens are crowned at the end of the event.

For more information, visit: https://ramonarodeo.com/rodeo-queen-pageant/. Questions can be emailed to: pageant@ramonarodeo.com.