“A connection with a horse and rider has to be really strong to work,” junior Maceyn Howard said. Howard, who is from Abilene, Kansas, was raised around horses. She has been riding horses since she was little, starting with local shows in Kansas. However, she didn’t begin competing in rodeos until her family moved to North Platte six years ago.

Howard competes in rodeos because she loves the adrenaline rush she gets when she goes out into the arena for the first time. She also enjoys the fact that rodeo is a sport that not many people participate in. Even though there are always people who want to see her fail, H

oward uses that feeling to drive herself to do the best that she can. “I live for the electricity that comes off others when you’re in a big arena,” she said.

Howard competes in three events at the moment: barrels, poles, and goat tying. This year, she hopes to add breakaway roping, an event where you rope a calf without throwing it to the ground, to her events. Her favorite event is goat tying. Howard said that these events don’t hurt the animals, because the animals are incredibly athletic and are bred for the sport. “Stock contractors take so much care of their animals,” she said.

Aside from competing in rodeos, Howard also competes in rodeo queen pageants. She became interested in being a rodeo queen about a year after she moved to North Platte. The first title that Howard held was the Elwood Rodeo Princess. The next title she tried out for was in Sutherland, and it took her three tries to get it. During the pageant, she had to borrow someone else’s horse. Howard said that at the end of judging, she got back on the horse to do a queen’s run, which is when the horse and rider run a circle around the arena. During the run, the horse turned around and went the opposite way around the arena. “We finished the thing, but it was so embarrassing,” she said.

Katie Cain
Howard is riding English style, which she says is, “very classy. Lots of technique, balance, and close contact with the horse are put into it.”

Right now, Howard currently holds the title of Ogallala Roundup Rodeo Queen. “I go to every event for Ogallala, and I travel around the state of Nebraska promoting the NSRA [Nebraska State Rodeo Association] rodeos,” she said. In a few years, Howard would like to compete for Miss Rodeo Nebraska and from there, Miss Rodeo America. “I plan on doing some pretty big things,” she said.

Howard believes that rodeo and being a rodeo queen has taught her many things. “Rodeo has taught me to never give up and keep chasing what I believe I can accomplish,” she said. Over the past year, Howard has won awards for skills, due to her hard work and dedication to the sport. She credits competing in pageants for giving her the ability to write speeches and speak in front of large crowds. Rodeo has also given Howard the chance to meet many new people, “I have friends all over the state of Nebraska and other states. It’s truly amazing.”

Despite the fact that Howard is allergic to horses, she can’t see herself doing anything else with her life. “If you have the skill, why not put it into something that you will do for the rest of your life? I absolutely love what I do,” she said.