‘What a ride cowgirl.’ Tri-City rodeo queen nearly takes national title at Vegas event
A Tri-Cities rodeo queen made her mark on a national stage last week.
Miss Rodeo Washington Lexy Hibbs was 2nd runner up in a field of 28 contestants from states west of the Mississippi River in the competition for the title of Miss Rodeo America.
The women starting on Nov. 27 and spent eight days competing to be the official spokeswoman for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
They competed in horsemanship, appearance, personality and speech.
As the field narrowed first to 10 and then to five contestants, Hibbs’ name stayed near top of the list.
Along the way, she picked up top marks on the written test, the Wrangler Decorated Dress Award and the Zona Vig Scrapbook Award in the traditional category.
Hibbs of Richland was sequestered during the competition, but messages of support flooded in on her Facebook page and on the Miss Rodeo Washington page.
“The Miss Rodeo Washington Board is so proud of Lexy and the job she has done throughout her whole year and the Miss Rodeo America Pageant,” a post on the Miss Rodeo Washington page said. “What a ride cowgirl, you have done an outstanding job!”
Hibbs told the Tri-City Herald before leaving for Las Vegas that her 3-year journey as Miss Horse Heaven Roundup Rodeo and Miss Rodeo Washington has been an honor and a privilege.
Her journey as an advocate for rodeo and western life has its roots in her father’s work with breeding cattle. She grew up understanding the importance of agriculture.
She also loved being around animals and, after some initial reticence, she joined her twin sister for riding lessons when she was 7. The first time she got on an American Quarter Horse she was in love.
“They will work as hard as you ask them to, and they never ask for anything in return,” she said. “Horses want so badly to please you. If you can help a horse, it’s truly a magical moment. ... It’s a really a special bond that helped me develop into the horsewoman that I am today.”
Her love of working with horses continued as she participated in 4-H, equestrian vaulting, dressage, jumping and rodeo queen pageants.
Miss Horse Heaven Roundup
She started pursuing the title of rodeo queen when a friend got the title of 2018 Horse Heaven Roundup Rodeo Queen. She realized the skills she could learn in the program would be useful in other aspects of her life.
She returned and won the 2020 crown.
Hibbs’ reign as Horse Heaven’s queen continued an additional year because of the COVID pandemic closures. Then, she was named Miss Rodeo Washington 2022.
While she was serving as the Horse Heaven Roundup Rodeo Queen, she finished her degree at WSU Tri-Cities in viticulture and enology. She knew she wanted to work in agriculture, and discovered the size of the state’s wine industry.
She found work at the Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard and Winery in Benton City where she oversees the operation of a 2,000-acre farm.
As the state’s rodeo queen, she has gone to every PRCA rodeo in the state, as well as visiting rodeos in seven other states.
This story was originally published December 6, 2022 at 12:19 PM.