March 28, 2024

Getting Fancy: Iowa State Fair Cowgirl Queen mixes horsemanship with pageantry

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As every bobby pin pierces the crown of her straw hat, Carlee Zahurones grimaces a little. Sitting on a chair inside the horse barn at the Iowa State Fair Grounds, Zahurones is getting ready to make her debut at this year’s Cowgirl Queen competition, an event that’s half horsemanship, half beauty pageant.

“You don’t want this to fall off,” Zahurones said, as her eyes drift up to her cowboy hat, complete with a tiara that glitters even in the dull lights of the horse barn.

Losing your hat is one of the cardinal sins at Cowgirl Queen. It’s grounds for immediate disqualification.

For Zahurones, who will be a sophomore at Baxter High School in the fall, competing in cowgirl queen is the realization of a lifelong dream. The 16-year-old has wanted a horse as long as she could remember. As she watches fairgoers stroll down the aisles of the horse barn, peering into the stalls, she remembers when she used to do the same thing.

“They remind me of myself,” Zahurones said. “I always used to wish the stalls were shorter so I could see in.”

Cowgirl Queen candidates are in rarified territory. There are two divisions, a junior division in which Zahurones is competing, and a senior division, where fellow contestant and Jasper County resident Jessica Jacobs rides. Competitors have to win to get in, which means Zahurones and Jacobs are already in elite company. This is Zahurones’ first trip to compete at the state fair, and it’s the fourth time Jacobs has vied the elusive title.

“This is my second year in the senior competition, and I can come back until I’m 26 or until I win,” Jacobs said.

With entrants from across the state, contestants are divided into heats called “go’s.” At the end of each go, the winners ride out first. They’ll be back in the ring at the end of the night to compete for the championship. For riders who don’t make the cut, there’s only a pink ribbon and a chance to come back next year and do it all again. In Zahurones’ case, just getting to compete at the state fair feels like an accomplishment.

“I felt pretty comfortable out there and I was pretty happy with the turnout, even if I didn’t win,” Zahurones said.

Like most of the contestants, Zahurones spent her whole day Friday inside the Iowa State Fair horse barn, working to get her horse, Rusty, acclimated to the new environment. Zahurones, her mother, Beth, and Rusty got a ride from Carlee’s father, who dropped them off in the morning before heading back to the family farm outside of Baxter. Unlike most fairgoers, there’s no time for giant slides or footlong corn dogs, competing in Cowgirl Queen takes plenty of hard work.

“You gotta work hard all day. There’s not as much time to play,” Zahurones said.

This isn’t the first time Zahurones has been in competition, but it’s the biggest event she and Rusty have seen.

“This is a little more competitive, but it’s been fun,” Beth Zahurones said.

With both Zahurones and Jacobs failing to make the cut in Friday’s competition, there’s little to do except start packing up to head back to Jasper County. Family members help the two girls start stowing all of their accoutrements. Off come the cowboy hats. Zahurones is able to pull hers off despite the bobby pins, and Jacob’s red felt hat is stowed safely back in it’s carrying case. Chaps are carefully folded and stowed, saddles and tack are stuffed into bags.

“It takes a village,” Jacobs said, as she surveys her stall area, “and one guy going like this to end it,” pointing her finger at an imaginary rider.

Despite her disappointment, Jacobs is pragmatic about the outcome; there’s still a few horse shows remaining in the season for the 2018 PCM graduate.

“We’ll go back to the drawing board and figure out what went wrong and fix it,” Jacobs said. “Maybe try for another title. We’re getting there. I’m getting better every year.”

On the other side of the barn, Zahurones gets a hug from her grandmother, Carol Cummings, who drove down from Shellsburg to watch her granddaughter compete. Win or lose, Cummings was thrilled to see Zahurones at the fairgrounds.

“We’re all pretty proud of her. She loves her horses,” Cummings said. “She always wanted a horse since she was a little kid. Her dad always told her he wasn’t going to have a ‘hayburner’ on his farm, but he finally gave in.”

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com