July 16-20, 2024
Lifelong cowgirl Lydia Rose Miller was crowned Miss Rodeo Idaho 2023 at the 106th annual Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho. Miller is the 66th woman to wear the iconic Miss Rodeo Idaho crown and says she looks forward to the opportunity of carrying the crown to all corners of the Gem State.
“Having been a competitor in the rodeo arena from the time I was very young, I relish the chance to travel my home state and represent a lifestyle I cherish,” Miller said. “I am not just a rodeo cowgirl. I am a cowgirl day-in and day-out. I love everything about the western lifestyle and I hope some of my passion for agriculture, ranching and horses is contagious for the people I come in contact with this year.”
Miller is the 22-year-old daughter of David and Erin Miller. They’re originally from Jerome, now residents of Buhl. She bested the competition at the Miss Rodeo Idaho Pageant in the categories of horsemanship, appearance, congeniality, photogenics, rodeo knowledge, and written test. She says being a rodeo queen is about more than looks, it is about knowing your sport inside and out and using that knowledge to help work rodeos and attract fans to the sport.
After her reign as Idaho’s first lady of rodeo, Miller will use the more than $15,000 she has amassed through the Miss Rodeo Idaho Scholarship Fund to complete her college education. Having already obtained an associate’s degree from the College of Southern Idaho, Miller plans to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Business and will use that education to continue on the path of carrying on her family’s ranching legacy.
In Miller’s spare time she enjoys leather work, which she has turned into a small business. She is a 4-H leader in her community and shows Texas Longhorn cattle. With a rich heritage in Idaho agriculture, Miller looks to the future, eager to leave her mark.
“Being a cowgirl is something I am very proud of. Rodeo is an esteemed family tradition which I am wholeheartedly committed to, and I have big plans for this year, but beyond that I hope to leave my mark on Idaho’s robust agricultural community. The western way of life has been a huge part of my life, and I want to share that love with others and remind people everywhere of the service our farmers and ranchers do for people around the globe,” Lydia said. “Maybe this title will give me a voice to help do that.”
Through 2023, Miller will share her platform “Ride With Me.” Her multidimensional platform serves as a way to let others know that they are never alone– through social media and following her wholesome and optimistic lifestyle. As an addition to this platform, Miller has partnered with the campaign, “No More Empty Saddles,” a suicide prevention program aimed at improving mental health in rural communities and within the sport of rodeo.
In addition to rodeo in Idaho, Miller serves as an ambassador for Project Filter – Idaho Fights Tobacco and Stampede for the Cure, a program that provides cancer detection screenings to uninsured and underinsured women. She will represent Idaho at the Miss Rodeo America Pageant in December of 2023.
Queens should be there and ready to be introduced by 8:30 AM.
Pre-registration is required (last minute, on-site entry is not accepted with the exception of visiting state queens or Miss Rodeo America.)
More information can be obtained by calling the rodeo office at (208) 466-8497.
Directions to Ford Idaho Center:
