Decades of Tradition

The first Queen Contest for the Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo was in 1939. It was then that Jean Medeiros was crowned Queen. The contest had charm and was very popular with participants and spectators alike. It gave the girls of the county a way to show off their horsemanship and personality. The contest was interrupted during World War II (1942-45) and was eventually discontinued. In 1991, George Callens, president of the Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo, reintroduced Miss San Benito Rodeo, bringing back the tradition, heritage, and pageantry surrounding the contest and the Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo.