Oh, the journey to my old Kentucky home! I did not expect to have slept on the floor of an airport or turned into the Congress Queen in an airport bathroom on my bingo card for this year! My flight from Philadelphia to Kentucky ended up getting overnight delayed so my Brinks hat can turned into my pillow for the night. I feel bad for those around me that probably heard my snoring. Before my flight I did my hair and makeup then turned into the Congress Queen once I landed in Lexington, Kentucky. Just the area around the airport was so miraculous that I couldn’t wait to see more of Kentucky. When I got to the show, I met Lou and Peyton who would be handling the awards for the week. I also reconnected with some familiar faces such as Miranda Taylor who was managing Premier Sires photography and videography for social media, the photography team with Shane Rux, and announcer Pete Cannizzaro. Huge thank you to the Patterson Family that brought my electric scooter from PA, so I was able to take some time to explore the beautiful cross-country fields, Rolex Stadium, and the educational exhibits at the Kentucky Horse Park. One thing that I loved about the Stonelea ring was that it was the perfect place for people to pull up in their golf carts or lots of benches where people were sitting and watching the classes. Futurity classes are always exciting to see who the future superstar show horses are for our industry and I love passing out so many great prizes. The horse park was so beautiful that the background for my backdrop photo was the stunning green grass and hills. Julian Harris made sure to keep the horse show fun by playing games such as dizzy bat, granny panties, and music trivia. I was super excited to be included in the Premier Sires team video to the friends theme song. I always love vendor row to not only connect with Congress Queen Contest Sponsors but who doesn’t love to shop at horse shows! Thank you to Brinks Hattery for keeping my hat they donated always perfectly shaped! One night I had some time to go to dinner with my friend Morgan Askins who was SC Queen in 2023, the first year I ran for Congress Queen. Fun Fact: She also was Miss Rodeo Kentucky and first runner up in Miss Rodeo USA! Morgan has been such a great friend throughout my queening years and runs an embroidery business called Wild Card Customs where I have worked with her to design gifts and horse clothing. There is so much opportunity for education at the Kentucky Horse Park from their Big Breed Barn, Hall of Champions, Museum of the Horse, Mounted Police, and much more! We got very lucky that the weather was absolutely stunning except for my last day when it rained all day. On my flight home I enjoyed watching the final episodes of Yellowstone. Thank you to Claire Binkowski, Michelle Forness, and the team at Premier Sires for having me!
Next Stop: Region 5 Championship Show
Much love, Madison
