Miss Rodeo Missouri Visits Guardian Angel School

Who likes royalty to visit them, especially if the royalty is riding a horse? Guardian Angel School students, that's who!! Rebecca Heppe is the reigning Miss Rodeo Missouri. Her tenure will run through the end of 2020. Miss Heppe is a close personal friend of Mrs. Sandi Hulshof, the third grade teacher at Guardian Angel School. She invited Miss Heppe to visit Guardian School on September 10, to show off her horse, Storm, and show the students the steps involved in preparing a horse to ride it.

Miss Heppe, who grew up in Sikeston, has been riding horses and owned Storm since she was 5 years old. Storm is now 20 years old. At the age of 4 she began mutton busting, which began her rodeo journey. Mutton busting is where you ride a sheep out of a chute and see how long you can stay on it, similar to riding a bucking bull. At the age of 8 she started 4-H Rodeo, where she competed in various events such as barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, and even breakaway roping! Fast forward to 2019 when she was crowned the "Sikeston Bootheel Rodeo" queen. In 2020 she was crowned "Miss Rodeo Missouri" queen. The crown she received fits onto her cowgirl hat. The crown is a perpetual crown that has been and will be passed on to each queen every year. Also, instead of receiving a trophy, her title came with a saddle that she gets to keep.

The students started in the gym, where Miss Heppe told about herself and what was involved in being Miss Rodeo Missouri. She had a halter in her hand to show the children and also explained how chaps got their name during the Wild West. She is allowed one set of chaps with her title. She designed it herself. Her name, Rebecca, is on the leather on the back and the words Miss Rodeo Missouri is on the front of each leg of the chap, as well as the Missouri map outline.

Everyone then ventured outside to the play yard where Storm was waiting while he chewed on some recently mowed grass. Storm is a paint horse. In fact his tail is the same color as the spot that it grows out of. Miss Heppe proceeded to show the students what she does before she rides Storm. She takes Storm's fly boots off and brushes his coat and his hair. She then brushes his tail from the side of him and told the students not to walk behind a horse without tapping him so he knows that you are present. She placed a soft blanket on his back to protect his skin from being rubbed by the saddle that she placed on him next. The bridle was put over his head and she mounted the horse. She took storm on a spin through the play yard, showing the different steps, such as a walk, trot, and canter, that horses do.

Miss Rodeo Missouri, Rebecca Heppe, explained what a halter is used for on a horse to the students and staff of Guardian Angel School.

The children were very excited and had several questions for her at the end. Everyone at Guardian Angel is proud to say they met Miss Rodeo Missouri, Rebecca Heppe. We pray and hope for continued success for her in the rodeo world.