MHES Princess Charlatan Sandford and Queen Charlie Christie in the MHES sand arena.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
With this year’s competitors decided, the next Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Queen and Princess spent some time out in the arena going over the ins and outs of the horsemanship competition.
The 2025 competition will have two competitors, 18-year-old Joleigh Wood and 20-year-old Mila Stuut. Wood was present for this year’s Queen Boot Camp, which gave a broader overview of the entire competition and confirmed her decision to run this year, while Stuut chose to take the plunge closer to the entry deadline.
“I’ve wanted to run since I was a little girl. I put on my pink cowboy boots and my pink cowboy hat with a crown on it. And I always loved meeting the queens and princesses, and I thought they were so beautiful, and they represented the Western way of life so well,” said Stuut.
Both girls met with Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Queen and Princess Charlie Christie and Charlatan Sandford in the sand arena on Saturday, to learn some vital tips for presentation riding, patterns and other horsemanship details that will help them come competition week in July.
“It was really nice to be able to see all the patterns and ask questions,” said Wood. “I’ve been riding since I can remember, my mom would throw me on a horse bareback and just let me follow absolutely everywhere, so I’m fairly used to what’s expected in horsemanship.”
In contrast to their confidence in horsemanship, both girls expressed some nerves regarding the public speaking aspect of the competition.
However, overall, the pair were largely excited, and expressed gratitude to already know who they would be spending their reign with, so they can already start working on their bond.
Wood brings with her a long history of 4H, a passion for volleyball and dreams of becoming an elementary school teacher. Coming from a family farm in southwest Saskatchewan, she says she learned several skills and an appreciation for the Western way of life.
“We raised pigs, chickens- you name it, we probably had it, except goats. Mom did say no to the goats,” said Wood. “I was in 4H for 11 years, I have four siblings, and I’m just really looking forward to my year with Mila.”
Stuut is a Medicine Hat local, having spent much of her time on a family owned farm just west of the city. She currently works at Blue Sky Vet and assists with various equine work after having finished her post-secondary schooling in Equine Science.
“In high school, I wanted to be a chef, but I realized that I couldn’t cook for people every day, or I would never cook for myself,” said Stuut. “But horses, I kind of looked at all of my hobbies I’ve had over the years, and horses is the one thing that’s always stuck.”
The experience has been slightly surreal for the current royalty, with Sandford saying it feels as if the year has absolutely flown by.
“It doesn’t feel too long ago that I was in their shoes,” said Christie. “Just last year was super helpful for me, and kind of put it into perspective for me, that I was really running. It’s really exciting to be able to help them like Emma Atkinson and Caitlyn O’Connor helped me.”
This year’s Queen competition will run from July 9-12, with July 10 for horsemanship, July 11 for Speech Night and July 12 for the fashion show, before the new royalty will be crowned during Summer Pro Rodeo.
In the meantime, Christie and Sandford are looking forward to seeing Medicine Hat and regional residents, as well as visitors from all over at the World Professional Chuckwagon Association races, which will take place June 12-14.
