Danielle Forster of Smithfield was crowned Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2025 in front of a rowdy Wednesday night crowd at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo. Forster was selected after competing and being judged in a variety of events, including horsemanship, appearance, personality, and more.
Forster graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln her bachelor’s degree in animal science with an equine focus. She will earn her master’s degree in animal science with specialization in extension and education from UNL in August. She is the UNL Horse Judging Coach and is the coordinator for the Elwood Rodeo Queen Pageant.
“I’m really looking forward to building connections with youth in our industry and working to inspire the next generation of rodeo fans, champions, and rodeo enthusiasts,” Forster said.
She is the daughter of Kevin and Kim Forster and comes from a family with deep rodeo roots. Her grandpa, Joe Phillips judged amateur rodeos for 50 years. Her mom, Kim, has timed rodeos for many years. Her uncle, Tom Phillips owns Phillips Rodeo Company, a stock contracting business that provides stock to rodeos across the Midwest. Forster’s brother, Dillon Tiede, is a former rodeo contestant and now helps extensively on the production side of rodeos. Forster’s sister-in-law, Dr. Kristin Tiede, also helps with rodeo production and even served as Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2018.
Because of her deep passion for rodeo, Forster has held various local rodeo queen titles. Her extensive rodeo queen resume includes the following honors:
- 2014 Elwood Rodeo Queen
- 2016 Southwest Nebraska Rodeo Jr. Queen
- 2017 Central Nebraska Rodeo Queen
- 2018 Southwest Nebraska Rodeo Queen
- 2019-2020 Phillipsburg Rodeo Queen (2 year term due to Covid-19)
- 2021 Kimball Rodeo Queen
- 2022 Oregon Trail Rodeo Queen
Forster will serve a six month “Lady-in-Waiting” period where she will garner sponsorships and prepare for her reign. She will travel roughly 50,000 miles across Nebraska and the United States attending rodeos, community functions, visiting schools, and serving as the state’s official ambassador for the sport of rodeo.
In addition to her duties as Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2025, Forster will represent Nebraska and compete for the title of Miss Rodeo America in December of 2025.
Other Awards:
- 1st Runner-Up – Ashlyn Mohling
- 2nd Runner-Up – Brylee Thompson
- Congeniality – Ashlyn Mohling
- Photogenic – Ashlyn Mohling
- Written Test – Ashlyn Mohling
- Speech – Danielle Forster
- Personality – Ashlyn Mohling
- Horsemanship – Danielle Forster
- Appearance – Danielle Forster
Listen to comments from Danielle here:
