Three Generations and the Three Rs
Text by Kay Bjork and Photography by Jim Wells
Lindsay Garpestad is sixth generation rancher and third generation rodeo queen in her family.
If there were a rodeo queen gene, Lindsay Garpestad certainly would have it.
Lindsay was crowned 2016 Miss Rodeo Montana and became the third generation rodeo queen in her family. Her grandmother Kay Harrison was Miss Dillon Jaycee Rodeo queen in 1952; her mother Vonda Harrison captured the same title in 1983 and her second cousin Shonda Nelson was Miss Rodeo Montana in 1990.
Lindsay says, “Some rodeo queens can remember wanting to become Miss Rodeo Montana or Miss Rodeo America as early as elementary school…It wasn’t until I was a freshman at Carroll College in Helena, Montana that I watched an interview with Miss Rodeo America and I knew I was not only called to run for Miss Rodeo Montana, but prepared for the job as well.” She explains that there aren’t vacations or much predictability in ranch life so she feels well prepared for the demands of her role as Miss Rodeo Montana where she will travel as much as 30,000 miles and make dozens of visits and appearances throughout the state this year to represent the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and as an advocate for agriculture and the western way of life.
A sixth generation member of a Montana ranch family, Lindsay grew up on a Quarter Horse ranch near Simms and spent time at the family ranch near Polaris learning the other three Rs – riding, ranching and rodeo. She loved it all growing up – goat tying, pole bending, running barrels and team roping. Lindsay says the family legacy as rodeo-queens has its foundation in the sport of rodeo. She was also deeply involved in 4-H and continues to be involved with her local 4-H community as a horse and livestock leader.
Learning all the disciplines of riding combined with equine training also contributed to her well roundedness as a cowgirl.
Lindsay has always had tremendous focus and determination and doesn’t sweat the small stuff. She explains that she learned what is really important at just 12 years old when her father lost his battle with depression. She admits that it was hard growing up without a father, but says it also helped build character and strength that have contributed to her successes. She hopes to share her personal loss in a positive way to raise awareness about depression and mental health during her rein as Miss Rodeo Montana. She credits her mother for her positive attitude and teaching her to make the best of situations with the empowering belief, “You control your own happiness.”
Miss Rodeo Montana is selected for her horsemanship, appearance and personality “to serve as a vibrant, colorful goodwill ambassador of rodeo.” A beautiful blonde, Lindsay is also bright and energetic. But forget the blonde jokes. Lindsay graduated in the top five at C.M. Russell high school in Great Falls and Cum Laude and Sigma Beta Delta from Carroll College with two bachelor degrees in Political Science and Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing.
She is also very resourceful and hard working. She started a photography business to help finance her college education that she continues to operate when it fits into her busy schedule. Her future plans include studying law with a focus on inheritance law so that she can return to Great Falls to help Montana ranchers make responsible decisions when handing down family farms and ranches. This will be yet another way she can give back to a state and people she loves. Her interest in travel and history make her excited to explore and learn about the far reaches of Montana during her rein. Lindsay says that her Miss Montana Rodeo travels have already made her more acutely aware of Montana cowboys’ important role in PRCA history over the last 80 years and the large number of talented rodeo participants who come from Montana. She notes, “I am still filled with pride when I think of the blessing God has given me to represent the Treasure State and the greatest sport on dirt.”
It is an honor that goes back through three generations of women in Lindsay’s family. Just four months before Lindsay became Miss Rodeo Montana 2016, she lost her grandmother Kay, a critical piece in the lifetime journey to the title. But Lindsay says her passing made the honor even more meaningful and humbling.
She says that as a child she loved looking through old photos of her mother and grandmother in their rodeo queen days. “The photos gave me a glimpse into the lives of the women who shaped me into the strong and passionate woman I am today.” Her Grandma Kay might not have been there physically when Lindsay became Miss Rodeo Montana, but she was there in the example she set, the lessons she taught and the traditions of ranch, rodeo and rodeo queen that are carried on by Lindsay today.
