In her reign as Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2025, Dusty Miller has appeared in dozens of rodeos across America. Whether she’s riding in a rodeo in Florida or Oregon or somewhere in between, Dusty is exactly where she wants to be: on horseback, representing her beloved Cowboy State.

The 24-year-old rodeo queen said she is “proud to represent Wyoming, proud to be part of rodeo, and proud to call this place home.” As a fourth-generation Wyoming native, Dusty’s agricultural roots run deep. As a first-generation cowgirl, her love for horses started early. “I grew up riding horses,” Dusty said. “My mom put us all on horses before we could walk.”

It wasn’t much longer before she started attending local circuit rodeos. “Getting to watch the girls ride their horses and do something with them really sparked my interest,” Dusty said. “And then once I got to start actually going and competing, I fell in love with it, and I don’t think I could see my life in a different way.”

She grew up in Cowley, and her first reign in rodeo royalty started at age 8, as the Cowley Pioneer Days rodeo princess. In high school, Dusty became more involved in rodeo and started barrel racing when she was 15. All the while, she also stayed busy with 4-H and FFA, showing livestock and participating in horse judging. Unfortunately, Dusty’s first barrel horse suffered a fractured foot and overstretched tendon. “That essentially was career-ending and almost life-ending for him,” Dusty said. But the unexpected injuries led to an unexpected career path for Dusty. She started digging into ways to rehabilitate him to be a companion horse and a lessons horse. “That’s when I officially chose my path for Animal Science at Northwest [College],” she said. “...It really just made me realize that I wanted to continue to help horses.”

Dusty started her own business, Crowned M Equine Rehabilitation Services, where she’s been able to apply lessons she learned from NWC Associate Professor of Agriculture Vern Dooley. “All of his classes really just helped me strengthen my knowledge to better help my clients rehab their horses back into peak performing shape,” Dusty said.

She graduated with an Animal Science degree in 2022, joining her grandparents and dad as NWC alumni. “So essentially, I was following in their footsteps,” she said. During her time at NWC, Dusty appreciated being close to home, so she could keep her horses with her parents, Kie and Christy Miller. She was able to ride her horses everyday, “instead of only getting to take one to college with me.”

A highlight of her time at Northwest was an ag operations trip to Kissimmee, Florida, touring cattle ranches. The trip with the NWC Block and Bridle Club, led by advisor Jason Horton, truly helped expand Dusty’s horizons. “That was so cool to get to experience as a little Wyoming kid that hadn’t really been out of state or gone anywhere,” Dusty said. “The college giving that opportunity to ag kids is absolutely outstanding.”

This year, Dusty has driven thousands of miles to rodeos — including Florida — since she’s not a big fan of flying. “I would probably be a little scared to actually add up how many miles I have driven,” Dusty said.

Along the way, she has road-tripped with Miss Rodeo America, and Miss Rodeo queens from Iowa, Nevada, Montana, Kentucky and North Dakota. “You meet so many people, and just the connections you make — we call them sash sisters,” Dusty said. “You just have a lifelong friend that you probably would have never gotten to meet if you weren’t in this position, and it’s just absolutely amazing.”

Though the year is wrapping up, Dusty still has a major milestone to look forward to: competing for the Miss Rodeo America crown at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Reflecting on her reign as Miss Rodeo Wyoming, the events close to home are especially close to her heart. She called Cheyenne Frontier Days — the largest outdoor rodeo in the world — a definite highlight. “On our flybys, you would think that you could hear the announcer and hear the music and hear the crowd,” she said. “But the only thing you could hear when you’re running down the track is the horse’s hooves hitting the ground. It’s just the most mesmerizing experience.”

Growing up, Dusty watched rodeo queens at the Cody Nite Rodeo from the grandstands. Last year, she entered the arena as Miss Cody Nite Rodeo. But this year, she was the final rodeo queen to be announced, as she proudly rode into the Cody Stampede as Miss Rodeo Wyoming. “I don’t even know how to explain it — it was the most amazing feeling ever,” she said, calling the experience “a dream come true.” “It was a dream for as long as I can remember, and it was one that I personally never thought I could achieve,” she said. “And I’m here now, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

 

This feature originally appeared in the Fall 2025 issue of TrapperConnect. If you'd like to receive future copies of this biannual publication in your mailbox, click here.