GILBERT DAYS RODEO
Current Reigning Royalty
Gilbert Days Rodeo Queen
Shai Forman
Howdy!
I am delighted to represent Gilbert Days Rodeo as the 2024 queen. For nearly two decades I have called Prescott, Arizona home. Being a native of Arizona I am blessed to utilize both the forest and desert regions around the state to trail ride with my horse and bike on with my mountain bike. My rodeo queen horse, (who will also appreciate receiving a carrot or two if you have it), is Charlie. Together Charlie and I have traveled countless miles representing the greatest sport in the dirt for nearly 6 years. I have been fortunate to hold a few titles that have helped shape me into whom I am today such as Yavapai County Fair and Rodeo Teen Queen, Miss Teen Rodeo Arizona, and 2023 Gilbert Days Rodeo Queen. I am so excited to continue my passion to connect. the community to rodeo and the agricultural aspects of Arizona which keeps me inspired during college as Gilbert Days Rodeo Queen. As I finish my Bachelors of Veterinarian Science, I will be graduating this May from the University of Arizona. The end of last year and a portion of this year entails preparing for veterinarian school where I plan to specialize in large animal medicine and give back to the rodeo community as a rodeo vet. When I am not buried in textbooks, I love to bake, pamper my fat cat named Nugget and spent time with my friends and family. I am also a heavy traveler both domestically and internationally! From traveling on the rodeo road throughout nearly all of Arizona, my rodeo family has flourished, and I am humbly grateful for the support of everyone. With this title I plan to continue being a mentor and role model to young girls to go after their dreams. My motivation for this is from all the inspirational women I have met during my involvement that has sparked the fire inside of me to lead others by their examples of kindness, grace, and western grit. Which is why I aim to continue my platform “What’s your Dream?”. The connections I can continue and create mean so much to me because I know that these young ladies have the potential to be the future of Miss Rodeo America and if no one asks what their dream is, we can never nurture it. So, what’s your dream? I look forward to the opportunities and community involvement I get to dive into representing Gilbert Days Rodeo as the 2024 Queen.
Happy Trails,
Shai Forman
Gilbert Days Teen Queen
Abigail Griffith
Hello everybody,
I am happy to be the 2024 Gilbert Days Teen Queen. I could not be more excited to represent Gilbert Days rodeo this year. I am more than thrilled for this opportunity and can not wait to work with every one of you. I am a huge fan of traveling, so traveling around Arizona this year and meeting new people is right up my alley.
Although I was not born here in Arizona, I have been raised in Prescott pretty much since I was born. Where I get to experience not only Arizona’s famous heat, but cold winters in the north. I enjoy lots of trails on state land with my trouble maker of a horse Shiloh. Shiloh is my first and only horse at the moment, although I plan to have many more in the future. My rodeo queen horse is Buck and he is best friends with anyone who offers him a treat.
This is my second rodeo queen title and I am so excited to grow the numbers in the future. Last year I was the Prescott Frontier Days Junior Court Queen. I am very grateful for my past title as it has not only led me to where I am but also made it possible for me to meet Shai. Without her I wouldn’t have been able to be where I am now last year let alone start this one.
Currently I am a junior in high school, and plan to go to college with interests in equine related careers. Outside of school, work, and trail rides, I love spending time with friends, family, and my dogs, who are just the sweetest things. My family, specifically my mom, are my biggest fans and I am very excited to travel with them this year. We have already put several miles on my moms car, and there is plenty more to come.
With my title this year I hope to put a sparkle in at least one little girls eyes, like previous rodeo queens did for me. These young girls have the potential to be the next Miss Rodeo America. I hope to inspire these little girls, because being a rodeo queen is about promoting the western way of life, it’s about grit and a little bit of glam.
Abigail Griffith,
2024 Gilbert Days Teen Queen
Gilbert Days Rodeo Princess
Alba Padilla
Hey y’all my name is Alba Padilla, and I am your 2024 Gilbert Days Rodeo Princess. I am 11 years old. I am in the 5th grade, I always prioritize maintaining my good grades. My grandpa Bobby Padilla has been a part of the Gilbert Promotional Corporation since 1978 and my grandmother Cathy Padilla joined in 1984. You can say I have sort of been with the Gilbert Days Rodeo my whole life and have in fact assisted every year since I was born. In 2016 my dream of one day being a rodeo queen began when I got to participate as Gilbert Days Little Dudes Princess. In 2021 I got to be a Miss Rodeo Arizona Sweetheart. My heart is always with the Gilbert Rodeo and in 2022 I returned as Little Dudes Princess and even had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem for the Little Dudes Rodeo. My love for horses comes from both of my grandfathers. I started riding horses before I could even walk. I got my first horse Claire when I was three years old and so fortunate to have her still today, I am also blessed to have a baby horse named River and we hope to make him a pro barrel horse. Outside of queening I do competitive dance. I have been dancing competitively since I was 5 years old. This year I also did a season of flag football; I was fortunate to play the position of quarterback and defense. I hope to be able to grow in the sport and am considering playing on the all-girls flag football team in high school in a few years. I am also trying to pursue barrel racing. In the future I hope to become Gilbert Days Rodeo Queen and maybe one day Miss Rodeo Arizona. While I grow up, I hope to grow my knowledge about horses and attend a rodeo college.
I hope to see you all at the Rodeo.
Love Alba
