Jessica and Willow have grown up together — nearly the same age, both passionate about rodeos and learning from one another.
Last weekend, they entered the royal spotlight together. Jessica McLennan, who will be a senior this coming academic year at Philomath High School, earned the title of 2026 Benton County Fair and Rodeo queen. Willow, McLennan’s trusted partner, is a 17-year-old foundation quarter horse.
“I got her when I was 9 and she was also 9,” McLennan said. “I trained her to be the amazing horse she is. We’ve genuinely grown up together and she has taught me so much. She’s absolutely an amazing partner.”
Foundation quarter horses can trace a high percentage of their ancestry back to the original American quarter horses of the late 1800s and early 1900s — before significant influence from thoroughbreds and other breeds.
McLennan’s current status is “lady in waiting” with her reign to begin Jan. 1 and run throughout the 2026 calendar year. The current queen, Morgan Young, will wear the crown through the end of this year.
“I’m so excited for it all,” McLennan said. “I can’t wait to be able to take my horse across Oregon and represent Benton County but I’m also so excited to bring in the American flag next year during the Benton County rodeo. That’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing.”
McLennan first became enthralled with the idea of becoming a rodeo queen at age 6.
“That dream stuck with me throughout this entire time that I’ve been growing up with the rodeo,” said McLennan, who is now 18. “It’s just something I’ve always admired in other people and wanted to be in my future.”
McLennan’s been going to rodeos with her mom ever since she can remember.
“She was a part of the drill team when I was younger and so I would go to all of the local rodeos with her and do the behind-the-scenes stuff,” she said. “I would warm up her horse for her, sometimes fill water buckets — stuff like that. So I’ve been around it my entire life.”
Over the past two years, McLennan has been running sponsor flags at rodeos.
McLennan beat out two other competitors for the queen title, a process that involved a comprehensive four-part evaluation designed to showcase their range of skills. One of those challenges involved public speaking.
“It was a three-minute speech where we stood up on the main stage (at the fairgrounds) … and mine personally was about promoting the rodeo way of life,” McLennan said, adding that they were allowed to choose their own topics. “After that, we had an interview with the three judges.”
The second day of competition included a horsemanship pattern demonstration, allowing riders to display their riding abilities and showcase their horses’ skills, before concluding with judging based on actual rodeo performance.
Young passed on some advice to her eventual successor.
“She basically told me that it’s going to be really hard work but it’s going to be one of the best experiences I’ll ever have,” McLennan said. “So I’m really excited for that.”
Those that live and breathe the rodeo culture have a special place in McLennan’s heart.
“I love that the rodeo community is so inspiring to everyone around it,” McLennan said. “It really is built off of respect and hard work for one another. It’s just an incredible group of people and a community that comes together to create an amazing rodeo for our community.”
McLennan’s coronation ceremony has not been officially scheduled yet but she hopes people will come to offer support. The event doubles as a fundraiser to help cover expenses associated with the queen’s responsibilities.