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LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Miss Rodeo Washington Katie Garfield came home from the Miss Rodeo America pageant slightly richer.

As a top 10 finalist, she won a total of $1,200, saddle pad and finalist belt buckle.

Garfield, 22, formerly of George, competed against 27 other rodeo queens from throughout the country from Nov. 27 to Dec. 4, at The Orleans Hotel & Casino, in Las Vegas.

Overall, Garfield placed somewhere between sixth and tenth place, according to the random top 10 results, she said Thursday.

“I had the time of my life,” she said. “We were exhausted because of rehearsals. There was 26 hours of rehearsals.”

The contestants also took part in interviews and horsemanship competitions.

Garfield said it was “great” to see her traveling friends.

“Having those friends and seeing them in Vegas was just a treat,” she commented.

The event felt like a rodeo, but the sad thing is, she’ll “probably never see three-quarters of them again,” Garfield says.

Contestants are scored on personality, appearance, horsemanship, rodeo knowledge and presentation.

Public speaking, interviewing, horsemanship, knowledge of rodeo and general equine science, current event awareness, being photogenic, visual poise and professionalism are also important factors.

Although she had never scrapbooked before, Garfield placed fourth in the scrapbook category. The placement earned her a $200 prize for chronicling her year as Miss Rodeo Washington.

She also received a $1,000 scholarship as a top 10 recipient.

The pageant was held before the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, which drew many people from the Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo board.

The pageant was held in conjunction with the rodeo.

Garfield also met up with friends from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Convention.

Her parents, Anne Henshaw and Mike Garfield, her best friend, and her best friend’s family, also attended the pageant.

Henshaw described the event as “pretty awesome.”

“It was a lot of competition,” she said. “The girls did really well. Her schedule was incredible. They didn’t have a moment to themselves.”

Henshaw said they drove to Las Vegas with a 15 foot cargo trailer full of Katie’s clothes, because the extra baggage costs from flying there “would have killed us.”

The contestants roomed with one another during their time in Las Vegas.

“They didn’t get a whole lot of sleep. They really pushed them and wanted to see if they could handle it. A lot really couldn’t handle it. They found that out for sure,” Henshaw said.

The contestants spent 26 hours just practicing the coronation dance.

Katie also gave a speech on Washington state and included history and strange facts.

“She definitely scored high on her speeches,” her mom said. “It’s kind of nice to have a small town girl do something like this.”

Katie was the 2007 Miss Moses Lake Round-Up queen and the 2006 Miss Rodeo Othello.

She enjoys roping and barrel racing in her spare time.

She’s applying for nursing school, with the goal of working in oncology.