Even New Yorkers like rodeo. At least that’s the case for the 2024 Miss Rodeo Kansas State Queen Jordan Daugherty.

The K-State student, an Army brat, spent her high school years living in New York City, and now she’s been crowned the rodeo queen for K-State.

The daughter of Aaron and Eryn Freese, she and her family lived in Lawton, Okla., Alexandria, Va., and upstate New York before her parents landed on Staten Island in NYC for four years.

At age eight, she started riding horses, English style, working in a barn. Family finances were limited, so for every hour she cleaned stalls, she got $10 credit towards riding lessons.

Then, on Staten Island, she volunteered with a therapeutic riding group, just to be around horses.

A barrel racer from New Jersey’s Cowtown Rodeo saw her ride and mentioned that Jordan should try barrel racing. “You’re a heck of a rider,” she told Jordan. But Jordan didn’t own a horse, and wasn’t even of driving age yet.

In 2020, she bought her first horse, and began running barrels. At the time, she was an undergrad student at Iowa State University in Ames, graduating two years later with a biology degree.

Jordan is currently studying for her doctor of veterinary medicine degree at K-State. She chose K-State because of the friendliness of its people.

“K-State was the most personal, the most welcoming,” she said. “It felt so much like a family, and that they actually care about each individual student, and that’s where I wanted to be.”

At K-State, she is part of the college rodeo team, competing in the barrel racing and breakaway roping. She doesn’t have the advantage of having competed in rodeo from a young age, like a lot of rodeo contestants.

“It’s intimidating, to come into college rodeo with a green-broke horse, when you’ve only done this for four years and they’ve done it their entire life.” But she’s made friends and enjoys it. “I’ve learned so much, being around these other people who have rodeoed their entire life. I love it.”

Jordan has participated in college rodeo for the last two years. She’s “made” – trained –  her own barrel horse and breakaway horse, and hopes to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo before her collegiate career is over.

At K-State, she is in the Health Professions Scholarship Program, a competitive scholarship she was granted. After graduation in May 2026, she will be active duty as a military veterinarian. She may be stationed at a deployable unit, caring for working military animals like dogs and horses, or on a nondeployable unit, caring for military families’ pets.

She didn’t think she could ever win a rodeo queen title. “I thought, (being a rodeo queen) is cool, but isn’t this for people who have ranches back home? You go to these rodeos, and you see these girls, and you think it’s cool, but you don’t think it’s for you.”

When she was crowned in March of this year, she was thrilled. “Wouldn’t it be cool if I talked to a little girl, tell her my story, and she says, maybe I can do that. Maybe my story will change somebody else’s mind, that this is possible.”

Jordan will be at the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo in Abilene July 30-August 2. She will ride in the parade on July 30, make an appearance at the Abilene Public Library on July 30 at 10 am, sign autographs on August 1 at Holm Automotive from 10:30-12 noon, and sign autographs following each night of rodeo.

The rodeo will be held July 30-August 2, with shows each night at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are $12 for adults in advance and $15 at the gate. Children’s tickets (ages 4-10) are $8.

Tickets can be purchased online at WildBillHickokRodeo.com, at West’s Country Mart, Lumber House True Value, and Pioneer Farm and Ranch and at the gate.

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Jordan Daugherty spent her high school years in New York City and now serves as the 2024 Miss Rodeo K-State queen.  She is studying to be a doctor of veterinary medicine. Photos courtesy Daugherty.