Maddie Gunter is the 17 year old horse crazy daughter of Sandpoint natives, Ben and Teresa Gunter. Maddie is currently a senior at Sandpoint High School with plans of attending the University of Idaho in order to obtain a degree in Elementary Education. Maddie’s passion for working with children was born out of her 10 year experience in Bonner County 4H where she has been involved in multiple projects including 9 years of Horse and 9 years of raising both market steers and hogs. She always looks forward to helping young 4Hers learn and enjoy their 4H experience which inspired her to make a career out of positively impacting the education of children.

 

Maddie’s many hobbies and interests include community service, music, movies, being outdoors in any capacity, and agriculture. But her greatest love has always been horses and the sport of rodeo. She participated in her first barrel race at 5 and has competed in several play days and barrel races since. She has also carried sponsor flags in the Bonner County Rodeo for several years. Being involved in Horse 4H for over half her life has allowed Maddie to greatly advance her horsemanship skills and give her the opportunity to compete in and win various horse judging competitions at both the state and national levels. Maddie is incredibly passionate about taking any oppurtinty available to her to improve her knowledge on all things horse related in order to be the best horsewoman she can be!

 

When Maddie was 4 years old, she declared that she would one day hold the title of Miss Bonner County Rodeo when she met the 2009 Miss Rodeo Idaho Freya Ford and fell in love with the greatest sport on dirt. 13 years later, Maddie is very excited to make her dream a reality and represent her hometown while sharing her love of rodeo with people from all walks of life. Doing this all alongside her best friend and partner in crime, her quarter horse Rocky!