Joe Kirk and Mr San Peppy made significant marks on different areas of the Quarter Horse world.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Not many horses can be said to have changed the course of an entire industry, but Mr San Peppy did just that for two segments – ranching and cutting. Journal Photo

At the 2012 AQHA Convention in Las Vegas in March, six new inductees will join the prestigious walls of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. The new inductees include Gordon Hannagan, Walter Fletcher, Bob Loomis, Indigo Illusion, Streakin La Jolla and Hollywood Dun It.

In April, America’s Horse Daily will feature biographies about the new members of the Hall of Fame. Until then, enjoy this series about the people and horses honored in 2011 by induction into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.

Joe Kirk Fulton

The American Quarter Horse owes a debt of gratitude to Joe Kirk Fulton.

The lifelong horseman has improved the breed, and Quarter Horses are better for having “Joe Kirk,” as he’s known throughout the industry, on their side – not only as an owner and competitor but as a breeder for 50 consecutive years.

“They have been my hobby; they’ve been my love,” says the 79-year-old Lubbock, Texas, businessman and rancher. “My dad bought me my first Quarter Horses when I was probably 14 or 15, and from that day forward, I’ve just continued to acquire good mares and tried to raise some awfully nice colts. We’ve been fortunate that we’ve raised a few pretty nice ones.” Read the rest of this entry »

Get your multiple horse transfers out of the way today!

You’ve found the perfect horse. Now it’s time to get him transferred into your name. AQHA can help! Share this post on Facebook.

Buyer beware? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe that horse picked you. You saw him and thought, “wow, he’d be the perfect [insert discipline here] horse!” So you talk to the owner, (or whoever was buying the feed…) pay the person, load him up and ride off into the sunset with the perfect horse.

Then you wake up in the middle of the night and realize that your wonderful [insert discipline here] horse didn’t happen to have a transfer tacked to his ear. What now? Thank goodness, you got the horse’s AQHA registration certificate. You decide to do some investigating, and the owner listed on the certificate is NOT who you bought the horse from.

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These four exercises help build a more supple horse and a stronger relationship between horse and rider.

These four ways to yield the hindquarters will help you check your horse's suppleness. Kris Graef photo.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Brent Graef in America’s Horse

There are lots of reasons why it’s important to have control over all of your horse’s body parts – including his mind. These four ways to yield the hindquarters will help you check your horse’s suppleness; you’ll notice if he yields his hind end more easily to one direction. They’ll help you improve his softness and suppleness both directions, and they’ll also improve the communication between you and your horse.

1. One Rein, One Leg

This is the easiest way to move the horse’s hindquarters, and it’s a good place to start.

Let’s say I’m moving the hindquarters to the right. I’d pick up softly on my left rein and bend the horse’s neck slightly to the left. I’d want the head to remain vertical (not cocked sideways), with a soft bend at the poll. If the nose is tipped sideways, so that the ear would fill up with water if it were raining, that means the horse is locked up in his poll, which is not what we want. Read the rest of this entry »

How do you break a horse from pulling back from tied? Find out how from AQHA Professional Horsewoman and Certified Horsemanship Association Instructor Tara Reimer.

Question:

Do you have any suggestions on how to break a horse from yanking back when tied? My mare is a calm horse, but when I put her in a halter and tie her to a trailer, phone pole, etc., she just starts yanking until either the ring, halter or lead rope breaks. She hasn’t tried it once in the trailer when she’s tied. I am guessing that it is a fear thing, but I would like to hear the best way of getting rid of this dangerous behavior, as I don’t want her or anyone else to get hurt.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dude ranches make the perfect vacation for horse lovers.

Parents can relax on their own trail rides.Journal photo.

By Holly Clanahan for America’s Horse

I admit it. I’m a dude.

Not in the cool sense of the teenage vernacular. Nope, we’re talking old-fashioned dude here. As in dude ranch. And it’s a good thing.

Randy Sue Fosha, Dude Ranchers’ Association member and owner of Drowsy Water Ranch with her husband, Ken, invited me and my husband, Chad Hendrix, out to see what dude ranching is all about.

When we arrive, Ken promises us a couple of things. First, he says, the guests will come from a variety of backgrounds, but “everybody here’s going to be just one thing this week, and that’s a cowboy – or a cowgirl.” And second, he predicts that lasting friendships will be made. Read the rest of this entry »

Rocket Wrangler proved himself a great race horse and superb breeding stallion who passed on a willing temperament to later generations.

Rocket Wrangler's get earned more than $9.4 million and included Dash For Cash. Journal photo.

From America’s Horse

Rocket Wrangler. Rocket Wrangler. How’s that for a name for a racing American Quarter Horse – the horse of the cowboy, the fastest breed on earth? It says it all.

“He was small, and I was taking him slow,” said American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame trainer C.W. “Bubba” Cascio, who developed the colt who would have a lasting impact on the breed. “The first time I beared down on him, I said, ‘Well, lookee here.’ Jerry come back – Jerry (Nicodemus) was doing all my riding then – and he said, ‘Say, we might have something here.’ So we began to bear down on him. From then on, it was just history. He was a runner.”

Rocket Wrangler proved it. The champion 2-year-old colt in 1970, Rocket Wrangler started 23 races between 1970 and 1973, coming back a winner from 10 and bringing home $252,167 in earnings. Winning his maiden race, he finished farther back in the Grade 1 Kansas Futurity, the first stop on Ruidoso Downs’ triple-crown trail. Then, with Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Nicodemus in the irons, Rocket Wrangler swept the next two, taking the Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity and Quarter Horse racing’s flagship event, the Grade 1 All American Futurity.

Check out AQHA’s Equine Breeding Techniques and Foal Health Tips to learn what to expect during every stage of breeding.

Read the rest of this entry »

Help ensure that your horses are adequately protected against disease exposure risks in your region.

By AQHA Corporate Partner Pfizer

As responsible horse owners, we know that every year we should vaccinate our horses against infectious diseases. With so many disease risks affecting our horses, it can be challenging to know what to vaccinate for, when to vaccinate and how often. As many equine diseases can vary by season and region of the country, consulting a veterinarian is the best option for ensuring a safe and effective vaccination program.

Vaccinations are broken down based on core vs. risk-based diseases. According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners vaccination guidelines, core vaccinations are those “that protect from diseases that are endemic to a region, those with Read the rest of this entry »

AQHA’s Guess That Horse contest takes place each Wednesday at 1 p.m. CDT.

This American Quarter Horse is Undercover Angel.

Today’s winner will receive a “Tack Talk” DVD, courtesy of Quarter Horse Outfitters.

The contest will start at 1 p.m. CST. At that time, the photo and first hint are given.

When the contest is live, 10 hints will be posted, one at a time, every few minutes on this page.

Refresh your browser periodically for new hints.

Please post your guesses into the comments box below.

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Register today for the 2012 AQHA Convention in Las Vegas!

Complete your AQHA convention registration today!

AQHA is an organization that works for our  members. Each spring, AQHA holds a convention to review AQHA rules and policies. Read the rest of this entry »

Learn the three ways to qualify for the inaugural AQHA Novice championship shows.

Competitors can qualify for AQHA's Novice championship shows three different ways.

By Megan Brincks for America’s Horse Daily

It’s nice to be Novice, especially now that AQHA is offering championship-level shows for this division. The AQHA Novice program is available to youth and amateur competitors who have earned fewer than 25 points in the class they are competing in.

The inaugural SmartPak AQHA Western Novice Championship Show in Las Vegas and the Nutrena AQHA Eastern Novice Championship Show in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, will be held October 5-7.

Want to know how to get there?

Three Ways to Qualify for a Novice Championship Show

1. Competitors can qualify by placing in the top 10 at an AQHA regional championship show in a Novice class.
2. Showing at 20 AQHA shows during the qualifying period will complete eligibility. For this option, there is no requirement about where the rider competes geographically.
3. Competitors can qualify through their state or provincial affiliate. For this option, competitors should become familiar with their affiliate’s rules because they vary state to state.

Learn the causes, symptoms and treatment options for equine stomach ulcers in AQHA’s FREE Stomach Ulcers in Horses report.

Important Information

The national qualifying period for the 2012 championships is May 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012.

If a competitor graduated out of a Novice class during 2011, he or she is still eligible to compete at the 2012 Novice championship shows.

Once a competitor is qualified, he or she can go to either the eastern or western show. There is no restriction, but competitors can only show at one championship each year.

If the competitor qualifies nationally, his or her invitation to the Novice championship is not class-specific. Once nationally qualified, competitors can participate in any of the available classes.

Classes at the Championships

The following classes will be available at the 2012 Novice championship shows.

• Halter: yearling, 2-year-old, 3-year-old, aged and performance halter geldings and mares
• Showmanship
• Horsemanship
• Hunt seat equitation
• Western pleasure
• Hunter under saddle
• Trail
• Western riding
• Reining
• Barrel racing
• Pole bending
• Stake race

AQHA’s FREE Stomach Ulcers in Horses report explains exactly what to do when you suspect your horse is suffering from this common equine problem.

Please see the Novice championships state qualifying page for more information.

Kick back and enjoy the best quotes from the February issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.

Have you flipped through the pages of the February 2012 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal? What you’re sure to find in the Journal is a plethora of great quotes on western lifestyles, horse care and training insight, all with one great common thread – the American Quarter Horse.

So kick back and enjoy the best of what the February Journal has to offer:

• Read the rest of this entry »

Quarter Horses hold a special place in our hearts.

Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate the love we have for everyone in our lives and thank those people for the value they add to our lives.

This year, use Valentine’s Day to celebrate all the loves of your life. The significant others who are anxiously last-minute shopping for your present, the parents who support you, the friends who make you laugh, the children who drive you crazy and the horses that bring you joy. Our hearts have room for them all, and our lives would be less meaningful without them.

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