Unwind after a busy horse show season with the AQHA and Dude Ranchers’ of America QuarterFest Extravaganza vacation giveaway.

You could win a chance to relax the day and night away at a dude ranch, but even if you don't, beautiful views like this can be yours at the AQHA photo store.

From AQHA’s QuarterFest, with contributions from Kristin Syverson

We’re not a bit surprised if your summer plans include a busy lineup of horse shows. But let’s face it, everyone deserves some time for pure relaxation. Chances are, those hard-working horses of yours won’t mind loafing around in their stalls for a few days.

You just might want to make room in your summer schedule for a relaxation-only trip complete with beautiful natural surroundings, plus a horse or two.

Attend the QuarterFest Extravaganza May 1 and 2 for a chance win a trip to a Dude Ranchers’ of America dude ranch in Arizona or Colorado. Read the rest of this entry »

This contest winner hopes to share her knowledge with 4-H’ers.

Around Mills River, North Carolina, there has been a lot of wet weather this year. So when a snow storm blew in recently, Wendy Cantrell faced a familiar challenge: finding something constructive for her 4-H kids to do with their horses. She turned to America’s Horse Daily to find the answer.

Wendy found our barn-aisle exercises free report, with tips from AQHA Professional Horseman Brent Graef. When she wrote about the experience in our QuarterFest essay contest, our judges loved how she was putting these tips to good use helping children. The contest – which offered a free trip to AQHA’s first-ever equine expo – asked readers to write in with stories of their favorite tip from America’s Horse Daily.

Here’s an excerpt from Wendy’s entry:

“We had a snow storm that prevented the kids from riding. To teach children that horses are 24/7, we have lessons regardless, and ‘Barn Dance’ was perfect. Brent Graef explained his ideas on working with horses when the weather is bad. I did not even have to interpret the article. The article was clear in its directions, so I could read it directly to the children. Read the rest of this entry »

Go to QuarterFest on our dime!

Tell us what you like about America’s Horse Daily and win a free trip to AQHA’s first-ever equine expo.

It’s a celebration of our favorite animal, the American Quarter Horse. It’s an opportunity to soak in an amazing amount of knowledge and enjoy all-star performances and clinics. It’s the first-ever QuarterFest. And for you, it could be free.

To kick off our inaugural extravaganza – which will be May 1-3 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee – America’s Horse is giving away a trip to the event, complete with airfare from anywhere within the lower 48 states, hotel accommodations and admission to all special events.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve got a winner in the America’s Horse cover contest

When we asked America's Horse Daily readers to vote on their favorite cover, this one won hands down and will appear on the May issue. More than 1,100 of you voted!

Actually, we’ve got two winners. The first is the photo with the alert, happy horse and rider, with a crystal blue sky and the painted hills of Palo Duro Canyon in the background (See the other finalists). And the second winner is photographer Lynda Harris, a longtime AQHA member and avid trail rider from Canyon, Texas.

Lynda took the winning photo of Kris Graef and her horse, Mongo Lad – better known as “Bojangles” – during the 2008 canyon trails class taught by Kris’ husband, Brent. The class, which teaches ways to train your horse on the trails, will be featured in the May issue of America’s Horse, AQHA’s member publication.

“I think I looked up and saw that background and hurriedly got that picture snapped,” Lynda says. It was a completely candid moment, and because Lynda only got one frame of Kris and “Bo,” she surmises that they must have moved off shortly after the photo was taken. Read the rest of this entry »

We need your help to decide between these three standout photos.

In the May issue of America’s Horse magazine, you’ll find a story with tips on how to train your horse on the trails. It’s based on a class taught by AQHA Professional Horseman Brent Graef on the trails of the Texas Panhandle. There’s just one problem: These canyon trails provided so much great scenery and the class so much quality interaction between horses and their riders … we couldn’t pick just one photo to put on the cover. So we’re calling in help — from you! We’re letting America’s Horse Daily readers select the next cover. Which one do you like? Read the rest of this entry »