Most of the competitors who come to show at the Adequan Select World have a long haul, but one couple from Austria had a really long trip.

Austrian Milena Kalat came a long way to compete in trail with OK Im Zipped at the 2010 Adequan Select World; her husband, Peter, came, too. (Scroll down for more Journal show photos.)

Thanks to the recent AQHA rule change that allows international competitors to compete in the United States on a leased horse, Milena Kalat of Vienna, Austria, was able to show at the 2010 Adequan Select World Championship Show.

Milena is originally from the Czech Republic, but in 1982, she moved to Austria as a refugee.

“It was in a time that the Czech Republic had a communist dictator, and we were not allowed to travel,” Milena says.

Though she had been incredibly unhappy living in the Czech Republic, Milena stayed long enough to finish at a university, and then she moved to Austria. That proved to be a good choice for her as she met her husband, Peter Kalat, there. Peter is also a native of the Czech Republic.

Living in Austria opened up many opportunities for Milena and Peter. She had always wanted to ride, but she didn’t have much opportunity in her home country.

Once she was settled in Austria, she decided to change that, and she also decided to do something else she wanted to do – she and Peter traveled to the United States.

It was at Yellowstone National Park that the couple first encountered and fell in love with the American Quarter Horse.

Milena’s first horse was a Pony of the Americas mare, who at 25 years old is still living at the PMK Arcade Ranch in Vienna, but the rest of the Kalat’s five horses are Quarter Horses.

Trimmed In Silk, aka “Trimmy,” is Milena’s current horse, and together the pair compete in her favorite class – trail.

In 2009, Trimmy was the international amateur high-point trail horse; in 2004, she was the international high-point in senior trail.

Peter, who also enjoys competing in trail, hopes to one day show at the Adequan Select World. Peter also designs trail courses in Europe as a hobby, particularly in Germany.

After his first show designing a course, Peter laughed and said that the competitors told him it was much too difficult. His hard work and determination to make trail in Europe more comparable to trail in the U.S. have paid off though.

“This year in the European Championship (of American Quarter Horses), a guy from the show office – in the Bavarian association – told me it was (due to) my work that the trail level in Europe, especially in Germany, is now so high,” Peter says.

Though the couple do enjoy trail the most, they also like to show in events such as western riding and reining. Along with Trimmy, Milena and Peter also have one reining horse, one all-around horse and a young horse bred by their trainer, AQHA Professional Horseman Cynthia Cantleberry of Paso Robles, California.

Milena, who is now retired from research work at a pharmaceutical company, makes it a point to work with Cynthia as much as she can.

“Every year I am in America, and every year I try to ride with Cynthia to try and learn something from her,” Milena says. “It is such a dream for me to ride with such a top rider.”

Milena is extremely grateful for all of Cynthia’s help, and she also wanted to thank Marjorie Reid who allowed her to lease OK Im Zipped, aka “OK,” for the Adequan Select World. She knew of the horse and had been impressed with his performance in trail.

“The whole time I was thinking, ‘Wow, I would like it if my horse at home was as good at trail as this horse is,’ ” she says.

OK is by Zippo Pine Bar and out of the Dingo Dial mare Oklahoma Reject. In 1998, the now 20-year-old gelding was the youth world champion in western riding and reserve in horsemanship; in 1999, he earned an AQHA open performance Championship. Cynthia rode him to a top-10 finish in the senior trail at the 2007 AQHA World Championship Show, and he has won more than 1,000 points in his career.

Showing such a great horse at the Adequan Select World is a dream come true for Milena. She had qualified for the show a couple of times before, and being able to show this year is very exciting for her.

She really wanted thank AQHA for the rule change that allowed her to participate, and she sends a special thanks to AQHA employee Kay Prescott for helping her get through all the paperwork.

By Julie Preble, Web content manager

The American Quarter Horse Journal is onsite to bring you full coverage of the 2010 Adequan Select World, including daily slide shows like the one below. (Click on the photo to read the caption.)

Have you signed up for the Journal’s Season of Champions newsletter? It’s your source for championship highlights from the entire American Quarter Horse world – straight to your inbox this fall.

The American Quarter Horse Journal is your one-stop source for everything about the Quarter Horse. Don’t miss a single issue.

Overcoming hurdles: That’s what it’s all about for many Adequan Select World exhibitors.

Charlene Timmins and Huntin The Blues, aka "Tuffy." There's a great story behind every Select exhibitor. (Scroll down for today's Journal slide show.)

By Mallory Martin, AQHA Marketing Intern

For many of the over-50 crowd showing at the 2010 Adequan Select World Championship Show, coming to show their American Quarter Horses is a big challenge in a variety of ways.

Every Select exhibitor has a story to tell; we thought you’d like to meet a few.

A Belated Start and a New Horse

Charlene Timmins of Chipley, Florida, came to the Adequan Select World to show in trail after losing her horse last year just two weeks before the 2009 show.

In August 2009, Charlene’s horse died of a kidney infection. She had planned on taking him to Amarillo for a second time.

As a way to remember her horse, Charlene wears jewelry made of his tail hair.

“I wear this bracelet when I ride,” Charlene says. “It gives me spirit that he’s there.”

Charlene’s husband, Stanley, had surprised her with a horse when she was 58. She hadn’t been around horses since before she was married. Stanley wanted her to live out her dream. ‘He told me we have worked too long and too hard not to fulfill that dream,’ Charlene said.

Charlene has been showing her new horse, Huntin The Blues, aka “Tuffy,” for almost a year now and will be competing in trail September 1.

She has really enjoyed coming to this show and has met many wonderful people, but she relies on her husband’s support, her trainer’s guidance and Tuffy’s great rides, Charlene said.

A Long Haul to Commemorate a Close Friend

Patricia Odlum of Pilot Mound, Manitoba, showed her halter horse, Heza Perpetual Kid, in aged geldings while wearing a special pair of earrings in memory of her good friend, Susan Hanks.

Susan shared Patricia’s passion for showing horses, and the two had showed together for 15 years. But Susan died this past year after fighting breast cancer.

To help with overcoming the loss, Patricia continued showing her horse and decided to make the long, 1,200-mile haul to Amarillo to compete in her first Adequan Select World.

“I can do it, so I’m here.” Patricia says. “And I have a good horse too.”

He is a 2006 gelding by Perpetuality and out of Miss Kool Kelo by My Skip Vanzi. The gelding has had multiple top-10 world show placings.

To complete Patricia’s tribute to Susan, just before her class, Susan’s husband, Glen, gave Patricia a pair of Susan’s earrings to wear.

Years of Adversity Haven’t Stopped Sandy Slocum

Sandy Slocum of Coldwater, Mississippi, has brought her horse Shifty Lynx to the last five Adequan Select Worlds and has overcome different hardships four of those years. After personal injuries and illness, Sandy still found a way to compete and make the top 10 in at least one class at three of the last four shows.

Last year, even though she did not place, Sandy was glad she came to the show because a group of special needs children came to the show. They came a little too late in the day to watch the classes, so she offered to let them sit on her horse’s back while she finished grooming him for the day.

“That was the reason God had me out here last year,” Sandy says. “It was to be with that group of kids, and that made the show for me.”

This year, Sandy made the showmanship finals, and she will compete later in the week in equitation and horsemanship.

The American Quarter Horse Journal is onsite to bring you full coverage of the 2010 Adequan Select World, including daily slideshows like the one below. (Click on the photo to read the caption.)

Have you signed up for the Journal’s Season of Champions newsletter? It’s your source for championship highlights from the entire American Quarter Horse world – straight to your inbox this fall.

The American Quarter Horse Journal is your one-stop source for everything about the Quarter Horse. Don’t miss a single issue.

Riders in the last split of the western pleasure prelims at the 2010 Adequan Select World wait for the callbacks. Scroll down for more Journal photos.

Check your knowledge of the Adequan Select World Championship Show against this quiz.

With a rumble and a roar of diesel buses, the 2010 Adequan Select World Championship Show exhibitors are rolling into Amarillo for their turn in the spotlight and their time at the parties.

Thirteen new world champions will be named by the end of the second day, but there are many more to come. In all, 41 new world champions will be crowned this week. While you’re catching up with the show on the live webcast, here are a few questions to test your knowledge of the Adequan Select World.

1. How many entries are there?
2. How many horses?
3. How many exhibitors are showing in English classes?
4. How many in western?
5. How many halter horses will go through the coliseum gates?
6. Which horse is the oldest?
7. Which exhibitor?
8. How is the Farnam All-Around Amateur picked?
9. Which class is the largest?
10. How many countries will be represented?

Answers:

1. There are 1,142 entries at the 2010 Adequan Select World.
2. Exhibitors will be showing 796 horses.
3. Of those, 119 horses will show in English classes.
4. And 778 will show in western classes.
5. Exhibitors will lead 245 halter horses to the possibility of a championship in 18 halter classes.
6. Doc Bristers Flash, 25, will be shown in ranch sorting by two-time Select team penning world champion Paul Dopuch of Hermann, Missouri. Truck A Buck, a two-time Select world champion in jumping, will be showing in that class again at age 25 with his longtime exhibitor Dr. April Speyer of Wichita, Kansas.
7. Suzanne Jones, 85, of Tatum, New Mexico, will be showing in western riding and hunt seat equitation. You might also recognize Suzanne’s name from the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, which she was inducted into in 1999.
8. This year, AQHA Corporate Partner Farnam has taken on the title sponsorship of the all-around award. To qualify for the award and its $10,000 cash prize, amateurs must enter a single horse in at least three events in two categories. Look for that winner to be announced later in the week.
9. Ranch sorting is the largest class, with 152 competitors divided into 76 teams for one of AQHA’s most popular fast-paced classes.
10. If you bend an ear, you might hear accents from  40 states in the United States, three Canadian provinces and Austria. Look for more on an Austrian exhibitor later in the week.

The American Quarter Horse Journal is onsite to bring you full coverage of the 2010 Adequan Select World, including daily slideshows like the one below. (Click on the photo to read the caption.)

Have you signed up for the Journal’s Season of Champions newsletter? It’s your source for championship highlights from the entire American Quarter Horse world – straight to your inbox this fall.

The American Quarter Horse Journal is your one-stop source for everything about the Quarter Horse. Don’t miss a single issue.

AQHA Incentive Fund provides unexpected bonus at Adequan Select World Championship Show.

John Hoffer of Auburn, Kansas, received $500 along with his bronze trophy in 2-year-old stallions through the Incentive Fund. To see more photos from the 2010 Adequan Select World, watch the slide show below.

John Hoffer came into the media room at the 2010 Adequan Select World Championship Show on August 29 with an important question: how to collect his money.

John entered his 2-year-old stallion, Special Ordered, in the AQHA Incentive Fund, and during the Adequan Select World, one randomly selected entry in each finals class that is enrolled in the Incentive Fund receives $500.

“Well, I got third in 2-year-old stallions, and they said I got 500 bucks,” John says, “so I’m not going to turn it down.”

Not bad for one day’s showing.

The AQHA Incentive Fund, a multimillion-dollar program that started in 1984, pays people for showing their Quarter Horses. At the end of the year, horse owners and breeders get money for the points they have earned. Through September 30, owners who enroll eligible horses can do so at a discount.

“(It’s a) real good day,” John says of his unexpected bonanza at the Adequan Select World. “I’m going to buy a new hat for my wife, probably from Shorty’s.”

John and his wife, Barbara, who live in Auburn, Kansas, are also the breeders of Special Ordered. John told his wife he wanted a buckskin. When the stallion was born, John figured the horse was “special-ordered.”

To see more photos from the Adequan Select World, watch the slide show below. Click on the photo to see the caption.

Have you signed up for the Journal’s Season of Champions newsletter? It’s your source for championship highlights from the entire American Quarter Horse world – straight to your inbox this fall.

Bringing western pleasure to all kinds of riders.

Corbett Ryan is the 2010 NSBA world champion in riders with disabilities walk/trot western pleasure - supported rider. (Scroll down for more Journal photos from the show.)

The National Snaffle Bit Association crowned many worthy champions during its world championship show August 18-22 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. But few garnered as much applause or tears as those in the riders-with-disabilities division.

“My dream has been to be a world champion in the (horse) show world,” said Corbett Ryan, of Chicago. It happened on August 21, when he won the NSBA world championship in RWD walk/trot western pleasure – supported rider, riding his 14-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding, Clay Bar Chips.

Born with cerebral palsy, Corbett has been riding almost all his life. Since age 15, his coach/trainer has been Diane Helgeland of Partners for Progress in Mundelein, Illinois.

“(Corbett) has always wanted to show at a national level,” Diane said. “He was hoping to get on the show team in college and he couldn’t get any doors opened there. NSBA, a year ago, said they would add the supported (rider) classes; they’ve been wonderful for us.”

With his parents, Pat and Shirley Ryan, in the stands, Corbett came into the arena with his regular helpers Jamie Herwald at the lead and Kyle Helgeland and Lindsey Weick as his sidewalkers.

“They always go with me to horse shows. We really work together really well,” Corbett explained. He added that his team knows how to lend support while “letting me do the work (of riding).”

His gelding stayed pleasure-horse steady as Corbett guided him both directions around the arena, walking and jogging, then into the lineup for his backup. Friends and family cheered as the placings were called and Corbett was left last in the arena.

“Today, Corbett actually realized one of his life’s dreams; so it was awesome for him and all of us,” Diane said.

This was the second year for RWD classes at the NSBA World, and it grew from 19 riders in 2009 to 30 in 2010. The division offered supported-rider and independent-rider classes in western pleasure and hunter under saddle. Corbett’s determination was a big part of NSBA’s decision to offer the supported-rider classes.

“I’ve been riding five days a week since I bought (Clay Bar Chips in January),” Corbett said. “I love him to death.” He added with a smile: “I’ll be back every year. This is a lifelong thing for me.”

That makes NSBA Director and AQHA Professional Horseman Dianne Eppers smile.

“Until you get involved with these riders, you have no idea how touching each of their stories are,” Dianne said. “And then you get to see what that horse does! When you watch those horses march around and do their job, and the joy they bring (these riders) – it’s a feeling you don’t get very often.”

Watch for more news from the NSBA World, in the rail and pattern section of the October issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal. You can find the results for all the NSBA World classes at www.nsba.org.

Check out the Journal slide show below (click on each photo to see the caption).

Have you signed up for the Journal’s Season of Champions newsletter? It’s your source for championship highlights from the entire American Quarter Horse world – straight to your inbox this fall.

Christine Hamilton
Editor – general, rail & pattern, halter, health, breeding
American Quarter Horse Journal

The American Quarter Horse Journal is your one-stop source for everything about the Quarter Horse. Don’t miss a single issue.

A crowd of Western-art lovers gathered on August 14 to open this year’s America’s Horse in Art Show & Sale.

Sixty-four pieces of art are included in the America's Horse in Art Show & Sale.

It was opening night and every star of the show was in place, as the guests filed in, glass of wine in hand.

The guests inspected each painting, drawing and sculpture to appreciate their respective nuances and messages, and the artists’ styles. The guests also mingled with the artists and learned what inspires them and the techniques they employ.

“These are acclaimed artists, some of whom have had their art in the Prix de West and other prestigious shows,” says Ross Middleton, director of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. “This show is an amazing chance to own some of this art, some of which is created by members of the Cowboy Artists of America.”

View all the America’s Horse in Art pieces on sale through November 13.  Your purchase supports the programs of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum and its efforts to preserve the history of the American Quarter Horse.

Soon, the guests’ mental notes on their favorite pieces became more of a wish list, which then translated into bids.

At the end of the evening, several guests left the event the proud owners of one or two the pieces. And even though they can’t physically take those pieces home until November, the guests went home to make room on a wall or table on which they will display their purchases.

The America’s Horse in Art Show & Sale opening night was Saturday, August 14. The art officially went on sale at 8 a.m. CDT on Monday, August 16. If you are interested in purchasing art, please contact Nichole Dalrymple at (806) 378-5021. You can view each piece of art in a slideshow posted on America’s Horse Daily.com.

It’s always a big show at the Reichert Celebration.

Hot Lopin Machine and Jay Starnes win the $250,000 Equine Sports Medicine Maiden 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Challenge at the 2010 Reichert Celebration. (bar H Photography)

Jay Starnes and Hot Lopin Machine won the $100,000 check for taking first place in the $250,000 Equine Sports Medicine Maiden 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Challenge on Saturday, August 14, the highlight event of the Reichert Celebration multi-breed show.

The stallion earned three first spots and one second on the judges’ cards. The judges were: Dan Huss, Bob Avila, Rick Christy and Scott Newman.

Jay also won the western pleasure slot class in 2009 with Rode Rageous, which makes the trainer from Summerton, South Carolina, the first back-to-back and the first repeat winner of the class since it was first held in 2004 (won that year by Bret Parrish and RL Best Of Sudden).

Owned by Michelina Carbone of South Bend, Indiana, Hot Lopin Machine is a 2008 stallion by A Good Machine, bred by Jay’s mom, Cathy Starnes. The stallion is the first foal out of Hot Lopin Louise (by Blazing Hot), the 2005 National Snaffle Bit Association Horse of the Year.

Taking the runner-up spot was A Certain Blaze, a 2008 mare by Blazing Hot and out of Certainly A Classic by Certain Potential, bred by Michael and Barbara Hershberger of Milford, Nebraska. Joshua Robertson rode the mare for owner Sue Farenthold of Boerne, Texas, earning a check for $28,500.

Other big news was AQHA Professional Horseman Tina Kaven’s win in the Succeed Maiden 3-Year-Old and Over Western Pleasure on Susan Marques’ Sundancing Blaze, a 2005 stallion by Blazing Hot and out of Sundance Jet Phantom by Barts Jet Shi. The win came with a check for $12,000. It was the show’s biggest futurity class, with two splits.

“But it’s not just a futurity show,” says Jennifer Horton, media contact for the Reichert Celebration. The show also features a select sale and a complete AQHA, NSBA, APHA, ApHC and POA show schedule.

“There’s a big charitable aspect to the show,” Jennifer adds.

Owned and operated by J.R. Reichert and the Reichert family, the Reichert Celebration has long supported fund-raising opportunities for charities such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, American Diabetes Association, AQHA Professional Horseman’s Crisis Fund and the NSBA Trainers Crisis Fund.

This year’s fundraisers included two cor-huahua (Corgi-Chihuahua-cross) puppies donated by Susan Scott; and the mare, Vested Passion, in foal to A Touch Of Sudden, donated by Dana Morgan Fady, to name a few.

The show also featured an all-breed youth team tournament that attracted 105 youth riders. Participants were randomly drawn into 10 teams, with the first-place team members earning $1,000 scholarships, and second-place team members earning $500 scholarships. The tournament was open to all comers, with no entry fees. The classes included showmanship, western pleasure, horsemanship, hunt seat equitation, hunter under saddle, trail, all-age mares and geldings, and performance halter mares and geldings. Seventy-six youth showed in the showmanship alone.

For more information, check out the Reichert website.

Just for fun, here’s a list of the past Reichert Challenge winners:

• 2004 RL Best Of Sudden and Bret Parrish
• 2005 A Certain Vino and Stanley Ryan
• 2006 Old Gold Machine and Gil Galyean (1st year the show was in Tulsa)
• 2007 Invest N Vital Signs and Keith Whistle
• 2008 Sure Am Hot and Katy Jo Pickard
• 2009 Rode Rageous and Jay Starnes

Christine Hamilton
Editor – general, rail & pattern, halter, health, breeding
American Quarter Horse Journal

The American Quarter Horse Journal is your one-stop source for everything about the Quarter Horse. Don’t miss a single issue.

It’s all about the volunteers as Region Nine comes to a close.

By Larri Jo Starkey

Kamiah McGrath of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, front, won her first saddle, a Tex Tan saddle sponsored by Markel Insurance, at the 2010 Region Nine Championship. To see more photos from Region Nine, scroll down to see the slide show.

Kamiah McGrath, 9, won her first saddle during the 2010 Region Nine Championship in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With her equine partner They Call Me Jake, Kamiah of Murfreesboro went in almost every class, outpointing a lot of taller competitors.

“I like showmanship, trail and hunt seat eq,” she says. ” I wanted to work hard and do well.”

And she did. Riding “Jake” — she calls him that, too — Kamiah was a fierce competitor, concentrating on each class intently and enjoying the precision that her favorites call for.

Kamiah was among many exhibitors who had a great time at the Region Nine Championship thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers. For the past five years, Region Nine has been in Jackson, Mississippi. The move brought a new group of exhibitors and a new group of volunteers.

“We figured it was our turn,” says AQHA Professional Horseman Roger Elder of Maryville, Tennessee. Show manager Anne Brzezicki is the equestrian coach at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro and was able to help the group get the use of the Tennessee Miller Coliseum, where the show took place.

Each day dawned hot and humid, with the air-conditioned coliseum a huge relief to hot exhibitors and horses. Late storms surged through the area each evening, taking out the power during the Friday watermelon social. Region Nine organizers didn’t let a little thing like power outages bother them, and the show went on, including a Saturday ice cream social.

As soon as the last class was over and the last banner had been cleaned from the arena, organizers went home to get a little much-needed rest. They probably won’t start talking about next year until tomorrow.

Other all-around winners:

Novice youth: Katie Clark, Cookeville, Tennessee, and Dontskipthischarlie

Novice amateur: Susan Muhlenkort of Franklin, Tennessee, and Busted My Assets

Amateur: Sarah Elder Chabot of Maryville, Tennessee, and Detail This

They each received a Tex Tan saddle sponsored by Markel Insurance.

To see more photos from the Region Nine Championship, watch the slide show below, exclusively from The American Quarter Horse Journal. When you’re on the road, we’re on the road.

The American Quarter Horse Journal is your one-stop source for everything about the Quarter Horse. Don’t miss a single issue.

Intimidating Hunter and Marnie Mellnus

Versatility is the name of the game.

The American Quarter Horse has based much of its popularity on its willing personality and versatile performance. Take Intimidating Hunter, who opened his Sunday with a quiet run in showmanship, followed by performances in halter, western pleasure, horsemanship and trail. The 19-year-old closed his day carrying owner Marnie Mellus at a gallop, coming home in pole bending. Darlene Johnson, Marnie’s mother, was showing her horse Cowboys Night Out.

The horses weren’t the only ones showing their versatility. Youth competitor Shandiin Farrell won a buckle in breakaway roping on Friday, and on Sunday won a second in halter with Foolem Jack — then rode both the gelding and his mother, Que Linda Lena, in speed events.

David Bunker of Highland, Utah, and his stallion Bucks N More finished their superior in heading at the point show held at the facility earlier in the week. They competed in roping classes and earned a buckle in aged performance stallions. “He’s a good, calm stallion,” noted David.

To see more Region Seven photos, check out the slideshow courtesy The American Quarter Horse Journal. Click on the photo for a caption.

It’s a big day for halter at the Region Nine Championship.

By Larri Jo Starkey

Tee Totally Magic, right, stands about 17.3 hands at the withers, according to Beth Dunlap of Andersonville, Georgia. To see more halter and showmanship photos from the Region Nine Championship, scroll to the slide show below.

“Tiny” is a big boy. According to owner Beth Dunlap of Andersonville, Georgia, “big” is about the only word for Tee Totally Magic, who weighs in at about 1,600 pounds and stands 17.3 hands tall.

Fortunately, Beth’s first halter horse is a gentle giant who has been a great teacher on how to show at halter.

“I like it,” she says. “It’s a lot of fun. He’s a good horse to show. He does his job.”

She’s also enjoying the attention Tiny grabs wherever he goes.

“It’s a bit like a carnival sideshow,” she says. People want to know how big the 6-year-old gelding is, how much he eats and how Beth gets him from place to place.

The answers: Tiny gets about a bale of alfalfa a day, plus oats and supplements. He’s fed 4-5 times a day and is always looking for extra treats, with carrots a special favorite. He is broke to ride, and Beth does so occasionally, though she conditions him by ponying him.

“He’s got a lot of personality,” Beth says. “He barely fits (in the stalls at show facilities). I found one show that had double stalls and he loved it. He sprawled out like a yard dog all night long and all day. I can haul him in a two-horse trailer — barely — with the slants open when I go by myself. Otherwise, we put him in the back so he can have more room.”

Beth is showing at Region Nine on a hardship exemption.  She moved to Georgia in March and bought Tiny after the Region Ten Championship was over. She and Tiny placed second in their aged geldings class.

To see more photos from the Region Nine Championship, watch the slide show below, exclusively from The American Quarter Horse Journal. When you’re on the road, we’re on the road.

The American Quarter Horse Journal is your one-stop source for everything about the Quarter Horse. Don’t miss a single issue.

Tia Hanson

Region Seven’s day two: cow horses, hunters and family.

By Andrea Caudill

When Tia Hanson walked out of her novice youth hunter under saddle class, she had tears of joy in her eyes and a first-place Montana Silversmiths buckle in her hand. Her mother, Tonja, met her at the gate and they shared a quick hug. Tonja had tears in her eyes, too; in fact, the only one maintaining his composure was Tia’s horse, Just One Hot Kiss, who took it all in stride.

That is, after all, what a novice wants in a partner. This is Tia’s first year of showing.

But Tia and Tonja weren’t the only family members enjoying the show together.

Also showing together were the Christiansen family. Parents Kirk and Mistie and their kids McKoy, 12, Riata, 10, Corby, 8, Byron, 6, and Monty, 4, attended the show. The family ranches in Emery, Utah, and Kirk starts ranch horses. He wanted to push his horsemanship skills, and the family was busy trying roping on Friday and cow horse events on Saturday. They brought with them a trailerful of horses who make their living helping the family care for their 200 head of mother cows.

As McKoy and Olympic Hanock headed into the working cow horse pen, dad Kirk cheered him on — “have fun, son!” and, after McKoy his sorrel gelding successfully worked their steer, Kirk turned away with a broad smile and announced “I have goosebumps!” It wouldn’t be long before it was his turn to ride their homebred Derby Day Pepperoni (foaled on Kentucky Derby day, 2004) while his kids cheered him on.

Fun, family and American Quarter Horses.

To see photos of the first day, watch the slide show below, exclusively from The American Quarter Horse Journal. Click on each photo to see a caption.

Tiffany Montgomery and Melody In Mind

The 2010 Region Seven Championship opens with good fun and good food.

By Andrea Caudill

The Region Seven Championship found a new home this year, residing at the Black Hawk Arena in Salina, Utah. It opened Friday and runs through Sunday.

The show opened with ropers testing their skills against the speed of steers in the covered arena.

With that complete, exhibitors moved to the indoor arena for a freestyle reining exhibition. Gee Its Stars N Chex and Deb Wilde opened with “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” and Karen and Francisco Zamora closed the show with a Spanish-themed performance. Karen and her gelding performed reining maneuvers, tempi lead changes and Spanish walk while Francisco and his Freisian did passage and Spanish walk. Both horses bowed at the finale of their performance.

Next up were the junior reiners.

The day wrapped up with a fundraiser barbeque dinner. It was complete with well-cooked beef, potatoes, beans, salad and ice cream and cobbler.

To see photos of the first day, watch the slide show below, exclusively from The American Quarter Horse Journal. Click on each photo to see a caption.