I snapped a few shots of this little girl lovingly hugging the regal American Quarter Horse statue – the Dogwood Horse – that welcomes you in the museum’s foyer. This perfectly set the tone for my day. (Journal photo) Scroll to the slideshow below for more photos.

Youth are on the forefront of

every horseman’s mind these days. And they rightfully should be. Who else is going to be at the shank of the American Quarter Horse in 20 years? The youth you’re looking at horseback right now are tomorrow’s trainers and future advocates of the horse.

This subject is close to the heart of newly inducted AQHA President Johne Dobbs of Champaign, Illinois, who recalls sitting at her father’s bedside in the days prior to his death. To the people who came to visit, she heard him talk about two things he was proud of: his children and raising “some good horses.” With that in mind, Johne’s cavalry charge in her presidency this year is kids and horses, and that’s why she’s giving the theme of “new horizons” to 2013.

While encouraging current youth horsemen is always a goal, AQHA leaders and staff members have been developing a new equine youth initiative for the past few years. This initiative was created to address the younger youth that are currently underserved by AQHYA and to create new pathways to horseback opportunities that positively impact the lives of these young horse-interested people.

Just this past Saturday (March 23), I volunteered to photograph the opening of the newest exhibit at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum in Amarillo (scroll down to see my slideshow from the event). The exhibit pays tribute to the late artist Orren Mixer, renowned for his paintings of horses for several equine breed associations.

On the dance card for Saturday’s “Celebrate the Horse” was a full slate of kid-oriented activities, all rooted in art and American Quarter Horses. Honestly, I thought I knew what to expect of the opening when I saw the day’s agenda. Local Western artist Jack Sorenson, as well as artist Edgar Sotelo, who is a past headlining artist for the American Quarter Horse Foundation’s America’s Horse in Art show and whose paintings have graced the covers of The American Quarter Horse Journal, gave artistic technique demonstrations. Kids were taught how to sculpt horses from clay, make equine puppets and paint a life-sized American Quarter Horse statue. There were to be English- and western-style riding demonstrations, as well as roping. Unfortunately, the weathermen called for a major windstorm in the Texas Panhandle on Saturday, which put a damper on any outdoor riding demos.

When I arrived mid-morning, I snapped a few shots of a little girl lovingly hugging the regal American Quarter Horse statue – the Dogwood Horse – that welcomes you in the museum’s foyer. That perfectly set the tone for my day.

Admission was free to Celebrate the Horse. While there are many horsemen in Amarillo, I think the number of attendees who don’t own a Quarter Horse outnumbered those who do. In total, more than 500 adults and kids showed up on Saturday.

While kids were lined up to have their hands on all sorts of artistic media – clay, markers, crayons, fiberglass, paper – what held their attention most were the demonstrations; those same demonstrations that were moved indoors minus the living, breathing models.

Enjoy more horse-showing quips, quotes and anecdotes from AQHA Internet Editor Tara Christiansen by visiting The Rundown archives at www.aqha.com/therundown.

AQHA Executive Director of Shows Patti Carter-Pratt and her husband, AQHA Professional Horseman Doug Pratt, suited up for their demo: Patti sported breeches, or what she refers to as “breeks” (we decided it’s Canadian regional diction), a hunt cap and tall boots. Doug, on the other hand, was in western attire with boots, spurs, cowboy hat and Wrangler shirt.

“The Stables,” or the Joni Hegel Education Gallery, where the Pratts held court in was packed. Kids took up floor space. Adults, some of whom came out just to see what Celebrate the Horse was all about, ringed the back of the room and any available seating. Patti and Doug dialed up class videos and explained the finer points of hunt seat vs. western training. They showed the progression each horse makes through AQHA classes, starting on the flat with hunter under saddle and western pleasure, then moving on to more advanced events like working hunter and trail or western riding.

To change the pace, Doug pulled up a reining video with top trainer Shawn Flarida in the saddle. “Wows” rippled quietly throughout the crowd as Patti pointed out the degree of difficulty in each ride. The growing admiration for the American Quarter Horse and its versatility was visible in the faces of children and adults alike. The crowd was interactive, firing off questions for Patti to answer. Attendees wanted to know where they could see American Quarter Horses perform at the top level, and relished knowing that the Adequan Select World Championship Show would return to the Amarillo’s Tri-State Fairgrounds in late August.

Following a short break, folks regrouped upstairs for AQHA Manager of Youth Robin Alden’s demo on roping and remudas. Having grown up on a working ranch, Robin enlightened the crowd on the rigors and joys of ranch work. Next, she transitioned into the tale of her own path with the American Quarter Horse, which wound through a wide variety of horseback events and competition in the National High School Rodeo Association. The Quarter Horse has opened door after door of leadership opportunities for Robin, her newborn career at AQHA just being one of the latest.

What Robin was quick to point out was that you don’t have to own an American Quarter Horse to enjoy an American Quarter Horse. And you don’t have to own a horse to realize the benefits of the Association or its youth association. Robin fired off the activities AQHYA offers non-horse owners – contests like horse judging, speech, team speech, Wrangler jean decorating and scrapbooking – and folks really started to take note. She promoted our leadership activities, like the upcoming Bank of America Youth Excellence Seminar this June in Amarillo.

One mother leaned to another: “Did you know they offered all of that?”

Right there in front of me, I was convinced Robin had won over those mothers. Robin is proof of the places an American Quarter Horse can take you. I am proof of where an American Quarter Horse can take you. You, my friend, are proof of where an American Quarter Horse can take you.

It seems a shame that we only took a day to Celebrate the Horse. Here’s to a lifetime of celebrating the horse.

The Orren Mixer: Artist of the American Quarter Horse exhibit is open to the public through July 27, 2013. Scroll through the slideshow below to view photos from the opening event, Celebrate the Horse.

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

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:

• “Go slowly and take your time. Horses are creatures of habit, and if you get in a bind by going too fast, it will take you much more time to undo it. If you make them light in the bridle, feel their rhythm, know where they’re putting their feet and align them correctly, you’ll be ready to do anything; you’ll always be riding a good horse.” – Johnny Brazil Jr. in “Legends: Johnny Brazil Jr.” on Page 154.
• “I earned money picking strawberries until I’d saved $1,500 (an enormous amount to a 15-year-old!) and purchased a Quarter Horse gelding named Speck Red. He was 3 years old and already had packed into the mountains. My friend had a young stud, and we’d load them onto the back of a flatbed truck and we’d go down the road to compete in gymkhanas.” – Decorated halter competitor and breeder Candace Jussen in “Amateur Spotlight: Candace Jussen” on Page 100.
• “The only problem was the kids would decide they liked my horse, and somehow it’d become their horse! They’d complain to their dad, ‘Mom’s riding my horse again!’ ” – Michelle Hecht in “A Hecht of a Horse Life” on Page 130.
• “Riding takes work. This is a sport, and it’s called a sport because you’re an athlete. You ride on an athlete, and you, as an equestrian, are an athlete. As riders, we need to think more like athletes, instead of thinking of this as a hobby and we are passengers on the horse who is the athlete. The rider and the horse are an athletic team, and to be an athletic team, and to be effective as a horse-rider team, you both have to be in the best shape possible.” – AQHA judge Kenda Pipkin in “Fit to Ride” on Page 138.
• “Winning something like this is incredibly hard to do. You have to celebrate a win like this because there can be some long dry spells in between wins. A win like this one re-energizes you. This is why we do it, and this is what keeps us going. I’ve threated to quit this game before, but I’ve never done it. I don’t quit because it’s a dream to win something like this. Tonight that dream came true.” – Tom Bradbury, part-owner and breeder of the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity winner I Like The Odds in “I Like a Million” on Page 190.
• “I think AQHA needs to continue working to be the umbrella organization: That’s how we’re going to be the horse resource for the world. We shouldn’t worry about competing with other breeds and horse organizations; we need to work together as a horse industry to increase interest in horses in this country and make sure that horses are viable as a recreational outlet throughout the next century. The more people we can get horseback, the better. AQHA can help facilitate that for many of the horse organizations, and I’m confident that our horse will continue to see demand.” – AQHA President Peter J. Cofrancesco III in “The Jersey Connection” on Page 44.
• “With most gates, you shouldn’t have to back all the way to Nebraska and reach halfway out of your saddle to get through it. To maintain your proper form riding any gate, just think about trying to keep the cattle in, and plus that score.” – AQHA Professional Horseman Cynthia Cantleberry on properly opening a gate in competition from “Borrow a Trainer” on Page 126.
• “The biggest enjoyment in breeding these mares for me is trying to cross them up genetically and waiting to see what I get, if my choices worked. I love that challenge.” – Donna Davis, an AQHA 10-year breeder, in “Futurity Parents” on Page 94.
• “It’s a nice combination of western pleasure, western riding, trail and reining, because it has the optional maneuvers. It’s a working horse class. The winner should be a working horse that’s a pleasure to ride.” – AQHA Director of Judges Alex Ross describes what’s required of a horse and rider competing in ranch pleasure in “A New Pleasure” on Page 176.
• “Equine gastric ulcer syndrome is just another aspect of total health management for athletes, and the difference between acknowledging the problem and ignoring it can be the difference between a healthy and happy horse and a sick, poor-doing horse, or the difference between winning and losing. Remember that taking care of the horse is job No. 1. Everything else is secondary.” – Dr. Steve Fisch in “Stomach Ulcers” on Page 58.
• “I know that people look at AQHA’s annual report and think that the Association should drain every last penny from the (AQHA) Incentive Fund each year, but you can’t do that. It’s more like an endowment fund or a 401(k). You have to have seed money to help it grow.” – Diane Chilton-Harper, owner of the stallion Radical Rodder, in “A Bigger Incentive” on Page 68.
• “Versatility ranch horse fits my personality. I like an all-around horse. If I need to pull something, I can. If I need to step off and work on something, my horse should stand there until I finish. If I need to work a cow or rope, I can. It’s a great program, and it just happened to be at the right time in my life that I could go with it.” – Dr. Edgell Pyles, a versatility ranch horse competitor, in “Living the Adventure” on Page 166.
• “So how did all those mares from the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s and ’50s contribute to today’s champions? Myrtle Dee’s son Three Bars is the Thoroughbred grandsire of Dash For Cash – ’nuff said there. Three Bars also sired Lena’s Bar, whose son Easy Jet sired both sons and daughters leading to today’s contenders and himself is a son of Three Bars’ granddaughter Miss Night Bar. Lightfoot Sis helped through her world champion son Go Man Go, and FL Lady Bug did the same through her son Lady Bug’s Moon, the maternal grandsire of First Down Dash’s mama. And Do Good was the mare on which the Vessels family built their empire. OK, so what does all this mean? That good horses, like good people, have good mothers? Well, I can’t say where I rank on the scale of bad-to-good, but I do know one more thing: I had a great mother.” – Richard Chamberlain, senior writer for the Journal, in “Quarter Paths: Good Mamas” on Page 184.

And one last closing thought:

“We’ve always had them, but the reason we’ve stayed with Quarter Horses is because of their versatility. You can do anything with a Quarter Horse, especially certain families of Quarter Horses.” – Jim Hunt, co-owner of Open Box Rafter Ranch in “Under the Open Box Rafter Sky” on Page 172.

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

Let’s face it – American Quarter Horse breeders are the lifeblood of this Association. If it wasn’t for a breeder, you wouldn’t be sitting tall and proud aboard that American Quarter Horse you love so much.

The breeders are the horse folks out there making the tough decisions, putting great horseflesh underneath you. Who knows, maybe you’re a breeder, too. Whatever’s the case, The American Quarter Horse Journal loves to introduce these breeders to you.

When you look at horses produced by leading breeders like Rita Crundwell or Carol Rose, do you wonder what the secret is to their success? You’ll find insight to questions like that in the pages of the Journal.

A Blue Hen

For a lot of breeders, the winning ingredient is the mare.

“I look at the mare first as an individual,” says Donna Davis of Uniontown, Alabama, breeder of Raise Your Weapons and Friendswithbenefits, the weanling colt and filly winners of the inaugural Breeders Cup Halter Futurity in Des Moines, Iowa. “ ‘Where would I like to change her and make her better in her conformation?’ And then I try to pick stallions that I think are strong in that area. My main goal is to produce a foal that is better than the mare I intend to breed.

“A common mistake I’ve seen people make is to breed to a stallion simply because it is a ‘good deal,’ someone gives you a stud fee or you buy a leftover auction breeding, or you have a rebreed on another mare,” Donna says. “Those are fine, as long as that stallion also happens to be what you think will be the best match for your mare.”

Donna’s is a story of a small-time breeder finding success in one mare.

Donna bought Mcskip Me, a 1992 mare by Cool Mcskip and out of MBJ Spot Me by Mr Impressive, bred by Sonny Thomison and Ray Logan.

The staff at The American Quarter Horse Journal is committed to excellence – subscribe to this award-winning publication today.

“Everyone told me that you could not do it with one mare,” she recalls. “You cannot raise babies that go to futurities and the World Show with one mare. Some people will have 50 mares and maybe raise four or five they can show.”

But one mare was all Donna could afford. She bred her mare to Touchdown Kid his first year at stud for a 1999 filly she named Wont Touch Me.

“I took her to every futurity I could, and I won every one.” Donna says. “I went to the World Show and won the amateur mares, and she was reserve in the open.”

Donna and AQHA 20-year breeder James Kifer of Hartselle, Alabama, offer great insight in “Futurity Parents” on Page 94 of the February Journal.

“There are a lot of people who will keep breeding a mare when they really might need to sell her and get a better broodmare,” says James, who is the all-time leading breeder of halter winners.

“I don’t know how to say it politely, but people will hang on to and keep breeding a mare because they showed her or they raised her, when she’s not producing,” James says. “They often just keep trying to make her work, and she may never work. Look at her babies: If you’ve got two or three of them out there and you don’t like any of them, it might not be the stallion’s fault!”

From the halter ring to the ranchlands of South Dakota, choosing a good broodmare is a tried and true breeding practice.

“We have tried to put together certain genetics, certain bloodlines that work with our program,” says Joni Hunt. Joni and her husband, Jim, own and operate Open Box Rafter Ranch near Faith, South Dakota. “(We breed for) horses that we would like to ride and horses that our kids want to ride. In the past, especially, we would seek out particular mares that would complement what we were trying to do.”

“The things we look for in a stallion are the same things breeders looked for 50 years ago: That’s soundness, good mind, versatility, and we pretty much have been raising most of our own stallions,” Jim adds. “You start at the feet and work your way up. Good bone, good feet and then the last thing you should look at as far as a riding horse is the head.

“A lot of old timers, the horse breeders with wisdom, they’ll say that a mare is 75 percent of what you get as far as the offspring,” Jim says. “So we’ve concentrated very hard on our broodmares.”

Looking Out

In economic times like these, it’s not just exhibitors who are feeling the monetary crunch; it’s the breeders, too.

“Coming in to 2011, me and Daddy were pretty worried,” says Ryan Robicheaux, manager of Robicheaux Ranch, in “Making Runners” on Page 186 of the February Journal. “Three years ago, we bred right at 800 mares. But that’s kind of dwindled down. Last year – this same time a year ago – we were worried; 2011 wasn’t our best year, but it turned out better than we thought it was going to be. This year, we kind of have the same feeling. We had a lot of owners that had one or two mares, and some of those people have sold their mares and don’t have any more. It’s like everything else these days: It costs too much. We’re losing some of those other owners with one or two mares in their backyards at home, and their numbers can hurt you the most. I hate to lose them, but I understand when they have to get out.”

The Journal is the magazine that beginners pick up and longtime AQHA members still get. Are you a subscriber?

However, AQHA and stallion owners try to find ways to encourage growth and give back.

When Diane Chilton-Harper of Pilot Point, Texas, purchased her AQHA stallion, Radical Rodder, she says there was never any question that her stallion would participate in the AQHA Incentive Fund.

“There was no decision whatsoever,” Diane says. “If you want to have show horses at the national level, they need to be in the Incentive Fund. I nominate my stallions to whatever programs are available, because I want those foals to be as positioned as possible. You have to do the most you can for the mare owners who do business with you.”

Before she started breeding Radical Rodder, Diane sought out show horses to purchase that were enrolled in the Incentive Fund.

“We bought horses to show specifically with the Incentive Fund in mind,” she says in “A Bigger Incentive” on Page 68, which provides an in-depth look at the Incentive Fund program. “The way I looked at it was, it was free money, so why not take advantage of it?”

Sentimental Value

Candace Jussen is a horsewoman who has a lot to be thankful for. In an amateur spotlight on Page 100, the Pilot Point, Texas, breeder remembers one unforgettable year, when her homebred stallion, Mister GQ, had five foals perform outstandingly at the AQHA World Championship Show: two won championships, one earned a reserve championship, and the others were third and fifth on judges’ cards

Of all of her success, Candace says that the achievement she’s most proud of is Mister GQ .

“He’s the best example of generations of my breeding program and exemplifies what I’ve tried to accomplish in looks, temperament and attitude,” she says.

Just to prove that she and Mister GQ can do more than produce halter horses, Candace and her stallion paired up in non-pro western pleasure at the Solid Gold Show. “He was 3 years old and had won AQHA World Championships in halter, and everyone thought I was crazy to ride him in competition. It was rare for a halter horse, but it was something I did on my own that I’m proud of. And a couple of years later, he was the AQHA world champion aged stallion.”

Not to mention, Candace and Mister GQ won that western pleasure class.

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

Cutting trainer Matt Budge of Weatherford, Texas, and Mr Playinstylish earned themselves a paid entry to 2012 NRCHA World's Greatest Horseman competition. (Journal photo)

In July 2011, Matt Budge tried his hand at four events – herd work, steer stopping, rein work and cow work. As a result of hours and hours swinging a rope and the kind of determination that only accompanies a habitual champion, the professional cutter rode off with the 2011 World’s Greatest Horseman Shootout title.

As one of two National Cutting Horse Association entries to the 2011 World’s Great Horseman Shootout, the Weatherford, Texas, cutter faced seven other competitors, who were riding for the American Quarter Horse Association, National Reined Cow Horse Association and American Rope Horse Futurity Association.

The win earned Matt a paid entry to the 2012 National Reined Cow Horse Association World’s Greatest Horseman competition, where he’ll vie for the coveted title against the leading reined cow horse competitors.

When Matt heads south to San Angelo, Texas, for the World’s Greatest Horseman on February 1-5, he’ll be paired back up with Mr Playinstylish, his mount from the 2011 Shootout.

Mr Playinstylish, by Playin Stylish and out of Tari Chick Gay by Doc Tari, was bred by R.E. Merritt of Dime Box, Texas. The 2005 sorrel stallion is owned by AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeders Kit and Charlie Moncrief of Fort Worth, Texas.

Mr Playinstylish is no stranger to the winners circle. The stallion captured the 2009 AQHA junior working cow horse world championship with cutting and reined cow horse trainer Boyd Rice of Spearman, Texas.

Matt, of course, has been thrilled about the match-up with such a stellar mount.

“The horse is better than I am,” Matt joked before 2011 Shootout. “I just feel real fortunate that (the Moncriefs) let me ride him. Boyd Rice, a good friend of mine, trains the horse, and he got him for me to ride.”

Matt actually tried his hand with Mr Playinstylish at the inaugural World’s Greatest Horseman Shootout in 2010, but lost out to AQHA Professional Horseman J.D. Yates and Bald N Shiney, owned by Nelle Murphy of Burneyville, Oklahoma.

When it came time for the 2011 Shootout, Matt was all business.

“My job is winning, so I want to win in everything I do – a footrace, anything,” Matt said at Battle in the Saddle. “That’s just how I am.”

Good luck to Matt Budge and Mr Playinstylish at the 2012 World’s Greatest Horseman – the event that’s all about one horse, one rider and one very impressive title.

Previous NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman Champions:

• 2011: Russell Dilday and Topsails Rien Maker (Topsail Cody-Jameen Gay by Toby Gay Bar)
• 2010: Randy Paul and Smokeelan (Elans Playboy-Smart Little Smokee by Smart Little Lena)
• 2009: Russell Dilday and Topsails Rien Maker
• 2008: Russell Dilday and Topsails Rien Maker
• 2007: AQHA Professional Horseman Bob Avila and Light N Fine (Grays Starlight-Lenas Fine Freckle by Doc O’Lena)

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

FF Would Ya Look captured the performance halter mares world championship at the 2011 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show with Justin Ware. (Journal photo)

Boyd Rice

While traveling home from a cutting in Abilene, Texas, trainer Boyd Rice of Spearman, Texas, lost control of his truck and trailer on a slick roadway.

Of the trailer-load of horses, Boyd only lost one horse, his famed turn-back horse affectionately known as “Paint.” The 13-year-old gelding died at the scene, which was not far from the Four Sixes Ranch. The show horses in the crash were hauled to the Four Sixes in Guthrie, Texas, where they were treated for minor injuries.

Paint will be buried at the Four Sixes Ranch, near the grave of AQHA racing legend Dash For Cash.

For additional information on Boyd, Paint and the crash, visit www.quarterhorsenews.com.

Money Pennys Echo

All-time leading halter point-earner Money Pennys Echo died recently.

The 1997 chestnut gelding, bred by Thomas and Maxine Bleakley of Penn Valley, California, earned more than 1,900 halter points in all divisions.

To read more about Money Pennys Echo, the lives he impacted and his great accomplishments, visit www.gohorseshow.com.

Do you want to know all the latest news from the AQHA show industry? Visit www.aqha.com/showing for breaking show industry news.

FF Would Ya Look

In November 2011, Adequan Select reserve world champion JST Topsail Skip died en route to the AQHA World Championship Show. Two months later, another halter star who was on the trailer with JST Topsail Skip, has been euthanized.

FF Would Ya Look, a 2006 gray mare by Kidlook and out of Keep Me Cool by Coolest, competed at the 2011 AQHA World Show following the crash. Unfortunately, the mare bred by Terry Furhman of Mesa, Arizona, took a turn for the worse and was diagnosed with pneumonia.

To read more about FF Would Ya Look, who captured the performance halter mares world championship at the 2011 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show with Justin Ware, visit www.gohorseshow.com.

There’s an App for That

Excel Associates Event Management debuted a mobile application for horse show updates during the 2012 Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association Pre-Denver Circuit (January 1-4) and the National Western AQHA Show (January 5-7) in Denver.

To read more about this cutting-edge technology, visit americashorsedaily.com.

Free Gelding Surgeries

The Kentucky Horse Park, the Kentucky Horse Council’s Save Our Horses fund and the American Horse Council’s Unwanted Horse Coalition are partnering to offer free gelding procedures on Saturday, March 10.

The free surgeries are open to any equine owner who is financially unable to afford the procedure. Castrations will be performed by a veterinarian or a veterinary student under close supervision by a licensed veterinarian. Stallions must be halter broke, in good health, with two descended testicles and be at least 4 months of age, with current Coggins and health certificates.

For more information, visit kyhorsepark.com.

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

Todd Crawford was recently named the first NRCHA $2 million rider. (Journal photo)

Todd Crawford

Making history in the National Reined Cow Horse Association show pen recently was Todd Crawford, as he was named the first NRCHA $2 million rider.

The resident of Blanchard, Oklahoma, has earned many titles during his career, including the 2000 AQHA Professional Horseman of the Year. Among his many accomplishments, Todd boasts 10 AQHA world championships. In 2006, Todd and Smart Crackin Chic, by Smart Chic Olena and out of Kwackin by Dual Pep, captured the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Championship.

Todd was recently elected to the NRCHA Board of Directors, along with Bill Tointon, Todd Bergen, Jake Telford, James Vangelos and Bob Avila.
To read more about Todd’s latest accomplishment, visit www.nrcha.com.

Big Money Moving

The $125,000-added Big Money Halter Futurity is moving to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 2012, according to organizer James Kifer. “Middle Tennessee State has a great facility, and it’s a more central location,” James told The American Quarter Horse Journal. The futurity date is September 15. Go to bigmoneyhalterfuturity.com for more information.

NRHA European Futurity

Riders and fans of the sport of reining will flock to Kreuth, Germany, March 18-24 for the National Reining Horse Association European Futurity.
As the biggest NRHA show outside of North America, the NRHA European Futurity offers a purse of 200,000 euros and is a showcase for renowned exhibitors from all over Europe.

The deadline to enter this international event is February 1. For additional information, contact Cristina Serra at +39-0521-819151 or showoffice@euroreiningleague.com.

AQHA Convention

AQHA is an organization that works for its members. Each spring, AQHA holds an annual convention to review member-submitted rule changes, appoint new AQHA directors, induct new American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame members and present year-end awards. The 2012 AQHA Convention is March 9-12 at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Registration for the Convention can be done in two easy ways. Members can print and complete the 2012 Convention Registration Form, or register online now. The registration form is also available in the January issue of the Journal.

Hotel rooms for the Convention are filling up fast. The cost of a room is $99 single/double. To receive these rates, reservations must be made prior to February 14. To book a room, visit South Point Hotel & Casino or call toll-free (866) 791-7626 or (702) 796-7111.

For detailed information and the tentative schedule, visit www.aqha.com/convention.

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

“We should think about ... the standard of excellence when Orren Mixer painted his model Quarter Horse,” Dr. Messer says of ideal horse weight. (Illustration by Jean Abernethy)

Is your horse’s cinch fitting a little snug this winter? During the winter, your horse might be packing a little bit more than a long winter coat. As you’re making your New Year’s resolutions to fit into that smaller size of Wranglers, don’t forget that your horse might have also added a little padding over the holidays.

In two articles in the December 2011 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal, “Chewing the Fat” and “Stall Confinement,” equine veterinary experts examine the correlation between carbohydrates and exercise, two key issues to keep in mind, especially during winter.

This winter, take the time to re-examine the amount of grain your horse is receiving, says Dr. Bruce McDavitt in “Chewing the Fat.”

“We feed too much grain,” Dr. McDavitt says. “Unless you have a horse that is doing heavy work, it needs very little grain, if any at all.”

He also suggests that horse owners observe their animals – don’t forget to feel under your horse’s heavy winter coat. Under three inches of hair, you might not notice how much – or how little – your horse weighs just by eyeballing him.

So, how much is too much grain?

The American Quarter Horse Journal focuses on the issues that matter most including training, breeding, health, racing, show activities and sale calendars. Order your copy today!

In “Chewing the Fat,” Dr. Nat T. Messer IV says, “Obese horses should have less than 10 percent of their diet in the form of soluble carbohydrates, which translates into sugar. Fiber and structural carbohydrates are what you find in most hay.”

According to Dr. Douglas O. Thal in “Chewing the Fat,” the utopia for a horse is being out on pasture and moving all day.

However, he acknowledges that for a lot of horse owners, the reality of turnout is much different.

Dr. Thal advises maximum turnout in combination with regular exercise, such as trotting for at least 20 minutes several times a week.

As Dr. Thomas R. Lenz notes in his monthly Journal column, Horse Health, turnout vs. stall confinement can be a fierce battle.

Dr. Lenz stands on the side of maximum turnout, and as you can read in “Stall Confinement,” there are many benefits to winter turnout.

“If you stall your horses, consider the effect this situation might have on their general health and emotional state,” Dr. Lenz writes.

Dr. Lenz notes that research has shown that stall confinement is associated with the majority of impaction colics.

“Of course, feeding high-concentrate diets, making sudden changes in feeding programs and limited access to clean water are also significant causes (of colic),” he says.

Both “Stall Confinement” and “Chewing the Fat” in the December issue of the Journal examine issues that arise from overfeeding and stalling horses.

Here are a few issues to note:

• The fatter a horse is, the more pre-disposed he is to developing other conditions, such as wear-and-tear on his joints from the additional weight and the dreaded L-word: laminitis.
• Stalled horses are exposed to dust from feed and bedding and have an increased incidence of inflammatory airway disease, commonly referred to as “heaves.”
• Horses are social animals and experience a number of behavioral problems when isolated or confined.
• Stall confinement is commonly associated with impaction colics.

As a subscriber to The American Quarter Horse Journal you’ll receive benefits such as exclusive access to the Journal article archives, expanded leaders lists, online show results and much more.

While the daylight hours are waning, and are encouraging you to spend more time inside, use the winter months as time to educate yourself and your eye on the ideal horse weight.

“Now, most people consider that ‘pretty’ equals fat, and that’s not the way we should think about it,” Dr. Messer says in “Chewing the Fat.” “We should think about it as ugly being equivalent to fat, and go back to the more lean-bodied appearance that was the standard of excellence when Orren Mixer painted his model Quarter Horse.”

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

In the December Journal, not only will you find Carey Nowacek’s tips on how to construct a bun, but you’ll also find step-by-step photos to help you construct your own tight bun. (Journal photo)

It seems like this year has been horse show after horse show for me, which really isn’t any different from any other year.

However, since I moved to Amarillo in May, my lineup of shows has changed quite a bit. For work (meaning Journal coverage), I was at Battle in the Saddle and the Adequan Select and AQHA world championship shows. For my own enjoyment, I made it to one reined cow horse show. Heck, I’ve even been to a rodeo or two. But there was one particular kind of equine competition that I’d been away from for a few months.

In October, I had the pleasure of making my second trip back to College Station, Texas, since my graduation from Texas A&M University in May.

My trip coincided with the Texas A&M vs. University of Georgia women’s varsity equestrian competition. And that, mainly, was the reason the trip couldn’t be beat.

Before my trip, the editorial staff at The American Quarter Horse Journal sat down to plan content for the next year. It’d be just my luck that after the meeting, I’d be struck with a moment of brilliance, but since my epiphany struck before my trip to Aggieland, I was in luck.

And here was my line of thinking behind the story: If you’re like me, you’d be amazed by the feat of architecture that goes into constructing a neat and tidy horsemanship bun.

If you’ve followed varsity equestrian, you might’ve noticed that the Texas A&M horsemanship lineup is known not only for its sharp patterns, but also its sharp look. There’s one Aggie Bun Architect in particular who stands out from the rest.

It could be the fact that she’s about a head taller than all of her teammates, but more often than not, it’s Carey Nowacek’s look and feel on a horse, plus her class and style, that make her a stand-out horsemanship rider.

The American Quarter Horse Journal focuses on the issues that matter most including training, breeding, health, racing, show activities and sale calendars. Order your copy today!

I had the privilege of calling Carey a teammate for two years, and I was elated when she said that she’d help me out with two stories.

Aside from her stellar performance for Texas A&M (the junior boasted a 29-5-2 record combined between her freshman and sophomore years), Carey has had her share of personal success and is more than qualified to lend a hand when it comes to horsemanship fashion.

At the 2010 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show, Carey rode into the horsemanship finals in a solid black outfit.

Right then, jaws dropped. With that ride, Carey showed the world that, yes, it is possible to win a horsemanship world championship wearing nothing fancier than a plain, black button-down shirt. She took the same outfit to the 2010 All American Quarter Horse Congress, where she and Certify This Chex won the 14-18 horsemanship.

It was only fitting that Carey be my bun expert in “Horsemanship Essentials” in the December 2011 issue of the Journal.

In addition to doing her own horsemanship bun, which she’s carefully mastered over the years, Carey helps teammates, such as former AQHYA competitor Cassie Mantor, with their buns.

But why is a good bun so essential, you might ask?

“A tight bun just finishes off the look,” Carey says. “If you had really tight clothes, a tight shaped hat and a sloppy bun, it just doesn’t look right. Having a tight bun, tight hat and tight clothes just pulls the looks together.”

As a subscriber to The American Quarter Horse Journal you’ll receive benefits such as exclusive access to the Journal article archives, expanded leaders lists, online show results and much more.

In addition, a fitted shirt, a tight hat and a tight bun all complete a professional look that tells the judge, “I’m here, I’m ready to compete.”

In the December Journal, not only will you find Carey’s tips on how to construct a bun, but you’ll also find step-by-step photos to help you construct your own tight bun.

Carey was a joy to have as a teammate, and she was also fantastic to work with in a professional capacity.

Thank you, Carey, and all of the other Aggie horsemanship girls, for your help.

And to all of you Journal readers out there, be on the lookout for another horsemanship fashion story with Carey!

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

Have you been following The American Quarter Horse Journal’s online coverage of the AQHA World Show?

Have you been tuning into the live webcam coverage, sponsored by Pfizer, from the 2011 AQHA World Championship Show?

And have you been following The American Quarter Horse Journal’s online coverage of the event?

If you’re looking for information regarding the AQHA World Show, we’ve got it all in one place: www.aqha.com/worldshow.

A lot of exciting stuff has happened during the first week of competition, also known as Bank of America Amateur Week, at the World Show. Here’s what you may have missed:

• Party in the Arena: Exhibitors at the AQHA World Show enjoyed a party November 6 in the warm-up arena at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. Check out our party pics from the event – you just might see someone you know!
• Oklahoma City Earthquake: Watch the Journal’s video interviews with exhibitors and spectators at the 2011 AQHA World Show and listen to their take on the Oklahoma City earthquake(s).
• A Fresh, All-Around Win: P.J. Burger pilots Rockette Ta Fame to the senior barrel racing world championship for owners and AQHA Professional Horsemen Charlie Cole and Jason Martin.
• Amateur 3-Year-Old Stallions: After 35 years of breeding American Quarter Horses, the Fischer family earns its first AQHA world championship with JF Skip N Style. Read about one man’s journey from Hungary to America, and how he used American Quarter Horses to teach his kids about hard work.
• Team Penning Trophy: It was an exciting night in the Jim Norick Arena for team penning and ranch sorting competitors and fans. Finishing at the top of the pile in team penning was the longtime Texas-based team of brothers Justin and Grady Underwood, and Louis Saggione III.
• Back-to-Back Barrel Racing Champ: When Taylor Langdon graduated from high school, she received a special present: a flashy bay mare. For the second year in a row, that mare has shown her value by winning the amateur barrel racing world championship at the AQHA World Show.
• A REAL Look Behind the Scenes: Tiny Two Bits travels to the World Show and tells everyone what REALLY goes on behind the scenes. See if you can identify where Tiny Two Bits is in this week-long contest and you can win a prize!
• A Second Go: AQHA has launched a new program to recognize American Quarter Horses with a race record that are competing in barrel racing events. The program is called “Second Go” and this is the first time this award has been given. The highest-placing horse in each barrel racing finals with a race record will receive a logoed Weatherbeeta blanket.
• Intermediate Champions: AQHA will be recognizing a new level of exhibitors at four of its world championship shows this year. At the AQHA World Championship Show, AQHA will recognize the top three Intermediate exhibitors in each amateur and open class.

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

Do you want to try your hand showing a foal you raised? (Journal photo).

Have you done it? Raised your own show horse, that is. Or have you at least dreamed about it?

In its November issue, The American Quarter Horse Journal rolled out the first article in a periodic series on futurity foals. The series, written by Journal Editor Christine Hamilton, addresses the question, “Why not raise or buy your own futurity foal and have fun showing it?”

Featured in the halter section of the Journal, this series discusses the advantages behind raising your own futurity foal (fun being the main advantage) and will address choosing the right parents for the job, broodmare care and foaling, foal management, foal fitting and, finally, showing and post-futurity planning.

“There is nothing more rewarding than walking into a futurity with a baby you’ve raised and gotten ready yourself,” says AQHA Professional Horseman Luke Castle of Wayne, Oklahoma. “That is a lot of pride in ownership right there.”

As someone who has won an AQHA world championship on a homebred horse, I can avow that winning with a horse who has been with you since Day 1 is a feeling like no other.

Anne Reynolds is another competitor who is familiar with riding a homegrown horse into the winners circle. The 2011 National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity non-pro champion won her first Snaffle Bit Futurity championship back in 1998 on the brown mare Magical Lena – a mare that she and her mother, Joyce Pearson, had raised.

Anne’s win this year, which you can read about in “14 Days in Reno” in the free November issue of Journal Plus, was made even sweeter by the fact that her mount, Smart Magic Trick, is out of Magical Lena. But to top it all off, Smart Magic Trick is by Anne’s own stallion, Very Smart Remedy.

Read the “Futurity Foals” article online for free from the November issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.

So, what do you think? Do you want to try your hand showing a foal you raised?

Remember, no matter the discipline of horse that you’re breeding for, conformation comes first, and that’s exactly what halter horses are judged on.

“When I grew up, almost every state had its own (show) futurity,” Luke recalls. “You showed horses as babies, brought them back as yearlings, and then there was a western pleasure futurity for 2-year-olds and a maturity 3- and 4- year-olds, all in that program within that state.”

Luke points out the most important thing to remember.

“Yes, there is a financial reward to showing in a futurity, and that’s great,” he says. “That gets people enticed, but I don’t know how much that actually helps people stay involved with horses.

“You have to enjoy the horse. Most people that show horses, when it comes right down to it, it’s the camaraderie, the fun of being around horses and horse people, that’s really why they do it.”

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

Read Journal Plus for FREE this month!

Do you look forward to the day each month when The American Quarter Horse Journal arrives in your mailbox? If you’re tired of waiting around, or you just can’t get enough of what the Journal has to say, you need to check out Journal Plus.

Journal Plus is the online bonus magazine to the Journal, and for this month only, anyone can read the November issue of Journal Plus. That’s right: the November issue of Journal Plus is free.

The Journal just has too many stories and photos to fit in our print magazine, so several months ago, we created Journal Plus – a bonus magazine, free to Journal subscribers.

In November, the Journal wants to give every American Quarter Horse lover the chance to read this great magazine.

The brilliant thing about Journal Plus is that you can read it anywhere. While you’re waiting for the drag to finish during the junior reining prelims at the AQHA World Championship Show, pull Journal Plus up on your smartphone.

In the November issue of Journal Plus, we’re featuring an archive of AQHA world championships that include:

• Past Farnam Superhorses
• Past Farnam All-Around Amateurs
• Past open world champions
• Past amateur world champions

Read the November 2011 issue of Journal Plus for FREE!

• All-time leading sires of AQHA world champions
• All-time leading dams of AQHA world champions
• Leading breeders of AQHA world champions
• Fastest individual times in World Show competition
• World championships by horse
• World championships by owner and exhibitor

Sheza Telusive Kid is the all-time leading dam of AQHA world champions, but do you know who the all-time leading sire is? Here’s a hint: He has produced 67 AQHA world champions that have earned a combined 92 world championships.

You can find the answer, plus more AQHA World Championship Show trivia in the free November issue of Journal Plus.

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor

Sandy Collier shows Tazs Precious Peppy at the NRCHA Hackamore Classic. (Photo by Primo Morales. Courtesy of NRCHA).

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring and celebrating women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience and independence that helped shape the American West. The National Cowgirl Hall of Fame also fosters an appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance that these cowgirls inspire. It is the legacy of legends.

The National Cowgirl Hall of Fame announced Sandy Collier, Sarah “Sally” Buxkemper, Mary Lou LeComtpe and Anna Mebus Martin as inductees to the Hall of Fame for 2011, as well four extraordinary cowgirls from the golden era of women’s rodeo. This latter group includes Marie Gibson, Eloise “Fox Hastings” Wilson, Mary Emma Manning Lillie “May Lillie” and Pauline Nesbitt.

All eight women will be honored during the 36th Annual Induction Luncheon Ceremony October 26 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth.

Meet the Cowgirls

• Sandy Collier: In the world of reined cow horses, this AQHA Professional Horseman is a respected competitor. Her career and love of horses began on the East Coast as an English rider and later evolved into her current passion and career. Sandy is the first and only woman to win the open division of the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity. She has also won the junior working cow horse at the AQHA World Championship Show and the NRCHA Hackamore Classic.
• Sarah “Sally” Buxkemper: Sally aided in the development of a new breed of cattle, the Simbrah, and was the first woman to be trained by the American Breeders Service to administer artificial insemination.
• Mary Lou LeCompte: Mary is recognized as the leading scholar on rodeo cowgirls. She wrote the book, “Cowgirls of the Rodeo: Pioneer Professional Athletes.” A PhD., this historian taught at the University of Texas at Austin for 36 years and has dedicated her career to preserving and recovering cowgirl history.

Are you worried about the current and future hay situation? You’ll want to read about hay banks in “Helping Hay Hand” in the October 2011 issue of Journal Plus.

• Anna Mebus Martin: Anna was the first female bank founder and president in the United States. She owned a town store and opened the first bank in Mason County, Texas, while she operated a 60,000-acre cattle ranch. She was the first provider of barbed wire in the region, which changed the face of the cattle industry. Anna’s business foresight and acumen make her an entrepreneurial legend, paralleled only by her notable ranching efforts.
• Marie Gibson: Marie competed in rodeos from 1917 to 1933, participating all over Canada and in every major rodeo in the United States. In 1924, she won first place in women’s bronc riding at Cheyenne Frontier Days. She continued to win or place in rodeos throughout her career. In 1927, she won her first world championship in women’s bronc riding at Madison Square Garden and won her second world championship in 1931.
• Eloise “Fox Hastings” Wilson: In 1914, at age 16, “Fox” ran away from home in California and began her career bronc and trick riding for the Irwin Brothers Wild West Show. By 1924, she was known as the first female bulldogger. A multi-talented arena cowgirl, Fox trick rode, bulldogged and rode saddle broncs. In addition to the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West and the Irwin Brothers Wild West shows, she bulldogged in more than a dozen other rodeos.
• Mary Emma Manning Lillie “May Lillie”: May Lillie married the famous Wild West showman and performer Pawnee Bill in 1886. For her wedding gift, she received a pony and a Marlin .22 target rifle. In 1888, they launched Pawnee Bill’s Historic Wild West Show, which later became the Pawnee Bill’s Historical Wild West Indian Museum and Encampment Show, where May Lillie starred as a sharpshooter and expert “lady rider.” This Wild West show business, which she co-owned with her husband, at its peak employed 645 people, 400 horses and steers, a herd of 20 buffalo, elephants and carriages. May Lillie managed the ranch that held the buffalo and, under her direction, the ranch thrived. She also worked hard to promote the conservation of buffalo in the United States.

Subscribers to The American Quarter Horse Journal: you can read Journal Plus online for FREE!

• Pauline Nesbitt: Pauline began her rodeo career at age 17 as a bronc rider, but she later made the switch and added trick rider to her list of abilities. Pauline had a successful career; she was a regular working for Gene Autry at Madison Square Garden and Boston Garden and competed in Cheyenne, Fort Worth, Tulsa and Denver. In 1938, Pauline was crowned the world champion trick and fancy rider. Pauline was also known for her sense of fashion. She made all of her own costumes and later took up modeling.

About the Hall of Fame

The purpose of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame is to preserve the history and highlight the impact of western women living roughly from the mid-1800s to the present: the artists and writers, champions and competitive performers, entertainers, ranchers (stewards of land and livestock), trailblazers and pioneers. Since 1975, more than 200 extraordinary women have been inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

Open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m.-5 p.m., admission is $10 for adults ages 13 and up and $8 for children ages 3-12 and senior citizens. Group rates and docent tours are available. For more information, call (817) 336-4475 or (800) 476-FAME, or visit www.cowgirl.net.

Tara Christiansen
AQHA Internet Editor