The horse industry has so many careers to offer.

College is just around the corner for some of our AQHYA members. We know how much you love American Quarter Horses, so why not work with them forever and get paid to do it? Here are a few careers that could lead you into a lifetime of happiness:

Animal Health Care Professionals: For those of you who have healing powers, becoming an equine veterinarian, chiropractor, veterinary technician or even an equine dentist might be a good choice for you. Many colleges have veterinary programs, and some schools are even dedicated to the equine industry.

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Hear what our affiliates have to say about AQHYA.

Journal Photo

AQHYA would not be the same without each region making its contribution to our industry. Putting these people, events and places under one “Quarter Horse” umbrella is what makes us great!

Here is what some of our regional leaders had to say recently:

“The Region Four Championship is hosted by Ohio Quarter Horse and is one of the largest Regional Shows in the nation. OQHA also hosted the first National Youth Leadership Conference in the nation last October.” — Dakota Diamond Griffith, AQHYA president

“Region Ten is home to many AQHA shows including the Big A and Stars and Stripes, the Florida Gold and Gulf Coast circuits and the Tarheel Triple Classic, where every attendee is welcome to compete or just hang out. Our active regional directors compile the seasonal Region Ten Newsletter, Ten Talk, so that everyone stays connected and up-to-date. Every state is full of awesome, friendly youth members who know the true meaning of ’southern hospitality!’ ” – Britt Lynch, AQHA sentinel

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Here is a schedule of the events at the 2011 Bank of America Youth Excellence Seminar in Amarillo this June.

Thursday, June 16

4:30 to 6 p.m. - Registration at the hotel

5 p.m. - MANDATORY Candidate Meeting for ALL candidates at the hotel

6:30 to 9 p.m. – Welcome! Game Night, Meet and Greet; Be ready to mingle at the hotel

11 p.m. - Lights out! Participants need to be inside rooms at the hotel

Friday, June 17

7 a.m. – Bus leaves (Don’t be late!)

7:30 to 8 a.m. - Campaigning at the Civic Center

8 a.m. – Session 2: Breakout Sessions, Two Step Lessons, Meet the Candidates; Key Note Speaker: Shannon Pickard

12:15 p.m. - Lunch (Please do not leave the Civic Center during this time.)

12:45 p.m. – Session 3: Elections and Voting, Regional Breakouts, Breakout Sessions

2:45 p.m. – Shopping at Quarter Horse Outfitters

4 p.m. - National Reining Horse Association – Ride a Reiner at West Texas A&M University

6 p.m. - Shopping at Cavender’s

7:45 p.m. – Load Buses for dance

8 p.m. to 12 a.m. - Dinner and Dancin’: Wear your “vintage” clothing to the dance where Casey Berry and the Live Texas Mosquitoes will be performing

12:30 a.m. – Lights out at the hotel

Saturday, June 18, 2011

7 a.m. - Load buses

8 a.m. – Session 4: Officer Voting and Elections, Breakout Sessions, and Regional Meeting at Civic Center

11:45 a.m. - Lunch

12:30 p.m. – Session 5: Social Networking and Horses, Public Speaking Isn’t for Wimps, NRHA and AQHA-Two Organizations with One Goal, America’s Fastest Athlete – Go to the Track! at the Civic Center

1:30 p.m. - Kwahadi Dancers

3 to 5 p.m. - Ag Olympics: Get Dirty at Thompson Park! No white T-shirts!

6:45 p.m. – Buses leave for the Civic Center

7 p.m. - Awards Dinner: Dress to Impress! No shorts or T-shirts!

If you have problems, please contact Courtney Martin at cmartin@aqha.org. It is preferred that ALL participants take the bus to each location.

If you are a candidate and would like to change clothes before delivering your speech, please bring the necessary things to the Civic Center that morning. You will not be able to leave the Civic Center for a wardrobe change.

We can’t wait to see everyone there!

Kristen Zilligen
AQHA Youth Intern

The Ag Olympics will be a new tradition this year at YES.

The American Quarter Horse Youth Association is implementing the Ag Olympics as a team-building event during the Bank of America Youth Excellence Seminar June 16-18 in Amarillo.

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Get Details on the 2011 Youth World Show Contests.

Think the Built Ford Tough Youth World Show is all about competition inside the arena? Think again! Other AQHYA contests include scrapbook, stall decorating, team demonstration speech, horse bowl, speech, judging and a variety show.

The contests will be part of the Youth World Show, August 5 through August 13 in Oklahoma City. There is an entry deadline of July 15. All participants must be members of AQHYA.

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The 2011 theme of AQHYA is “Taking Vintage off the Shelf.”

The 2011 theme of AQHYA is “Taking Vintage off the Shelf.” This theme will be incorporated into all AQHYA’s events, including the Youth Excellence Seminar, June 16-18, in Amarillo, and the Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show, August 5-13, in Oklahoma City.

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AQHYA members: Apply now for the Wrangler Aspire Award.

Each year, AQHYA presents the Wrangler Aspire Award to a member who excels in leadership and service.

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The 2011 Bank of America Youth Excellence Seminar is only two months away. Because all the deadlines are upon us, here is a review of what’s happening this year at YES.

The theme of YES is “Taking Vintage off the Shelf.” There will be a dance on June 17 where Casey Berry and the Live Texas Mosquitoes will be performing and it is sure to be a blast! You can wear a vintage item of some sort to the dance, whether it is dressing up like one of the Beatles or in a poodle skirt. We want to see what you come up with for “vintage.” Be sure to download some Casey Berry tunes for the road trip!

Shannon Pickard, a Texas native, will be guiding our lesson in leadership with his comedic and entertaining routine. Shannon is a hilarious motivational speaker who has appeared in many movies and television shows, including “Varsity Blues” and “Teen Talk.” Each attendee will receive Shannon’s book, “The Choice is Yours: A Formula for Success,” and have an opportunity to get it signed. AQHYA is excited to have Shannon share his inspirational and hysterical strategies for success at YES.

The Kwahadi dancers of Amarillo will be putting on a show at the awards banquet on the last day of YES. The Kwahadis are the longest performing group in Texas, having been doing so since 1944. It is a program for boys and girls committed to the education of Native American tradition and culture. The Kwahadis have been honored with several awards, including the Texas Commission for the Arts Youth Award for Excellence. AQHYA is proud to welcome the Kwahadi dancers to be a part of YES.

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Long live cowboy cooking!

In the 1870s, cowboy recruitment was down, but the need was high. Cattle drives were moving millions of cattle from Texas to the Midwest. Because of the competition among the different cattle drivers, recruiting a good cowboy was difficult. The co-founder of the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail, Col. Charles Goodnight, decided to gain interest in his trail through good cooking.

Col. Goodnight needed a mobile kitchen and a good cook. He used a military wagon to hold supplies and a makeshift kitchen. The military wagon was strong enough for all the supplies and could withstand harsh weather and bumpy trails. With the help of his cook, Col. Goodnight developed an efficient layout that was soon adopted by all trail drivers across the west.  It was named the chuck wagon after “Chuck” Goodnight.

The cooks were the kings of the chuck wagon. You wouldn’t want to annoy the person handling your food, would you? The cook enforced the rules of the wagon. For example, cowboys would ride downwind so dust would not blow into the food, and no horses could be tied to the chuck wagon wheels. The cook worked the hardest with the least amount of sleep. He had to get up before the rest of the cowboys to prepare the food and had to clean up the dishes after them.

A typical day’s food on the trail was meat like beef or pork, hot bread or biscuits, dried fruit and coffee for breakfast. The lunch and dinner meals included roast beef, boiled potatoes, beans, brown gravy, bread or biscuits and coffee. Dessert consisted of dried fruit pies, stewed dried fruit and spiced cake made without butter or eggs. These items would be cooked in a Dutch oven or skillet over hot coals.

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Ten things you didn’t know about Texas (that you can learn at YES)!

When you think of someone from Texas, do you automatically picture a character from a Western movie, riding a horse? Well, brace yourself, because there is a lot more to Texas than stereotypical history. Here are a few fun facts about Texas that you may not have known:

1. The King Ranch in Texas is bigger than the state of Rhode Island and includes 50,000 head of cattle and more than 2,000 miles of fence.
2. The world’s first rodeo was held in Pecos, Texas, on July 4, 1883.
3. Sam Houston, arguably the most famous Texan, was actually born in Virginia. Houston served as governor of Tennessee before coming to Texas.
4. Read the rest of this entry »

If you don’t take care of your horse, who will?

Part of being a horse owner and an outstanding Junior Master Horseman is caring for your horse. This means grooming him.

Grooming your horses is important in order to help their circulation, teach ground manners and check their health. Grooming is a good time for you to bond with your horse and develop a lifelong friendship.

Grooming requires quite a few tools:

1. Body brush: This brush removes dust, grease and dirt from your horse and has soft bristles.
2. Dandy brush: This brush has hard bristles used to remove dried mud and sweat.
3. Mane comb: The mane comb has long teeth and it helps get the tangles out of your horse’s mane and tail.
4. Curry comb: This comb is made of rubber and removes sweat and stimulates the horse’s skin.
5. Hoof pick: This tool cleans out anything that may have gotten stuck in your horse’s hoof.
6. Hoof oil: Hoof oil will help shine your horse’s hooves just like shoe shine!
7. Shampoo: Horses need their hair cleaned just like you! Horse shampoo will get their hair sparkling!
8. Scissors: Anytime you need to trim your horse’s hair, it is handy to have scissors in your supplies.
9. Towel: Using a towel to dry your horse after a bath will help to give your buddy some extra shine!
10. Sponges: Use a sponge to clean the eyes, nose and mouth of your friend.
11. Bucket: A bucket is a good place to hold bathing suds or to store your other grooming tools.

It is also important to take good care of your grooming tools. Make sure you always rinse your tools after grooming, keep them labeled and organized so you can get to them easily, and keep them stored in a safe place where they are protected from other animals and the weather. Try to groom your horse outside so the dirt and dust won’t contaminate any water and feed sources in the barn. Read the rest of this entry »

Motivational speaker Shannon Pickard will be joining us at the 2011 Youth Excellence Seminar in June.

Shannon is a native Texan, having grown up in Kilgore, Texas. He created his own entertainment company as a sophomore in high school. He always loved to make people laugh and began pursuing a career in comedy. After graduating from high school, Shannon attended Kilgore College before transferring to the University of Texas in Austin. He graduated from the University of Texas at age 22 and became a professional comedian.

Shannon founded Shannon Pickard’s Inspirational Improv, an educational training and publishing company and recently joined the Chicken Soup for the Soul series as a spokesman for the books.

Shannon is also a writer, producer, and co-host of “Teen Talk,” a weekly television show that airs on the WB network. He is a regular on TLC’s “For Better or for Worse” and has made appearances on “The Tonight Show,” “Varsity Blues,” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Staying true to his comedic roots, Shannon performs regularly at Hollywood’s, The World Famous Laugh Factory Comedy Club. 

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