You can’t go to a horse show without seeing dogs.

Even Cheryl Magoteaux's miniature Schnauzer, Shakey, got into the spirit of the Strut Your Mutt Contest. (Journal photo)

Dogs and horses just go together, at least that is what most show folks think.

Well, at the 2009 National Reining Breeders Classic, show organizer Cheryl Magoteaux decided to take advantage of all the dogs around the horse show and raise money for cancer research at the same time. She organized the first Rein in Cancer Strut Your Mutt Contest the morning of April 18.

In the short span that Rein in Cancer has been raising money for the fight against cancer, the equine industry-based program has raised thousands of dollars that go directly to the cause. The fund-raising events are known for being innovative, so the dog show contest was just perfect.

It was a dog show for the record books – center stage at the Great Southwest
Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas. Instead of reining horses, dogs and their owners entered the ring. There were two parts to the competition. First was the halter-conformation, or as some referred to it as the beauty pageant. Then the performance division allowed the cunning canines to each exhibit one trick.

Bribes to the three judges, Dr. Alan Donnell, Barb Waltenberry and Marshall Kyle, were not only accepted but highly encouraged, as all bribes went directly to benefit Rein in Cancer.

In the end, the contest was a tie between two sisters — Mackenzie Rivers and Magic, and Morgan Rivers and Coconut — took top honors in the overall division. When the money was counted, more than $1,000 was raised.

For more information on Rein in Cancer, please visit www.reinincancer.com.

Tonya Ratliff-Garrison
Field Editor
American Quarter Horse Journal

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