News flash from South Africa:
Storm Runner, the 7 year old Appaloosa stallion my husband imported for me in 2004, is now owned by Cobus Smit. Storm Runner (bred by B & L Ranch) had a fantastic Horse of the Year (HOY) show this past week. In General Breed (open to every breed), he was 2nd in the 1.5 to 1.67 metre Stallion in Hand class.
He was Champion Halter and Champion Ridden horse in the Western Showing Association of South Africa (WSASA) show on Friday, was Reserve Champion Stallion Halter and Champion Ridden Horse in the Appaloosa show on Saturday, then on Sunday he became the first Appaloosa to ever make it into the ribbons–top 5–at the HOY Supreme Ridden Champion event. There were about 24 horses of different breeds in the run-off and he made the first cut to 10 then was 5th in the finals.
Storm in particular and Appaloosas in general are the talk of the HOY.
For the first time both an Appaloosa mare and Appaloosa Stallion made it into the top 5 in hand–one owned by George Contos and the other by Ros Nightingale.
I am so pleased that I have not stopped smiling!
Happy Spring!
Deborah Ann Buchan
Entering the Riverside (California) Black History Parade for the first time, the Calizona Appaloosa Horse Club won the “Equestrian Sweepstakes” Award as well as Best Indian Group. The Parade was held Saturday, February 12, 2011 and eight CZ members rode to honor and promote the Appaloosa Horse with regards to its ties to the Nez Perce and other native cultures riding colored (and non colored) Appaloosas dressed in traditional heritage parade horse trappings and regalia. The parade was themed, “The Gift of Legacy” and what better than to show off the legacy of the Appaloosa!
The parade group included riders: Leslie Foxvog, Paul Foxvog, Danie Foxvog, CJ Brooks, Joe Brooks, Kristal Mead, Diane Dodd and Laura Rinard as well as two carrying the Club banner: Brian and Ashley. Other support team members included Debbie Herzman, Evon Owens and Chuck Collins. We also wowed the California State Horseman’s Association (CSHA) judge with our knowledge of the Appaloosa and detailed costumes! The Judge stated that in his past experiences, other groups could not explain their costumes or history of their horses. Calizona enjoys and takes pride in promoting the breed, and reaching out to the public to share the Appaloosa experience.
Leslie Foxvog
Might be a good time for a regional club to reach out to a local chapter and make some plans for a get-together this spring or summer:
February 19th through the 26th is National FFA Week, a week set aside to spread the word about agriculture, agricultural education and the FFA. Anna Peissig is from Colby, a small town in central Wisconsin and serves as Wisconsin State FFA Reporter this year. She first got involved in FFA when she moved to a new school as a freshman. Her cousin at the school got her into the Creed Speaking contest “and my career just kind of took-off from there.”
Now a college student majoring in elementary education, Peissig says people are constantly surprised by how much agricultural education has changed. “It’s actually a large, science-based industry because there is so much that goes into making those farms productive.” As a result, there are over 27 million careers in agriculture today and the FFA is constantly evolving to prepare members for those careers.
Today there are 523,309 FFA members in 7,487 chapters across 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Of that membership, 27% live in rural farm areas, 39% live in rural non-farm areas and 34% live in urban and suburban areas.
Source: Brownfield Network
David Robert Nemelka
1938 ~ 2011
David Robert Nemelka, our devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend passed away on February 8, 2011, at the age of 71. Our father was a friend to everyone. He naturally uplifted and brought joy into people’s lives, whether it was by passing out happiness gum or paying for a stranger’s groceries. He loved giving bear hugs and enjoyed being called Papa Bear and Opa by his family and friends.
Opa was born on March 30, 1938, in Salt Lake City, Utah to Nephi Alma Nemelka and Ruth Hubold. He and his four siblings were raised in humble circumstances and they forged bonds as children that sustained them throughout their entire lives. After graduating from West High School in 1957, he earned a degree in social work from the University of Utah and served as an intelligence officer with the 142nd MI Linguist Company of the U.S. Army Reserve. He served a mission for the LDS Church in West Germany and it was there that he met his “double, double sweetheart,” our mother Ingrid.
You cannot know Opa without knowing Omi, his best friend and the love of his life whom he married in the Logan Utah Temple on November 21, 1962. They were true to their life’s motto of “Family First and Nothing Second,” and our dad considered his children his greatest legacy. He often said that the purpose of life was to create positive memories with your loved ones, and for his 28 grandchildren, these memories include legendary Kids’ Day adventures, Easter egg hunts for cash, golf cart rides with his dog Cutie Pie, and horseback riding in the backyard.
Our father dedicated his life to helping those in need. He had a special love and talent for working with troubled youth and was program director of boys’ homes in California and Utah. Blessed with wisdom and a gift for counseling, he aided many people in their most difficult times. Opa was passionate about the cause of organ donation and dedicated the latter years of his life to eliminating the organ shortage. He was a member of the Utah State Legislature for two terms, from 1973-1976, where he received the Don Quixote Award for fighting the battles of the less fortunate. As a lifelong and faithful member of the LDS Church, he had many callings but his favorites were Scoutmaster and Home Teacher.
Opa delighted in many things. He raised Appaloosa race horses and was inducted into the Appaloosa Horse Club Hall of Fame. Observing his backyard hummingbirds and having them land on his hands brought him great joy. He loved playing games, especially Chinese Checkers with his wife and The Settlers of Catan with anybody he could convince to sit down at the table. Opa always considered it a privilege that he was able to raise his family in Mapleton, and Maple Mountain remained a source of peace and inspiration throughout his life.
He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Ingrid; his children: David (Arianne) Nemelka of Springville, Utah; John (Heather) Nemelka of Provo, Utah; Heidi (Joe) Udall of Mesa, Arizona; Joseph (Christy) Nemelka of Mapleton, Utah; Sonja (Mitch) Wasden of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Allyson (William) Davidson of Ningbo, China; and Michael (Melanie) Nemelka of Washington, D.C. He is also survived by 27 grandchildren and his siblings, Rose (Rick) Blackhum; Jeannene (Ed) Barham; Carol Kimball; and Roger (Linda) Nemelka. He was preceded in death by his parents and his “German Princess” granddaughter Anna Loeen Nemelka.
Funeral services were held on Tuesday, February 15th in Mapleton. Condolences may be sent at www.wheelermortuary.com
If you’re not a “Googler,” you might have missed this story about ApHC member Regina Broughton of Bristol, Tennessee. She’s profiled in a local news article (link below) with special mention of her Appaloosa X Thoroughbred Tango. The duo is earning a regional award from the North American Trail Riding Conference and we thought you’d like to know about another special person in the Appaloosa community.
http://www2.tricities.com/news/2011/feb/07/broughton-makes-lifes-journey-back-horse-ar-824790/
From ApHC Director Sandra Matthews:
At the Dodge Ram $15,000 Invitational Freestyle Reining at the National Western Stock Show in Denver on January 9, the Appaloosa horse was extremely well represented by Mr. Awesome Affair. Mr. Awesome Affair, owned by Highcrest Reiners of Dayton, MT and trained and shown by Eric La Porte of Rocky Mountain, NC, traveled 2,600 miles one way to participate. It most certainly paid off!
This event is always a crowd sell out and one of the more popular ones at the Stock Show. There were 14 participants in this invitation only event. Several were FEI medalists in international reining competitions and had also been at the World Equestrian Games as demonstrators and clinicians. Devin Warren on Bright Little Gun posted a score of 229½ mid-way through the competition. An awesome score to say the least and one most of the audience believed couldn’t be touched.
Mr. Awesome Affair and Eric were second to last to go. He performed the same routine as he did at the 2010 Appaloosa Worlds. The song was “Desperado” and Eric came in with a duster, black hat and scarf over his face. What made it even more dramatic this time was he had been out in the snow storm and walked in dripping snow! He started off with a bridle but soon removed it. Mr. Awesome Affair showed everyone that he could not only spin like a whirlwind but really get down in the dirt when he stopped. After it was all said and done, Eric and his horse scored a 229, blowing the socks off the competition and putting them in 2nd place. He definitely showed the Quarter Horses and Paints the Appaloosa would not be outdone!
The other part of this competition is the People’s Choice Award. This is determined by the audience reaction to each contestant. After the winners are announced each rider is brought forward to be judged by the crowd. Initially Eric tied with Aaron Ralston, who placed 3rd in the competition, and who did his routine bareback with a small bosal to a medley of Christmas music performed by Mannheim Steamroller. Eric was determined to be 2nd in this phase also.
After the competition, Eric and his horse had several people follow him out to the barns to ask questions and take pictures. It was a great day for the Appaloosa!
Visit the racing section of the ApHC website to see the complete listings of 2010 Appaloosa Running Champions. Probably no big surprise that Moon Bully was named Appaloosa Horse of the Year. In addition to equine all-stars, we honor leading breeder – Kevin and Jeannie Hullinger; leading trainer – Dee Keener; leading owner – Danny and Shauna Thomas; and leading jockey – Tony Ray Bennett. Congratulations to all!
If you’ve ever thought about testing yourself and your horse at a higher level of distance riding, it’s not too early to start preparations for the 2011 ApHC National Championship Endurance Ride. It will be held in conjunction with the Alabama Yellowhammer at Talledega September 30th. The ride weekend includes several competitive events of varying distances. The ApHC NCER is a 100-miler. Check out more information about the Talladega National Forest and surrounding area by doing a Web search. Stay tuned for additional details.
You may be sitting on “America’s Favorite Trail Horse.” At least that’s what the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA) wants to find out. They have launched a new reality series where America gets to choose their favorite trail horse! Auditions are being held across the USA and 100 finalists will be chosen to come to Austin Texas to perform for the cameras! Here, competitors will be assisted by National Clinicians including Monty Roberts, Pat and Linda Parelli, Van Hargis and Patti Colbert.
Segments will be aired on two national RFDTV shows with full length features on streaming video.
America votes 10 times after TV viewing, each time awarding $5,000 to the performance of the week. The 3 final winners determined by cumulative votes share $50,000.
Go to www.ACTHA.us to join the fun!” because ANY horse can WIN This!
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