Results of the Appaloosa Youth Association election have been tabulated. Each AYA director will serve a two-year term beginning this week. We look forward to working with AYA board members as we prepare for this summer’s show and activities such as the speech contest and other fun stuff.
Elected to the AYA Board of Directors: Macon Henry of Billings, Montana; Jasmine Varela, Coarsegold, California; Anna Dillon of Little River, Kansas; Mackenzie Main, Council Bluffs, Iowa; Cheyanne Nolan, Mount Vernon, Texas; Kaylyn Baker, West Palm Beach, Florida; Mary Beth Blake, Middleburg Heights, Ohio; and Amanda Soffron of Topsfield, Massachusetts.
While at the recent Canadian National Appaloosa Show in Brandon, Manitoba, I had the good fortune to meet Melia Blakely. She’s a 17-year-old AYA member from Coldwater, Ontario, and she’s a delightful ambassador for our breed. More accurately, she and her colorful mare Neon Cola Sign are a public relations team for Appaloosas.
The six-year-old leopard mare is sired by High Sign Nugget and out of Candy Cola, a daughter of Me Gold Two. Melia and Cola have not only been a fixture at Appaloosa shows, they have been highly competitive among the National Reining Horse Association ranks. In fact, the real reason for this writing is to brag about the fact that they finished the 2008 season ranked fifth overall in the 14-18 division of NRHA. That’s a huge accomplishment made so much better for all of us because Cola is such a colorful, pretty horse.
“I started riding horses at age seven and decided to try reining by the time I was 13,” Melia says. “One of the trainers in the barn where I rode was into reining and it looked like fun.” After gaining some experience and connecting with ApHC trainer and judge Harvey Stevens, the search was on for a “good” reining horse. The one they found “just happened to be an Appaloosa.”
“I love Cola,” a smiling Melia explains. “She’s gorgeous and so sweet, plus she’s laid back – like me. Harvey decided she was the horse for me, so we purchased Cola from Wilburn Archer.”
Another highlight of the Melia-Cola resume is qualifying for the provincial young rider team chosen to participate in the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships in Kentucky. Melia says it was awesome to qualify, but she opted for the ApHCC show to try for a Canadian championship. Turns out she did that. At the Canadian National Show she and Cola won the youth reining.
Where to from here? Melia says one of her goals is to make the Top Ten at the Quarter Horse Congress show. She’ll also be focusing on her 12th grade year in school and making plans for college.
In the meantime, we tip our hat to a young lady with personality-plus who happens to be providing invaluable promotion for the Appaloosa breed with her colorful partner, Cola. Nice to meet you both.
The ApHC and AYA hosted a horse judging contest for youth on Friday during the National Show in Jackson, Mississippi. At least 11 teams participated. Official results will be posted later, but we know a few basics. High-point overall team placings might not mean much to those who don’t know what the names represent, but here they are: 1st – Illinois Blue; 2nd – Stone Creek Stable; 3rd – Owyee; 4th – Ponchatoula FFA Blue; 5th – Southern Sensation; 6th – Boyd County A; 7th – New Era Ag Center; 8th – Ponchatoula FFA Gold; 9th – Lots of Spots; 10th – Illinois Orange tied with Boyd County B.
High-Point Youth 14-18 in performance judging and overall was Casey Parr; High-Point Halter and also High-Point in reasons was Cori Elliot.
Appaloosa Youth Association members ages 14-18 are invited to apply for the chance to spend a week in a foreign country as part of the new Appaloosa Youth Overseas Exchange Program. Up to three youth from the U.S. will spend a week in a host country and compete at the European Championships in October of 2009.
Application deadline for U.S. youth who wish to attend the European Championship is June 12. All applications must be submitted directly to the ApHC office. Participants must be Appaloosa Youth Association members.
The ApHC will locate responsible host families in Europe, cover the costs of up to three classes per youth at the Youth World Show and European Championships, and pay for one stall (only if the youth participant uses the horse). ApHC also covers hotel costs during the Youth World and European Championships and provides a daily allowance for meals. Participants are responsible for airfare and miscellaneous costs associated with traveling.
AYA Youth Exchange Appalications are available at http://www.appaloosayouth.com/contests/exchange.html or by contacting ApHC Youth Coordinator at (208) 882-5578 ext. 264 or email youth@appaloosa.com
The Appaloosa Youth Association sponsors an Annual Art Contest for youth to showcase their artistic talents. In the photo are samples of the 2009 entries.
Artwork is accepted each year between January 1 and May 1. There are two age divisions (13 and Under & 14-18) for the contest and entrants can compete for US Savings Bonds and other prizes. All entrants receive an award for participating.
As another benefit of membership, the Appaloosa Youth Foundation awards thousands of scholarship dollars each year to members pursuing higher education.
For more information, visit www.appaloosayouth.com
A non-pro or a youth exhibitor may enter 9 classes at regular price and enter a 10th class for FREE! This option is available for PRE-ENTRIES ONLY! This option is available to non-pro and youth exhibitors regardless of the number of different horses they exhibit and is based solely on the number of classes in which that non-pro or that youth exhibitor enters.
Entries for multiple horses MUST BE RECEIVED TOGETHER in order to credit the exhibitor for the free class. Once entries have been received, classes can NOT be substituted, scratched, added or changed in order to qualify for a class. After the pre-entry deadline, regular post-entry processes and fees apply to any changes or added classes. Equipment, cattle and NSBA charges must still be paid on all classes even if these are assessed in the class in which the non-pro or youth exhibitor does not have to pay the entry fee.
Part of the fun at the Idaho Horse Expo in Nampa this weekend is the opportunity to mingle with royalty. In this case, the young ladies representing the Idaho State POA Club are busy convincing expo guests to purchase raffle tickets and support youth activities. From left to right: Josie Montee, Queen; Taylor Renouf, Junior Queen; and Reagan Hoadley, Princess. They are all from the Treasure Valley area of Idaho. Each is also making plans to participate in an upcoming POA show in June. I’ll admit to their charm and could certainly see why they were given the task of promoting the breed and the organization.
I was also told it would be nice to include the club’s Web address, but it’s already in the photo. Just in case though, here it is: www.idahopoa.com.
Come celebrate with us!
The Appaloosa Horse Club is proud to host the 2008 Year-end Awards banquets this year in Jackson, Mississippi. This is our opportunity to honor the exhibitors, owners, breeders, trainers and supporters that have campaigned tirelessly throughout the previous year to promote the Appaloosa breed.
The Annual Awards Banquet will be held Sunday, June 21st. All Non-Pro, Racing, and Open award winners will be recognized. Cocktails will be served at 6:30 and dinner will be served promptly at 7:00 p.m. Tickets will be $55 each before April 11 and $75 each thereafter. The Youth Awards Banquet will be Monday, June 28th at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for this banquet are $45 each before April 11, and $65 after.
In recognition of your hard work and devotion to the breed, we invite you to attend one (or both) of the banquets for an evening of celebration. All attendees will receive dinner, a copy of the 2008 Appaloosa Yearbook and a commemorative mug. Dress is semi-formal and open to anyone who is interested in attending.
If you are interested in purchasing tickets, you may contact the Appaloosa Horse Club show department by calling 208-882-5578 ext. 400.
What’s black and white, read all over and lasts a lifetime? The Appaloosa Yearbook! And what better place to advertise or extend congratulatory praise than the Appaloosa Yearbook—where cherished memories last a lifetime. The Appaloosa Horse Club is offering this special advertising opportunity for a mere $100. This the perfect occasion for parents to congratulate their successful youth competitors or trainers to advertise their services—the possibilities are endless. Contact the ApHC Marketing Department to book your ad to today: 208-882-5578; marketing@appaloosa.com or publicrelations@appaloosa.com
• Ads are due March 17. No exceptions, no extensions.
• Ad size: 2.05” x 3.25”
• Accepted formats: .tif, .jpg, .png, .pdf, .eps, .psd, .ai, or .indd
• $100 for camera-ready ads, min. 300 dpi.
• $100 for text-only ads
• Additional costs for design. Please call for details.
The schedule in Jackson, Mississippi, for the Youth World Championship Show and the ApHC National Show has been revised to address some issues relating to youth participation. It’s basically a swap of show weeks so that the National Show Open and Non-Pro events will begin on Monday June 22nd. The Youth World Show will be AFTER the National Show. The middle weekend will feature the cattle classes, so the youth-only portion of the show will likely begin on Monday the 29th. Complete show dates are June 22 – July 4.
We received information from ApHC Director Laura Lyon about a happy ending to a story last week of a missing horse in Michigan. Way back on October 18th, Liz Barrett, 14, of Vicksburg, Michigan, was riding her Appaloosa friend, named Jeff. Somehow the horse received a poke from a sharp branch and bolted. Liz was thrown from the horse, but was not seriously injured.
That hard part was that fact that Jeff fled the scene and was missing for two weeks! The Michigan regional club posted information, a variety of volunteers conducted repeated searches and, finally, the horse was found last Saturday! What a relief for all concerned. Jeff was a bit weak and thin, still wearing the saddle, but apparently will be fine.
Liz is involved with the local high school equestrian team and (mostly) enjoys trail riding. We wish her all the best. A full story can be found in the Kalamazoo Gazette for Monday Nov. 3rd.
If you attended the 61st National Appaloosa and/or Youth World show this year, we would like to have your feedback. On the home page of Appaloosa.com you’ll find the gas pump graphic. Click on it to take our survey. As a token of our appreciation, if you complete the survey by September 4, your name will be entered to win a $200 gas card. Please fill out the contact information at the end to be eligible.
An especially glitzy part of the youth team tournament at the Canadian National Appaloosa Show was the barn decorations. In this case, you may be able to catch the Hollywood theme. The teams put in lots of work to spice up the aisles and their efforts helped enliven the whole show.
I keep repeating myself, I know, but these young folks offer a clear reminder of how and why most of us made the horse/Appaloosa connection way back when. They focus on the task at hand while competing, but they take advantage of every opportunity beyond thhe show ring to make friends and enjoy the experience. I suspect that some or most of you have fond memories of the same.
A feature of the Canadian National Appaloosa Show was the youth team tournament. Entries were up for the show this year and the addition of several new youth teams made much of the difference. Teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan (two teams), Ontario and Manitoba competed along with two teams from the U.S.
Appaloosa versatility was on display, but the key ingredients were sportsmanship and the pursuit of fun on the part of the youth exhibitors.
The note from director Diane Rushing was titled “Our next generation of horsewomen.” The group incluees Jillian Hubbard (7), Emilia Hubbard (3), Rick Rushing (Grandpa) and Madeleine Hubbard (10) at an open show in Shelbyville, Illinois.
It was the first horse show for Jillian and Emilia (who just turned three in June).
We talk about Appaloosas as a family-friendly breed and I’d say this photo provides testament to the marketing approach. The second picture is of Emilia and Grandpa Rick at the Illinois State Fair.
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