For those of you within reasonable driving distance from Moscow, consider joining us August 27-29 for the inaugural Horse ‘N Around (HAW) Weekend. Activities benefit the Appaloosa Museum and Latah County Sheriff’s Posse. There will be a “fun” ride with prizes, a trail challenge sanctioned by the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (visit www.actha.us and click on the “Moscow Ride”), another leisure trail ride, dinner, entertainment and all sorts of fun people to meet. Location is the Pony Club Grounds near Deary, Idaho. Camping, horse pens, showers, water, etc. are available.
To sign up for camping, reserve a spot for dinner or to just let us know you’re coming for the fun stuff, email museum@appaloosa.com or visit www.appaloosamuseum.org.
To sign up for the ACTHA ride you’ll need to pre-register at www.actha.us (Moscow Ride).
The 53rd Canadian National Appaloosa Show is going on this week in Brandon, Manitoba. This year’s show is also approved for ApHC points. The youth team competition has been especially good and especially entertaining. Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada directors and other volunteers are working hard to stage a successful show. Several competitors are here from the U.S. and the atmosphere filled with the usual enthusiasm and friendly hospitality. Additional photos will be posted in the album shortly.
The Pinto Horse Association of America invites all Appaloosa horse owners to join the fun this fall at the Color Breed Congress in Tulsa, Okla., Nov. 3-7.
The Pinto Congress will host the Color Breed Cash Challenge, a series of events where Appaloosas, Palominos, Buckskins, Paints and Pintos will compete together for cash prizes.
Open to any horse registered with ApHC, PHBA, APHA, PtHA, IBHA or ABRA, the Color Breed Cash Challenge classes include halter, western pleasure, English pleasure, trail and longe line. Even Solid-Bred Paints, Breeding Stock Pintos and Good As Gold Palominos are eligible to compete in these events.
Complete rules and entry forms are available at www.pintocongress.com/forms. For questions, email congress@pinto.org or call (405) 491-0111.
While attending the Kentucky International Equine Summit this week, I’ve been reminded that bloggers need to be more consistent and more frequent with postings. So, here’s my offering for today. The sessions are being broadcast and recorded by the folks at HorseTV. That’s a good thing, even for those in attendance, as different topics are being presented at the same time in different rooms.
Yesterday’s luncheon speaker was John Long, Chair of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and CEO of the USEF. Not only are Lexington and the State of Kentucky making basic preparations for this very special event, Long explained that he is also hopeful for a lasting legacy for the Horse Park, the region and the industry.
Today’s topics include multimedia marketing strategies and on-line communications — guess I’d better be there!
I made it “down” to Nampa for the Idaho Horse Expo this past weekend. Crowds were almost as good as the weather and there was definitely something for every interest level. It’s always entertaining to watch the activity surrounding the private treaty sale, training clinics, ranch horse events and the trade show.
A real crowd pleaser was the Supreme Cowboy Race, which is basically timed, extreme trail. One of our own, Talea Morgan-Metivier, from Chewelah, Washington, competed with the best of them on two great looking Appaloosas. The picture is of Talea and her four-year-old mare Smart Little Cayenne, by Smart Little Sign (also a star of the event), who is by High Sign Nugget. Thanks Talea for showing of with colorful Appaloosas!
Thanks also to George and Lise Jumper, long-time ApHC folks from Emmett, Idaho, who came by to help at the Appaloosa table.
More photos are in the album (see left hand menu).
Grounds Pass tickets for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games will go on sale Friday, April 16 at 10AM.
Grounds Pass tickets will be priced at $25 each, but from April 16 through May 31, as a special promotion, tickets will be available for $20. Each Grounds Pass will allow entry to the 2010 Games venue for the selected date of purchase.
To provide for an affordable, family-friendly event, admission for children 12 years of age and under will be free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult.
A limited quantity of Flex Grounds Pass tickets will be available for $30. The Flex Grounds Pass can be used for entry on any one day of choice, without selecting a specific date of attendance at the time of purchase.
Tickets will be available for purchase through www.alltechfeigames.com/tickets, on www.ticketmaster.com, at any Ticketmaster outlet, and via the Ticketmaster hotline at 1-800-745-3000.
I had the good fortune to spend some time this past weekend in Tampa for the inaugural event of the “Reining Classic.” Thanks to host and show organizer Frank Marley for a warm welcome and for all the efforts of his support team. Actually, it wasn’t so warm weather-wise, but the quality of the reining was outstanding. The sport is certainly attracting more attention these days and part of Frank’s goal is always to promote Appaloosa horses along with the discipline. Folks from Inside Reining television, the NRHA magazine and Quarter Horse News were there to cover all the action. Instead of the usual trophies, winners received a Seminole Hard Rock guitar. Good food, good fun, entertainment, a trade show and lots of tough reining competition made for a really good start for what Frank intends to make an annual event.
We’ll follow up with further details (or where to find them), and you can visit the photo album link for more of my weak attempts at photography.
Calizona and long time ApHC member, Debbie Herzman, was interviewed by “The Boulevard Magazine” after her recent experience of riding in the Rose Parade. This is a publication circulated in the San Diego County area of Southern California but also is on the Internet. See the link below for the on-line version to see the article and a great picture of Appaloosa horses.
On the Boulevard’s Home Page, scroll down to the Item titled “Investigate This” – Bonsall Woman Rides ….
http://www.theboulevardonline.com/current.html
Calizona congratulates Debbie on her media opportunity sharing her experience and love for the Appaloosa breed.
Leslie Foxvog
President Calizona ApHC
We certainly need to brag about Wade Clayton, Needville, Texas. He and roping partner Jake Kropik won the $86,000 top prize at the U.S. Team Roping Championships “open average” event in Oklahoma City back in October. Wade was riding an 11-year-old Appaloosa gelding named Below Freezing (nicknamed “Bear”), sired by Dashin Johnny Bar. The horse and rider have been together for several years.
Bear is just one more really outstanding argument against some of the myths about Appaloosa horses and their performance abilities. “USTRC” certainly ranks as top-level competition, for both horses and people. Having an Appaloosa at the top of the heap is, as some folks like to say, “way cool.” Congratulations!
Just a reminder that the Calizona regional club will be a featured equestrian group in this week’s Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. In case you forgot, the parade is on New Year’s Day (Friday)! Be sure to tune in and watch for the Appaloosas and their riders dressed in native garb.
The Calizona group will be 33rd in the line up of 92 entries in the whole parade. There are 23 equestrian entries all together. They will be between the City of Torrence and City of Burbank floats.
If you’re wondering about the photo, Christy Wood sent it along with a note about her preparations for the noise and atmosphere of the parade. She writes:
OK Everybody, you’ve been wondering what I have been doing??? Getting my horse ready for the Rose Parade. Go to YOUTUBE and type in Christy Dude and Joe the Drummer. You can watch my parade warm up. I will be riding with the Calizona Appaloosa Horse Club. There will be 10 riders, all dressed in 1870′s Nez Perce Native American attire. I will be in the first row of 4 women, on the far left, on the tallest white horse with the longest white tail. I will be in a black wig.
If you want to see a picture of my Native American attire, go to my web site at www.wdnhorse.com or email me and I will send you a picture.
I’ll be waving at all of you on Jan 1st!
Once again, Gary and Niceene Connolly have been volunteer coordinators for an Appaloosa presence at the Cowboy Christmas trade show during the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Thanks to them and to everyone who supported the cause. And thanks to Niceene for the photos and note below:
The 1st day of Cowboy Christmas at the NFR was an exciting one for the Appaloosa Booth, several old friends stopped by and the President of the Candian Appaloosa Club, Brad Meggison and his wife stopped by for a visit. Working the booth for the day was Gary & Niceene Connolly, their grandson Wyatt Willis; and Cindy Hughes (Las Vegas ApHC President). New for this year at the booth is a TV playing Appaloosa event DVD’s and 2 lettered Director Chairs. If you come to Vegas to the NFR we are booth 1731 at Cowboy Christmas in the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Shown in the photo at right: Gary Connolly and Mary Sue Kunz (Las Vegas, NV.) – Mary Sue is a photographer whose photos from the Chief Joseph Trail Ride have appeared in the Appaloosa Calendar and are in the Trail & Distance Pamphlet.
I lost count, but a whole swarm of kids and their escorts came to a Holiday Open House at the Appaloosa Museum. Santa (he’s the one in the red outfit) arrived by horseback then greeted the youngsters as they waited for their turn to “ride.” He moved indoors for a more traditional visit including the wish list and a chat about good behavior.
Museum staff and volunteers organized cookie decorating, card crafting and other activities. Refreshments were popular, as always, and the gift shop did a brisk business.
Be sure to check out the photo album for more scenes, including Smitty, the other official greeter. He’s a weanling gelding owned by Julie Thorson. They were out front meeting folks and promoting the Museum’s latest fund-raising activity, a raffle to win a breeding to Smitty’s sire, An Awesome Secret. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at the Museum’s site. A very special thanks to Mark and Gail Smith for donating a service to this outstanding stallion.
Thanks to Gary Connolly for working the trade show and for this report.
The FFA Convention went great, they reported approximately 55,000 FFA members and their advisors were in attendance at the trade show. Niceene made up a basket with a Halloween bucket that included a Mark Shaffer DVD, a Youth Judging DVD, a “Know Before You Tow” (Safely Transporting Livestock) DVD designed by a committee I serve on for the Illinois Farm Bureau, an Appaloosa Water Bottle, an Appaloosa can koozie, and 2 Bags of Halloween chocolates, that we donated in the ApHC name to the FFA scholarship silent auction, the last bid I saw on it was $50.00.
Packets were given to new advisors, they were really impressed with the information included. I had enough of the Appaloosa Computer CD’s left on hand to add to each of these folders. Also Dan Moriarty’s wife & son came by the booth, we had a nice visit; they were really glad to see the Appaloosa so well represented at the event.
Volunteers pictured are Susie Rhoades (Indiana), Brandi Daugherty (Illinois) and Gary Connolly (Illinois).
The enduring relationship between Native people and the horse will be illustrated through vivid personal accounts and a spectacular array of objects in A Song for the Horse Nation, opening Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Smithsonians National Museum of the American Indian in New York, the George Gustav Heye Center. Starting with the return of the horse to the Americas in 15th century, the exhibition traces how Native people adapted the horse into their cultural and spiritual lives and integrated it into their geographic expansion, warfare and defense. A Song for the Horse Nation will present 95 works, including elaborate horse trappings, clothing and photographs and will close March 7, 2011. The exhibition will then continue at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., from June 2011 through January 2013. Afterward, the exhibition is expected to tour nationally through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service program (SITES).
Originally native to the American continent, horses became extinct but were reintroduced by the Spanish, and later by the French, English and Dutchbeginning with Columbus second voyage in 1493. Native people soon adopted the horse and became some of the worlds best horsemen. Horses were used to enhance trade, expand territory, facilitate hunting and wage war. Included in the exhibition will be a Lakota winter count (ca. 1902) by Long Soldier (Hunkpapa Lakota) that depicts when horses were first sighted by the community.
Paired with the introduction of the gun, the mounted Plains warrior was a formidable fighter, upsetting old alliances among the tribes and frustrating European advances. Young men proved their valor through the horse raid, where they captured horses from enemy camps.
Horses also became integrated in Native American cultural and spiritual life, representing the primary virtues of agility, grace and beauty. The exhibition includes a graceful dance stick (ca. 1890) by No Two Horns (Hunkpapa Lakota), created to honor his horse that died at the Battle of Big Horn.
Later, the rise of reservations, the U.S. Armys calculated destruction of American Indian ponies and government policies that forced Native people to adopt farming eroded the day-to-day relationship of Native people and horses. Despite these changes, the horses place in Native culture and memory remains strong. The Crow Nation has actively maintained its horse traditions, and others, like the Nez Perce, are engaged in rebuilding their horse breeds and revitalizing their equestrian way of life. The Future Generations Ride that involves Native youth has evolved from The Big Foot Memorial Ride, held as a healing ride to honor those massacred at Wounded Knee in South Dakota.
Even though the pinnacle of the horse lasted only a century, this exhibition details how Native people rapidly integrated the horse into their lifeways, quickly becoming among the best mounted soldiers in the world, said Kevin Gover (Pawnee/Comanche), director of the National Museum of the American Indian.
This exhibition, which traces the accomplishments and identity of Native people and the horse, perfectly complements our previous exhibition about Native womens dresses, Identity by Design, said John Haworth (Cherokee), director of the Heye Center. We are so proud to be premiering this exhibition, which will travel the country, here in New York.
A Song for the Horse Nation includes many examples of elaborate horse trappings, including a dazzling horse crupper adorned with exceptionally fine quillwork (Cree or Red River Metis, ca. 1850) and clothing adorned with images of the horse, such as a colorful Lakota baby bonnet (South Dakota or North Dakota, ca. 1900). New work has also been commissioned for the exhibition. A dazzling horse mask, with yellow, blue-gray and dark-red quillwork and trimmed with fresh-cut feathers, was created by Juanita Growing Thunder (Assiniboine/Sioux). The work is based on a 19th-century Northern Cheyenne quilled horse mask, also included in the exhibition.
A Song for the Horse Nation was curated by museum curator Emil Her Many Horses (Oglala Lakota). An accompanying publication edited by Her Many Horses and the scholar George P. Horse Capture (Aaninin) is available at the museums shops and the museums Web site.
The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in New York, the George Gustav Heye Center is located at One Bowling Green in New York City, across from Battery Park. The museum is free and open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursdays until 8 p.m. For information, call (212) 514-3700 or visit the museums Web site at www.americanindian.si.edu.
Calizona members’ Appaloosas win big and shine at the Mojave River Valley Horsemans Association All Breed Futurity Show held September 20, 2009 in Apple Valley, California.
The Weanling Futurity was won by Dun Maid Me Grand (weanling gelding) owned by Dean’s Ranch and shown by Dennis Dean. Magic Dun Right (yearling filly) was the Reserve Champion for the Yearling Futurity and also shown by Dennis and owned by Dean’s Ranch. The Yearling Lunge Line Futurity was won by Play A Hand In Vegas (yearling gelding) shown by Caitlyn Raysser and owned by Amber Niess. Amber was very excited to have her horse win her very first futurity. The Reserve High Point Halter Horse title went to Exclusively Magic also owned and shown by Amber Niess. Other Appaloosas exhibited at the show include Prety Wild Ideas by Terri Hart and Man O Love by Toni Dean. It’s wonderful that the Appaloosa Breed is promoted to others outside the Appaloosa show circuit. Congratulations to the winners!!!
Leslie Foxvog
President Calizona ApHC
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