Had to share this news item from ApHC judge and exhibitor Christy Wood:
I attended my first Ultimate Cowboy Trail Challenge on Nov 20 & 21 in Bishop, CA. This was going to be my stepping stone to start entering extreme cowboy racing so I went to scope it out. There were 60 riders to run on the qualifying round on Sat with 16 advancing to the finals on Sunday. The age divisions were 2 youth, 2 non-pro and Pro. We had to memorize 29 obstacles within two arenas and out as well. They gave us 9 minutes to complete the course. I did it in 5:45seconds. The end result was that I won the whole darn thing! What a blast! I won the Pro division, my horse,”Dollar” won Top horse, she was the highest point earner for both days, and I won the entire Ultimate Cowboy Trail Challenge and was handed a check for $1,000.00.
I will be joining the EXCR association in Jan and hope to ride in more races throughout the year. I will also be back on the Appy circuit and my goal is to be back at the Worlds in Oct. Please note that this is a solid bay mare, and when I had to give a short bio for the announcer at the challenge I had him say “Dollar is a registered Appaloosa mare which goes to show you that it is in the bloodlines that gets you down the trail, not the color on the butt.” I know our breed wants to be recognized for our color, but perhaps we need to give those solids, who we do allow on our trails and in our arenas, to take center stage once in a while. I own 2 solids and two colored Appaloosas, and they are all my breed of choice!
One more note about the World Equestrian Games in Lexington. I heard the region closed schools for at least a couple of days so that kids could attend. This scene shows just one of the groups gathering at Alltech Village to begin the tour. This weekend will feature Para Dressage, Driving, Vaulting and a bit more Jumping, plus the closing ceremonies with Lyle Lovett, among others.
Probably one of the interesting sidelights for me is the mingling of so many different types of horse people. Royalty, local stars, stable hands and daydreamers all shared in the atmosphere and found at least some common ground. Perhaps that’s one of the truly major accomplishments of an event such as WEG.
Roland and Mary Tom Haun stopped by the International Equine Festival trade show for a quick visit. They had been to the Kentucky Horse Park to take in the World Games scenery as well. The Hauns are hosting this year’s Sheltowee Trail Ride starting this weekend at Red Hill Horse Camp near Livingston, Kentucky.
News from the WEG competition includes a rare feat for U.S. Dressage. Steffen Peters earned a bronze medal in Wednesday’s grand prix special — the individual competition. This gave the U.S. its first-ever WEG individual medal in dressage. He was riding the rock star horse named Ravel. According to media reports, the last time anyone from the U.S. won an individual dressage medal was 1932 at the Los Angeles Olympics!
Finals in the individual reining competition are today and the freestyle exhibition is this evening.
Uploading some photos to the flickr album…
Team USA earned a gold medal in the team reining competition. The Netherlands leads the team standings after the first day of dressage.In the endurance event, gold was won by the United Arab Emirates, silver for France and bronze for Germany.
The queen of Denmark is attending the games this week, mostly to watch her niece compete in team dressage.
This photo is from the Equine Village at Kentucky Horse Park — morning calm before things get busy. In the afternoons, we’re hanging out at the Lexington Convention Center for the International Equine Festival trade show.
Live streaming video of all the day’s events and medal ceremonies is available at USEFNetwork.com.
Thought we’d give a nod to major sponsor Alltech for the first post from the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games. This scene is just part of what visitors can view in the Alltech Village. Lexington and the Kentucky Horse Park have rolled all the red carpets it could find and things are off and riding. Team competition in Reining was on the agenda for today, along with team and individual Endurance events. The Equine Village, trade show, Alltech Village and the downtown International Equestrian Festival were all gathering steam.
The Olympics-style opening ceremonies last night featured celebrities, music, dancing (people and horses) and more ceremony. Visitors and participants are here from 50+ countries.
The Appaloosa breed and the ApHC will be here, so you should be too.
The Pre-Vent Feeders International Equestrian Festival, presented by HRTV, will be bustling with activity September 25 – October 10 from 1 – 9 p.m. daily at the Lexington Convention Center. Tickets are available at the door for only $5! The following activities and amenities are included with your paid admission to the Festival:
International Shopping Expo of more than 200 exhibitors
Hollywood Casino Hospitality Atrium
Ecotrack Park horse demonstrations, presented by Nutrena
Educational seminars
Equestrian celebrities
Show floor broadcasts by HRTV, Horse Radio Network and WTVQ – ABC 36
Horse breed and association appreciation days and demonstrations
Country Music by Templeton Thompson
Lexington Convention & Visitors Bureau tourist services
Segway rides by Segway of Paducah
Chance to win great prizes!
Please visit www.internationalequestrianfestival.com for a complete schedule of events.
Still working on my photo album contributions from the Battle of the Breeds in Calgary. I’m sure that I forgot to mention that the Appaloosa team finished 7th overall (out of 12 teams) after a good 4th place showing in the timed trail event. The group was only three points behind the tie for 5th and 6th in the totals, so it was a competitive deal all the way through.
Thanks to the team, the support crew and to all the fans!
It’s the 35th anniversary of championship equine sport at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta. It’s the 21st edition of the Battle of the Breeds. This year’s battle includes 12 breed teams competing for prize money, fan approval and a bit of bragging rights.
Pictured here is Kaylee McLachlin riding Amigo TRT in the Jeopardy Jumping — one of five events in the Battle of the Breeds. This duo performed well, scoring 460 points which included the 100-point bonus jump. Denice Jones, riding Shady’s Leo Dexter, also competed today in the jumping and compulsory skills (in Dexter’s case, driving).
Tomorrow’s agenda includes precision driving and barrels. Should be fun to watch. Each of the five components of the battle features substantial cash and attracts a good crowd of loyal fans. Stay tuned. Team Appaloosa looks to be competitive. Thanks to the Alberta regional club for coordinating an exhibit booth at Equine Expo. Even if things don’t warm up and dry up, it will be another super PR opportunity.
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.
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Had to share this news item from ApHC judge and exhibitor Christy Wood: