AQHA Region 6 Super 6 Show

One of the coolest things about my Queen travels is getting to go to new states I have never been too before. I travelled to Massachusetts to attend the Region 6 Regional Championship during the Super Six horse show. The Eastern States Exposition grounds have so much history and were beautiful. Uniquely they have a replica of each of the New England state capital buildings and a colonial village. Apparently, I brought the good weather with me because earlier that week it was very warm, but the weather was perfect during my time there. Within the first hour multiple people thanked me for being there, which was such nice hospitality. This group were some of the friendliest people I’ve met so far. I love it when I get to meet former Congress Queens as it is so special to share about favorite shows and memories, at this show I met 2012 Congress Queen Emily King. Thank you to Meg, Marge, Andy and the entire show team for having me help with the awards!

Next Stop: Youth World and NSBA World Show!

The (Not So) Little Buckeye

The “Not-So” Little Buckeye at the Garwood Arena was such a blast! Their leadline class had 35 exhibitors where each won a giant penguin! I was joined by many queens to help pass out awards. Thanks for the help PQHA Queen, Marisa, TSQHA Queen, Rylie, NOQHA Queen, Addison, and Cowboy Up Youth Rodeo Princess, Savannah. The other Queens and I helped with a youth coloring contest. Their prize room is so impressive thinking of so many practical awards for their exhibitors. They also provide delicious meals, ride pattern clinics, and welcome bags. I enjoyed filming some funny Tik-Toks and taking pictures with fabulous Congress Queen Sponsors such as Carolyn from Berry Fit and Michelle from Hold-It Magnets. Michelle even surprised me with a brand-new crown magnet and her new magnet holder! My list could go on and on of people I got to visit from when I was Tri-State Queen or became friends with throughout my Congress Queen travels. Besides the leadline, the highlight of my trip was getting to meet with Whitney from Mark West Denim, a brand-new Ohio based company that has become the Official Jean of the All-American Quarter Horse Congress Queen Contest! These jeans were made with equestrians in mind! They are super high waisted, long enough to not ride up in your stirrups, and best of all: they have a hidden cell phone pocket, so your phone doesn’t fall out anymore while riding! Each of the Queen Contestants will receive a pair of Mark West Denim to rock while we go on our Experience Columbus trip in October 2025! Thank you, Whitney, for this opportunity!

Next Stop: Region 6 Championship Show

AQHYA Region 5 Championship Show

In June, I attended the Region 5 Championship Show in Logan Township, New Jersey. Fun Fact: when I was a youth this was my first AQHA show ever where I DQ’d in my first two classes! It was super-hot that day, over 100 degrees but that didn’t stop me from having a great time! I worked alongside Sydney, Director of Championship Events from AQHA and the Region 5 Directors to help celebrate exhibitor accomplishments. I was also joined by the Keystone Quarter Horse Association Queen, Samantha Harvey to smile in many backdrop photos. Since we were near Philadelphia it was a great opportunity to enjoy Italian water ice and Philly Soft Pretzels, two of my favorite treats! I also got to visit AQHYA Executive Committee Member Adrianna Golsby and Region 5 Youth Director Lauren Goolsby. A special moment was getting to put the champion neck ribbon on 2022 Congress Queen, Kylie Good. Thank you to her and her mom for letting me stay with them for the show! Huge thank you to New Jersey Quarter Horse Association for having me.

Much Love,

Madison

The Premier

Oh, the journey to my old Kentucky home! I did not expect to have slept on the floor of an airport or turned into the Congress Queen in an airport bathroom on my bingo card for this year! My flight from Philadelphia to Kentucky ended up getting overnight delayed so my Brinks hat can turned into my pillow for the night. I feel bad for those around me that probably heard my snoring. Before my flight I did my hair and makeup then turned into the Congress Queen once I landed in Lexington, Kentucky. Just the area around the airport was so miraculous that I couldn’t wait to see more of Kentucky. When I got to the show, I met Lou and Peyton who would be handling the awards for the week. I also reconnected with some familiar faces such as Miranda Taylor who was managing Premier Sires photography and videography for social media, the photography team with Shane Rux, and announcer Pete Cannizzaro. Huge thank you to the Patterson Family that brought my electric scooter from PA, so I was able to take some time to explore the beautiful cross-country fields, Rolex Stadium, and the educational exhibits at the Kentucky Horse Park. One thing that I loved about the Stonelea ring was that it was the perfect place for people to pull up in their golf carts or lots of benches where people were sitting and watching the classes. Futurity classes are always exciting to see who the future superstar show horses are for our industry and I love passing out so many great prizes. The horse park was so beautiful that the background for my backdrop photo was the stunning green grass and hills. Julian Harris made sure to keep the horse show fun by playing games such as dizzy bat, granny panties, and music trivia. I was super excited to be included in the Premier Sires team video to the friends theme song. I always love vendor row to not only connect with Congress Queen Contest Sponsors but who doesn’t love to shop at horse shows! Thank you to Brinks Hattery for keeping my hat they donated always perfectly shaped! One night I had some time to go to dinner with my friend Morgan Askins who was SC Queen in 2023, the first year I ran for Congress Queen. Fun Fact: She also was Miss Rodeo Kentucky and first runner up in Miss Rodeo USA! Morgan has been such a great friend throughout my queening years and runs an embroidery business called Wild Card Customs where I have worked with her to design gifts and horse clothing. There is so much opportunity for education at the Kentucky Horse Park from their Big Breed Barn, Hall of Champions, Museum of the Horse, Mounted Police, and much more! We got very lucky that the weather was absolutely stunning except for my last day when it rained all day. On my flight home I enjoyed watching the final episodes of Yellowstone. Thank you to Claire Binkowski, Michelle Forness, and the team at Premier Sires for having me!

Next Stop: Region 5 Championship Show

Much love, Madison

All American Youth Horse Show in Columbus, Ohio

As the Congress Queen, getting off the exit for 17th Avenue will always give me butterflies. I was so excited to see the progress being made to the Expo 2050 project! I was visiting to attend the All-American Youth Show which was founded in 1968, just 1 year after the start of the All-American Quarter Horse Congress. 1968 was also the year of the first Congress Queen. They sold over 1,000 stalls for almost 700 youths to get to experience the years of memories built into showing in the Coliseum, Cooper, and Denny Hales Arenas. This show is not restricted to Quarter Horses or other stock breeds, I saw Miniature horses, Mules, Gypsy Vanners. They have a unique program where if you raise enough money in sponsorships then you are returned your entries and stall costs. This is a fantastic opportunity for youth to work on communication, teamwork, and fundraising skills! As a non-profit this show is run entirely by volunteers. I got to work with volunteers from Stockhands, a riding program for therapeutic and veteran riders. They were so sweet and excited to see youth be successful. Since there were 4 rings going on at 1 time, I was grateful to have OMI Queen, Leah and NOQHA Queen, Addison there to help me present awards. It was so special to be back on the grounds and return to the Congress before we know it!

Next Stop: The Premier

Much Love, Madison

AQHA Level 1 East Championships Wilmington, Ohio

The Level 1 East Championship Show at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, Ohio was a weeklong of watching many exhibitors’ dreams come true! For some it was getting to show at a world-class facility, riding your horse up to the Starbucks ride through, or leaving the pen with the championship neck ribbon. It certainly gave me a large dose of inspiration to prepare for me to enter the show pen next year at this show with my mare. This show featured the debut of my electric scooter, and my feet were thankful! The facility is massive but has the horse in mind with padded walkways, high quality footing, and more riding arenas than I can count! I say this after every show but reuniting with show staff that work at the Congress is extra special and are truly some of the kindest individuals I know as they are the biggest cheerleaders for the exhibitors. My favorite part of the show was getting to present awards with fellow association queens, both returning and new. We had so much fun together filming outfits of the days, TikToks, and Congress Queen Contest sponsor visits. Thank you to Riley, Ashton, Gabrielle, Emma, Paige, Leah, Morgan, Addison, Marisa, and Mateer for making sure each exhibitor feel recognized and special about their achievements! We also got a visit from Jaymie Drury, the director of the Congress Queen Contest! While awarding I got to meet future queen contests and am so happy to see how much excitement for the contest is growing! One thing about me is that I love backdrop photos, I think it is such a beautiful way to capture a memory. I have decided I am going to get a backdrop photo at each show I attend. All the equine media outlets did such a great job capturing winning and candid moments. I was featured in a reel on AQHA’s social media for high fiving each exhibitor in the small fry western pleasure. This was a super cute moment to remember to encourage the future of our industry. The funniest moment has to be when we were presenting awards for the reining in the outdoor on quite a windy day that my hat and crown flew off my head! Thank you to AQHA for having me at this show and giving me another inside glimpse at all that it takes to put on a high-quality show! Of course, I had to visit the AQHA store to buy a Level 1 T-Shirt and beautiful Montana Silversmith concho necklace. Time truly does fly when your having fun, I enjoyed all the exhibitor parties including seeing my OQHA family, and evening scooter rides around the grounds.

Next Stop: All American Youth Show!

Much Love, Madison.

The Virginia Maiden

There is no better way to spend your birthday weekend than at a horse show! That is how I celebrated my 26th birthday, at the Virginia Maiden in Lexington, Virginia. The weather could not have been any better to get to enjoy the beautiful outdoor arena. One of the many things I have enjoyed throughout my year as Congress Queen is getting to create great friendship with show staff. From the announcer, scribes, photographers, and show management every time I get to see their smiling faces it’s like a family reunion. The Virginia Maiden has so much history in offering competitive futurity classes to start the show season. Each class from western pleasure, hunter under saddle, and working western rail had a large audience and was truly able to demonstrate the beauty of the American Quarter Horse. Ali Board and John Boxell from A&B Show Management and Cameryn Van Sickle who ran the futurity classes were all so great to work. Fun Fact: John was one of the judges in the 2024 Queens Horsemanship. Many of the classes I presented were maiden, as in never shown, or green, young or inexperienced horses. Therefore, in my beautiful queen outfits made by Berry Fit and CRS Custom Creations, I was very scary to some of the horses getting some comical side eyes. At each show I try to visit all the vendors, especially those that are Congress Queen Contest sponsors. Leanne from D Designs was there and we chatted about any predictions for this season’s fashion trends. We both agreed what matters most is what makes you feel the most confident. Another fun fact is that 2016 Congress Queen Amy Brown, is obsessed with Cheerwine. I stopped at a Cookout on my drive home and thought of her as I enjoyed this soda. From here, I headed to the Level 1 East Championship Show and I can’t wait to tell you about all the fun I had for the week!

Much Love, Madison

Horse World Expo

The Horse World Expo in Harrisburg, PA is an event I have been attending since I was 12 years old. I remember going with my best friends (who are still my best friends today), listening to demos and filling the car full of great shopping finds! I gave a presentation titled “The Greatest Horse Show on Earth + The World’s Most Versatile Breed = The All-American Quarter Horse Congress”. I made sure to highlight the history of the Congress, special events, shopping, youth activities, the Queen contest, and much more! Next, I was so surprised to see that there were 13 Congress Queen Contest sponsors at the event! Many of them I haven’t seen since the Congress, so it was so great to catch up and hear about their plans headed into summer. This trip was the first time my mom got to see me as Congress Queen which was special and glad to have my Queen mom there to introduce to meet my wonderful sponsors and be my photographer! Friday night we attended Theatre Equus, an equine show with a variety of acts from Roman Riding, Trick Riding, Bridleless Jumping, and even a Congress Freestyle Reining Champion! The next day, I had partnered with Pennsylvania 4H Equine Program to host a meet & greet event. Without my involvement in 4H I would have never gotten to go to the Congress for the first time. I took pictures with youth, handed out autograph cards, and inspired families to get in contact with 4H clubs in their county.

The wonderful, extremely generous Congress Queen Contest sponsors I visited with:

Essential Bodywear with Bonnie the Bra Lady

Wooden Sunflower

Cheap and Chic Boutique

Kelly Herd Jewelry

Fair Hill Saddlery

Glowing Results / Rodeo Drive

That’s Invintage

By Field and Flower Hats

Tribute Feed

Dac

The Healing Cowgirl

BEMER

Australian Saddle Company

Next I am headed to the state that is for lovers, Virginia, to attend the Virginia Maiden! Looking forward to seeing wonderful futurity horses!

Much Love, Madison Heilveil