The Ontario Quarter Horse Association Summer Finale

When I was competing for Congress Queen, I had the honor of representing the Ontario Quarter Horse Association. As my last stop before returning to Congress this year to pass on the crown it was only fitting that it should be an Ontario Show. The show was a great celebration of our show season and featured paybacks in almost every class as well as the culmination of the Ontario Amateur Quarter Horse Association Challenge sponsored by the Canadian Quarter Horse Association. It was so nice to catch up with OQHA members and share about my travels.

The Ontario Amateur Quarter Horse Challenge was a highlight of the show, it featured a showmanship class, an equitation class and a horsemanship class. To participate in this event exhibitors had to qualify at one of the qualifying events hosted at one of the Ontario shows earlier this year. At each of the qualifying events the top five scorers and the two highest level 1 scorers per event were invited to participate in the challenge which took place at this show. The patterns for the challenge were previous world show patterns. It was so exciting to see the Ontario exhibitors and horses step up to these complex patterns which we don’t often have the chance to try. It was definitely a great event and I want to congratulate everyone who competed. I am looking forward to watching the event again next year.

It was also to chat with so many of the Ontario youth of all ages. I took a picture with a baby who I had a photo with last year and is now a toddler. I also spoke to many of our Congress youth team members some who are excited to return to Congress for the first time since 2019 and others who are showing at the Congress for the very first time. It was so great to share in their excitement as they head to Columbus in a few short weeks.

We also celebrated our long time show secretary team of Sherrill Tisdale, Suzy Glaab and Carrie Farr. This was their final show after years of dedication and service to the quarter horse in Ontario. We were all emotional as we will all miss them greatly but excited for them and their well-deserved break.

I will say it was a little weird to sleep in my own bed and drive myself to the show, as that is definitely outside my normal routine when heading to a show as Congress Queen but it was a fun change of pace. I have been so honoured to have represented the All American Quarter Horse Congress and the Ontario Quarter Horse Association over the past year, and in a few short weeks I will be back in Ohio to pass on the crown. While I will miss seeing everyone at horse show so frequently, I am so excited for whoever takes on this role after me as it truly is an incredible experience. See you at Congress!

The NSBA World Show

Just a few days ago I returned from a fantastic trip to the NSBA World Show, which wrapped up a long but exciting three weeks on the road attending horse shows. A similar theme to many of my adventures over the past year, this was my first ever trip to Tulsa! The NSBA World Show reminded me a bit of Congress as it was a flurry of activity with at least three pens running concurrently each day. I spent most of my time in the Ford Arena, which, as you likely already know, is the arena with the award platform in the center of the show ring. I felt very privileged to be able to sit in the center of the pen and take in the competition. It is truly the best seat in the house. It was really interesting to take in the class from the perspective of the judges. One highlight from the arena was watching the Ranch Rail class. At times it felt a bit crowded watching that class, however the skill and composure of the horses and their riders navigating the arena was something to behold.

The NSBA World Show brings in some of the top horses and competitors from across all breeds. As such, there were some unique divisions which were cool like the specific classes for colored horses as well as a first-year green trail class for horses showing in trail for the first time this year. The level that those horses displayed was truly incredible considering they were first time trail horses - the course started with a pin wheel lope over, a challenging maneuver for any level. The overall talent on display of both horse and rider across the show was incredible. A funny anecdote from the show was having to adjust how I hold trophies due to the height of the NSBA trophy. It is taller than other trophies I have held before, so I was holding it in front of my face unintentionally for some of the photo I quickly learned to adjust but it was something funny to laugh about for the first part of the show.

I had the honor of participating in the Heroes on Horses presentation honoring men and women who have served and their involvement in horses. It is always humbling and inspiring to carry the flag and be a part of this event. The joy that these horsepeople feel in riding and spending time with their horses is inspiring. I look forward to watching this event and taking part of it again in just a few short weeks at the All American Quarter Horse Congress.

Another great event I had the pleasure of watching was the Cinch Invitational Horsemanship Challenge. The atmosphere in the arena that night was unlike anything I had witnessed before. The music was at a party level and the crowd was loud as they cheered on some of the best horsemanship riders in the country navigate a very challenging pattern which featured two counter canters. The way the horses and riders kept their composure given the environment was definitely something to aspire to.

Perhaps the highlight of the horse show was the coming together of the horse community for a blood drive in support of Brady Martin. It was inspiring to see everyone come together and show their support to a member of the horse community. I was proud to roll up my sleeve in support of the cause and I encourage everyone to give blood if they are able. It is a really easy way to give back to your community, blood banks across the United States and Canada are always in low supply. By giving blood, you could save a life! In this case, the Oklahoma Blood Bank gave $10 dollars to the Way to Battle Foundation in support of Brady for each person who donated. To learn more about Brady, his story and how you can support him you can check out his Way to Battle Facebook page.

Overall, the NSBA World Show was a blast, I had a great time in Tulsa and was excited to check out another show in person that I hadn’t had the opportunity to attend before. The show was marked by some great events, vendors, people and of course horses. I can’t thank the NSBA enough for their hospitality throughout the show. It was truly a great experience. This marked my last travel event for my time as Congress Queen. It is hard to believe almost a whole year has passed since I started this journey. It has been the role of a lifetime. I have one more event to attend before returning to Congress in October. I will be attending the Ontario Quarter Horse Association Summer Finale, I am so excited to be representing Congress at a show in my home province in a couple days.

The 50th AQHYA Youth World Show

This past week I had the pleasure of attending the AQHYA Youth World Show in Oklahoma City. It was truly inspiring to watch these talented youth and their American Quarter Horses show and compete at the highest of levels. I did not have the opportunity to attend the Youth World Show when I was younger, so it was very special to me to attend in the capacity of Congress Queen. I had the honour of awarding many youths their very first globe and witnessed history being made across many events. What was particularly special about the event was the emphasis on team spirit and the opportunities for youth who may not have access to a horse to compete. These included the boot and jean decorating contests, the judging contests, speaking contests, and awards for team spirit and stall decorating. It was awesome to see the enthusiasm and the time put in by the youth towards these special awards.

There were some standout moments in the arena as well. Particularly, on the Thursday night I watched the L3 Reining finals followed immediately by the L3 14-18 Horsemanship finals. I hadn’t watched much reining on my journeys thus far as I just missed them at both the World Show and Congress. Justin Eddy and his beautiful palomino Xtra Wimpy Voodoo were the first in the pen and laid down an electrifying run. The Norick got louder and louder with each maneuver and his score held up throughout the entire class which featured many more impressive performances. There is almost nothing more exciting then ending a victory lap with a sliding stop and the neck ribbon on the horse. That was definitely breathtaking to watch in the arena floor. Next up was the Horsemanship. Sydney Swollom took the gold globe in that class with a near flawless run. You could feel the tension in the arena as she neared her final maneuvers, the Norick went fairly silent as the crowd rode every stride with her as she neared perfection. Then once she completed her pattern, I think the crowd took a collective breath before erupting in cheers.

In staying until the end of the Youth World, I got to watch many events that I don’t see very often. For example, the ranch sorting, team penning, roping and cow events. I had learned about ranch sorting and team penning for the rule book test in the Queen Contest so it was really cool to finally see in-person these very difficult events!

The cutting, working cow horse and boxing classes were fun to watch as well. I have tried cutting before, so I especially appreciated how in-tune with the horse each rider had to be as well as how difficult cows are to deal with! The working cow horse was a particularly special moment in the show as two sisters took the top two spots in the class.

Like the ranch sorting and team penning, I had not watched any roping events previously. My only experience with them was reading about the events in the rule book. It was fun to test my knowledge while watching the classes. What was really special about the roping events is that Justin Ochs won the gold globe in all four events. He rode Duals Magic Potion to win the tie-down, breakaway, and heeling classes and Namgis D 14 to win the heading. This was a first-time achievement in the 50-year history of the AQHYA World Show. It was so cool to witness history being made!

That was not the only record-breaking performance at this year’s Youth World. On the very last day of the show, Lanie Cornelius won all the speed events - the barrel racing and the pole bending with Rosies Rollin, and the stake race with Leapin Lela Jet. This was definitely a great way to end the show. As in the roping events, this was the first time that a single rider had swept the speed events.

Overall, the Youth World was a fantastic experience. Not only did I get to watch history being made and electrifying performances across all disciplines, but I also got to catch up with many friends that I had met on my travels so far. A special thank you to the AQHA for having me and taking care of me while I was there. It was also nice to return to Oklahoma City as the Amateur and Open World Show was the first event I attended after Congress last year. In a way it was a bit bittersweet to be leaving as I am coming up on the end of my time as Congress Queen, but I am so thankful for the memories and friendships I have made in the Norick Arena. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before I get to return. My time isn’t quite up yet as this Friday I head to back to Oklahoma, this time to Tulsa for the NSBA World Show. Looking forward to seeing everyone there soon!

A Sizzling Super 6 Region 6 Show

This past weekend I had the pleasure to attend the Region 6 horse show at the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts. The temperatures were HOT but the competition was HOTTER! Coming up to the weekend I was a little nervous about braving Pearson Airport in Toronto due to the current frequency of flight delays and cancellations across North America. While I was delayed on both the way to and back from the show, I did not let that stop me from having a great weekend.

After arriving Thursday afternoon, I jumped right into the action, first watching and then helping with the awards for the Pro-Am Challenge. This was such a cool and exciting event where a professional and an amateur teamed up with the same horse. One showed a horsemanship pattern while the other showed a showmanship pattern. The highest cumulative team score was named the winner. In another part of the challenge, each team had two minutes between the horsemanship and showmanship to unsaddle, change numbers and halter the horse before starting the showmanship pattern. Not only did the exhibitors have to hurry, but the judges and the scribes had to hustle to the center of the ring with their chairs to judge the showmanship and then back to the rail for the horsemanship.

That evening I also had the pleasure of meeting the new AQHYA president Adrianna Totten. She is an incredible young horsewoman and I was inspired hearing about her ideas for the year and also her ambitions outside of horses. The AQHYA is in great hands. During the awards for the Pro-Am and Youth Team Tournament, there was also a special presentation for the Lucille Evarts Youth Sportsmanship Award. From those who knew Lucille, she was an integral part of the Region 6 team, and this was the perfect way to memorialize her. This year’s winner was Mercedez Vize.

At the conclusion of the awards for the evening it was time for the annual aisle hop. This was such a FUN and unique event. Each barn set up a themed meal station at the end of their aisle and all the exhibitors where able to travel from aisle to aisle trying the food and mingling with other exhibitors. There was a Hawaiian station, a pizza station, a candy station, a campfire station, a baseball station, and many more. The food was delicious, but the company was even better.

Friday was the start of the Region 6 Championship portion of the show. The show numbers were incredible. We started with Ranch Riding followed by Showmanship, which had over 150 runs. The class wasn’t finished until the early evening and there was still Hunter Under Saddle and Equitation to go! That day I also had the opportunity to sit and talk with some small fry exhibitors. We had a blast chatting and running into each other over the rest of the show. During the Equitation portion, I had another horse try to eat his ribbon. We decided he was so proud of his accomplishment he wanted to hold his ribbon for himself. The show wrapped up at 11pm that day but the competition made it well worth it.

On Saturday we were back at it again at 7am starting with the halter classes before moving into the pleasure and the horsemanships and finishing with the ranch trail. It was another long hot day, but we had freezies (or ice pops) to keep us cool. I had never watched the Ranch Trail prior to this event, so it was really cool to see it in person. We ended with a shorter trail day on Sunday. It was still well attended and the competition was just as stiff by the end we were all tired but we had had a great time! I really enjoyed my time at the Region 6. I had the opportunity to meet and talk to so many people, including some who I might not normally come across in my travels. I had one exhibitor tell me that to them this show was like their Congress so they appreciated me being there because it added to that experience which really meant a lot to me. I certainly made many new friends! I can’t thank the Region 6 committee enough for their hospitality and having me at their show. I was truly sad to leave when Sunday rolled around but it was just a sign of a great horse show! I can’t wait for the next stop in my journey, the AQHYA Youth World Show. See everyone there!

The (Not So Little) Little Buckeye

I was so excited to return to Ohio to attend the Ohio Amateur Association’s Little Buckeye Show. The show was HUGE and featured a beautiful facility in Garwood Arena. I had a great time. As with tradition the leadliners were each awarded a giant stuffed animal, this year it was a giraffe. It was quite and assembly line between three queens two sponsors and about five volunteers to get them all handed out. It was safe to say the leadliners were all VERY excited and the horses didn’t seem to mind a second passenger in the giraffe on their back. The Southern Ohio Queen Abigail Gay, Ohio Queen Ellexxah Maxwell and I ran a coloring contest as well. I think we had as much fun as the little ones sitting and coloring with them. I had such a great time chatting with them while the colored and getting to know some more youth in our industry. The competition was very tough much like the competition elsewhere in the show. When it came time to judge them it certainly was no easy task as everyone had done such a phenomenal job. In the end we had five winners although we could have had twenty. Most importantly I think everyone had fun! Saturday night was an exhibitor dinner with delicious barbeque and even a live band. There was a huge turnout which was definitely great to see. I had a great time catching up with and meeting new people at the event.

Sunday was the last day of the horse show and there were some great all around awards to be given out as well as a high point halter horse award to be awarded. As always it was amazing to celebrate the accomplishments of the exhibitors and their American Quarter Horses and congratulate them on their hard work. Before I knew it, it was time to head home, while it was a short trip it was a great one! I want to thank the Ohio Amateur Quarter Horse Association for having me. Next stop Springfield, Massachusetts for the Region 6 show. See everyone there!

Celebrating Success at the Level 1 Championships

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the AQHA Level 1 East Championships in Wilmington Ohio. This was the largest Level 1 Championships to date and featured five days of stiff competition. In just one example, the Level 1 Amateur Showmanship featured more than one hundred entries! As a result, there were definitely some late nights, but to play even the smallest role in what were some amazing memories for so many exhibitors during the awards presentations made it all very worth it. I can also say that the daily macaroni and cheese that I got from the snack bar and the candy from the candy shop that tempted us through the window of the awards office also helped us get through!

For some exhibitors it was their first time back in the show ring after a long hiatus and for others it was the biggest show they had participated in to-date. Many happy tears were shed amongst the winners, who in some cases were experiencing their first win at a major show. I heard so many inspiring stories from exhibitors about their journey to the show, including one exhibitor who was showing their mother’s horse for the first time. There was also a youth who had been happy with her rides throughout the show but had not cracked the top 15 until her very last class – which she promptly went out and won! I am always inspired when seeing the culmination of hard work in the ring when putting on the neck ribbon on a new champion. And, of course, a victory lap always takes my breath away.

During the show I was also joined by several of the candidates competing for the title of 2022 Congress Queen. The Queens who were able to make it out included Pennsylvania Quarter Horse Association Queen Kylie Good, Ohio Quarter Horse Association Queen Elexxah Maxwell, Southern Ohio Quarter Horse Association Queen Abigail Gay, Michigan Quarter Horse Association Queen Katherine West, and West Virginia Quarter Horse Queen Caitlyn Christman. It was great to be able to get together prior to Congress and build on friendships both new and old. We had a blast! In addition, between the three pens we were quite busy handing out awards, so having back up to hand out awards allowed us to successfully divide and conquer.

As with any show I attend, I was so happy to catch up with people from the Quarter Horse community who I have met along my journey, while also taking out time to get to meet many new faces as well. One evening I was so lucky to talk with two youth exhibitors, aged 8 and 10, while watching the show. I spoke with both girls for about an hour and learned about their horses and their favorite classes. They also asked me about the Queen Contest, so I spent a bit of time talking about the process with them. Hopefully in a few years we will see one or both vying for Congress Queen! Speaking with these two girls was one of the highlights of my show.

Another highlight was awarding the champion trophy and neck ribbon in the Level 1 Amateur Trail to Ontario-native Annika Rear and her horse Maybeline. It was my first time presenting a champion award to someone from my home province, which was a really special moment. On another note, and this doesn’t necessarily count as a highlight, I learned from this show was that horses DO NOT like the color red. It was my first time wearing the red Berryfit Queen outfit at this show and there was a much higher rate of uncertainty about me amongst the horses than usual. Now that the show is over, and no one was harmed by my wearing of the color red, I am sure that will be a funny anecdote that I can tell each time I wear that outfit.

Overall, when the week was over, I was a bit sad to leave. As always, I had a wonderful time! I want to thank everyone who was involved in making the show a huge success (including our awards office supervisor Bella the rescue dog). I also want to thank the AQHA for hosting me. Looking forward to seeing where my journey takes me next!

Checking Another Show Off my Bucket List at the Arizona Sun Circuit

The Arizona Sun Circuit has always been a show that I followed on social media with the hope to one day attend. When I started making my schedule for this year those two weeks at the beginning of March were circled immediately. This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the show and it did not disappoint. Not only was this my first time at the Sun Circuit, but my first time in Arizona as well. I was in awe of the landscape which was the perfect backdrop to the Equine Chronicle arena. Watching the sun set over the show pen each night was truly something to behold.

The Sun Circuit is home to some amazing awards, and I was fortunate to take part in their presentations. One of the highlights of the show was after the golf carts for the High Point Ranch Exhibitor and High Point Cow Horse Exhibitor were awarded the exhibitors decided to have a race in their brand-new golf carts! Another highlight includes after the 13 and under horsemanship a boot race was organized to win an electric scooter. The race ended in a tie and the tied exhibitors answered equine trivia to break the tie.

Another highlight of the show was the leadline class. I am not sure of the exact amount but there were close to or more than 30 little ones in the class. Not only were they cute but they were excellent little riders. The future of our industry is certainly bright!

The National Championship is another unique feature of the Sun Circuit. Available in the youth, amateur, and select events for showmanship, horsemanship and equitation, the event features the top 64 exhibitors in each event as rated by a panel of trainers and judges. With each round of the class in the normal schedule of the show the total of 64 gets whittled down to just four who compete head-to-head until there is one winner. The energy in the arena while the final two went head-to-head was always electric and the skill of both horse and rider on display was awe inspiring. What was also great to see was that it was not always the top four ranked exhibitors who made it through to the final four demonstrating how close the field of 64 was, which made the competition even more exciting.

I hadn’t been to a show since the World Show, so it felt good be back at a show and to catch up with people who I have met along my travels so far. I also had the opportunity to meet some new people including another queen, Miss California Rodeo Salinas Emily Cullins. It was so nice to catch up with a queen in a similar role and talk about our shared experiences.

When my time at the Sun Circuit came to an end, I definitely was not ready to leave, even less so as there was a snowstorm brewing at home. I can’t thank the Arizona Quarter Horse Association enough for welcoming me. I had a great time! I still can’t believe I have the opportunity to attend these high prestigious equine events and I am so grateful to have the opportunity. Hopefully I will get an opportunity to be back at the Sun Circuit someday soon!

Congress Reflection

Congress is back as amazing as ever and it felt so great to be back! After being crowned the 2021 Congress Queen, I got a look behind the curtain all that goes into putting on this incredible event. What struck me were the little things that, as an exhibitor or spectator of the show, I may not have thought about. However, having experienced the show each day, I gained a whole new appreciation for everyone who makes this event so special. For example, the ladies in the awards office are at the fairgrounds from before the start time each morning and until the last trophy is handed out each night (and on personal note always made sure I was fed and did not have lipstick on my teeth). The ring stewards scribe every entry of trail and continue scribing and supporting our judges’ hours and hours after that. The gate people attend to the gate all day and are there to cheer on and support each exhibitor as they come out of the ring.

These are just a few of the incredible groups of people that make Congress so special.

After being named Congress Queen, I was in awe of how I was welcomed with open arms and treated like family by people I had just met. Everyone greeted me with a smile and a kind word of support while I got acclimated in my role and I will forever be grateful for all the wonderful people who allow us to create amazing lifelong memories at Congress as a result of their dedication and hard work.

Speaking of hard work, I would be remiss if I did not mention the hard work of the exhibitors and their horses as they competed in the most prestigious horse shows available. Being a small part of their Congress moments as I handed them a coveted Congress medallion or the Don Bell Congress bronze was truly humbling and I am so honored to have had this opportunity. These moments are the culmination of years of training and it was truly inspiring to see this hard work pay off. Some highlights include a youth exhibitor who was so overcome with emotion that she asked me to fix her makeup before the photo. Another highlight includes a horsemanship rider who had never won at Congress whose horse thought the neck ribbon would make a tasty snack and we all laughed together as I tried to retrieve it from his mouth. And, of course, there was a grand champion halter winner who sang along to the music as he exited the ring as he was so excited about his victory. It was also truly inspiring to see the EWD exhibitors competing with their American Quarter Horses. Their dedication, horsemanship and love of their equine partner was incredible.

These are moments I won’t soon forget.

Throughout Congress, I had the opportunity to meet and speak with many youth. Some were younger children attending Congress for the first time, while others were seasoned Congress exhibitors happy to be back again. I spoke with many of the competitors of the judging, hippology and horse bowl teams and had the opportunity to attend the NYATT awards ceremony. It was interesting to hear about each of these young people’s Congress experience and what their goals were for the future, as well as see them support each other’s successes regardless of what their own results were. Of course, they all had one thing in common and that is a love for our American Quarter Horse!

I can’t neglect to mention the incredible experience that was Queen week. Though we were thoroughly tested through each portion of the competition, we also had a great time! I am so happy to have made 14 new friends through this experience. I think what was so incredible was how much we lifted each other up. Whether it being helping someone else prepare for their event, doing another’s hair or makeup, or cheering loudly for each other’s successes. The friendships that were made through that experience are sure to last a lifetime.

At times I was starstruck by the incredible equine athletes that I was privileged enough to meet over the course of this past month. These are horses that I have previously seen and admired on the glossy pages of the Equine Chronicle. Seeing them up close at the top of their game highlighted the elite level of competition that is always on display at the All American Quarter Horse Congress, an event that we all truly missed these past two years.

While Congress was surely missed, there was no doubt that everyone was thrilled to be back. People came ready to shop, as the vendors I spoke to said they had had the best Congress to date. We had missed our cinnamon rolls of the Sweet Shop and late-night rides, but I think what we had missed most of all was the people. Being from Canada, there were people many of us haven’t seen in two years and, of course, we all went a year without Congress. Despite this, Congress was still the same event we all know and love and returning to the Ohio Expo Center felt like coming home. I think we can all agree that the All American Quarter Horse Congress is still the one!