At the Back Gate—World Championship Appaloosa Show

Counting the Days till Next Year

2008-10-30T23:18:00Z

The last day of a show always seems sad to me, granted it’s only my last and the show will continue on without me for a couple days, but still. I didn’t stay for the whole auction tonight; I left after three hours or so but the sale ring was packed with buyers. Some nice Appaloosas went through. The high bid that I saw was $11,500 for a solid black yearling by a famous stallion that’s known for throwing nice hunter babies.

I never understand how people can buy a horse at auction. I need to develop a relationship with a horse. I need to spend time getting to know him just like I do with people. However I was tempted. There were a few cuties, but for all I know they could be spotted hellions when I got them home. Also, I continue to remind myself that it isn’t the price of the horse but the price of the upkeep. All I have to do is open my checkbook, and I get a quick refresher course.

Today I saw some reining for the first time which is always exciting. I got some great pictures of the slides with dirt in motion—very cool. The pigeons continued to be a menace. At one point a reining competitor was galloping to the end of the arena to perform his first slide, and the pigeons realized at the last minute that they were right in his path. They flew up in the horse’s face which wasn’t a problem for the horse, but would have been a super cool picture if I were quick enough. I’m not that good though…yet.

I thought I had a break in the afternoon, because there was some class called Rope Race that I figured I didn’t care about. I have to admit that I judged the class by the name and didn’t think it would be worth my time. I figured it was a speed event, and sometimes those events bother me slightly, because I wonder how the horses feel about having to do all those quick, rough, starts and stops. My horses would sooner lie down and die than run anywhere. However I have heard people say (barrel racers, pole benders, sprinters) that horses that love to run really love to run.

The Rope Race was actually pretty cool. They hang ropes from this line hoisted across the arena, one less than they have competitors in the race. It’s sort of like the horseback riding version of musical chairs which I was always a fan of. Come to think of it that would be a really fun game to play now as an adult. I digress. The winner of the rope race got a check for $5,000, not bad for one class. Apparently this year’s winner has won it quite a few times, but the runner up was a woman whose horse I had seen in one of the hunter classes. The horse was raring to go and was definitely not a hunter. She should have qualified him for a jumper class, he would have kicked butt.

Anyway, there was one other woman out of the 16 total competitors. What really struck me was that two cowboys in a row gave up their rope to her when there was only one left and it was between the two of them. Chivalry for the most part is dead sadly, but leave it to a cowboy to make me believe it’s still alive and kicking out there. The woman was quite slow and eventually just didn’t make it to a rope in time. Obviously the other cowboys had had it with her being so slow and weren’t going to keep giving her ropes. That’s more than fair. It really was a neat class that really got the spectators involved. I wouldn’t want to do it, but I got some really great pictures out of it.

The most colorful at halter class was held this morning. I was in my glory. It is the only class that is guaranteed to be filled with all colored horses. I didn’t know where to look or where to aim my camera. There were spots everywhere, and it was truly a site to behold. If you ask me (and every competitor that I talked to) that is what this breed is all about. I don’t know how anyone can say that is anything less than amazing. I love this breed. It’s never going to be a desired breed in any of the disciplines I do, but I don’t care. I plan to always have a spotted rump in my yard. All-in-all I had a great time at the World Show, and next year I plan to add the National Show to my list of travels as well. I am sad it’s over but happy to return to my own spotted wonders.

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Too Many Appys?

2008-10-29T00:34:00Z

I love the smells and sounds I experience each morning when I arrive at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. I smell horses, bedding, whatever it is, but is nice, and I hear the clip clop of horse hooves (or shoes rather) on the sidewalks. It's been darn cold here in Fort Worth that early in the morning, but it is well worth it to be greeted with those smells and sounds each morning. I must be half asleep, because each morning when I catch a glimpse at the first spotted butt I get butterflies sort of like when I am back home in Kentucky and I think ‘wow, an Appy, and it's not one of mine, I better move in quick for a closer look'. I quickly realize that that is why I am here, and there are plenty more where that one came from.

So is it possible that I am on Appy overload after only four full days of the World Show? I am getting a little stressed out, because I can't be in nine places at once. I am watching most of the classes in the main arena but occasionally visit the other arena across the way. There is also an outdoor warm-up and various indoor warm-ups. Then there are all the barns/stalls. I feel like I haven't seen every gorgeous Appy there yet, and I haven't met every interesting Appy person, and I only have one more full day at the show. How can I possibly get around to do it all?! For example last night as I was roaming through the barns to find this gorgeous dressagey moving Appy I saw this huge and beautiful steel gray horse with a black mane and tail being lunged in a Western saddle. She left out a back door with the horse, didn't have a number on, and I never found her. It was too dark for even a random picture. How did I let that one get away?!

Today started with jumping, first hunters then jumpers. I enjoyed it but not as much as I thought. I see some pretty darn impressive jumping in Kentucky, and the great thing about this show is I'm not really here to watch the best out there but to see how truly versatile the Appaloosa is. The same Appaloosa that wins a jumper class may later be in a halter class and then a saddle seat class or even trail. It is truly impressive. Again, I know that isn't totally unique to this breed, but it keeps me coming back. I look at my program and think ‘I'm not really interested in Three-Year-Old Halter Mares', but then one comes in that looks like nothing I have ever seen before, and I am glued to my seat.

I got a quick lunch off the grounds (because I can't eat any more fair-type food if you know what I mean), and on my way back in I caught a glimpse of what was going on in the main arena via the TV. I saw this halter mare that had the funniest spot on her white blanket. It looked almost like the maple leaf in the Canadian flag. I ran back to the arena as fast as I could to get a picture of this think live (I am sure the cowboys thought I was a spazz as I ran by for this silly photo opp, or they thought I really had to use the bathroom or something). It was truly unique and very cool. Some Canadian Appy lover should definitely buy that horse. I am sure she can't replicate it but nonetheless it was pretty cool. At first I thought maybe the exhibitor had painted it on there, because I recently saw a Canadian driver do that at a Driving event that I covered. I quickly realized as acceptable and cute as that was in Driving, it probably would have been frowned upon in a halter class.

Halter people are funny. They are so nitpicky about how the horse stands. I guess that's the whole idea, but imagine what the horse must be thinking. I am sure they are wondering why on earth we keep moving its left front foot half an inch forward when it was perfectly happy standing the way it was standing.

I have learned this year that photographing horses is hard work. This show has really humbled me even more. Next time you get a great photo of you and your horse at a show please thank the photographer. Maybe they've got it down, but it is not easy. There is always something in the background (I know Photoshop exists, but I am perfectionist and would rather just take the perfect photo) or the lighting isn't right. Shooting in an indoor is wretched. Every picture seems to come out different. I cannot figure it out, and I am fairly smart. Luckily I am taking some really good shots almost by accident.

Pigeons. They're everywhere. They're in the arena on the footing. They are in the seats. I feel bad for them, but the competitors are getting ticked. I am just waiting for someone to bring in a pellet gun or something, but I hope not. Last night someone fell off when their two-year-old spooked at one of them. Later I heard some exhibitor complaining to show management that if she fell off her mare because of a pigeon she would sue. Now that seems a little extreme. These are horses. We all know you can fall off at any time for any reason, and it happens to everyone. I heard some more people talking about it today, but no one has died because of the pigeons yet. After all, aren't there birds outside where we normally ride?

Tomorrow night is the sale. I am tempted but not stupid. I'm a closet numbers person so I'm really looking forward to reporting on the sale highs including mares versus geldings, stallions, yearlings, etc.

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My Peeps

2008-10-28T04:16:00Z

These are definitely my people. It's nice to feel a part of something. The people here have one thing that binds us all together--Appaloosas. It's kind of nice to know that we all share the same passion and there won't be any bad Appy jokes. We've all heard them, and we don't need to hear them again, but we will. I don't know that there is any other breed that is so universally made fun of. It's somewhat disturbing. That's okay, nobody is thinking about that this week.

Today was my first full day at the show. I was there before the first class started and there long after the last class ended. I thought it would be tough to "kill time" during the classes that I wasn't all that interested in. It wasn't. That's the thing about Appys. Even if you don't care for Halter, Western Pleasure, Driving, whatever the case may be, it's an Appaloosa, and you don't want to miss out on the chance to see a really cool looking one. They're like snowflakes; there are no two the same. At least that's what I'd like to think.

I saw some really neat color and patterns today. They seemed to come out of the woodwork for me today. I couldn't take enough pictures. I am sure some people thought I was a stalker, because I would take 50 shots of their horse and even follow them back to the barn in some cases to ask questions about their horse. The good news is no one thought I was a stalker (at least they didn't looked freaked out by me), and people usually LOVE to talk about their horses. Along the way I've even met some interesting people. Mostly I am here for the horses, but I tolerate the people.

Finally I watched a class that had more color than solid Appys. Praise the Lord. I sat next to a woman from Australia for part of the day. A bunch of folks from the Australian Appaloosa Club flew here to watch the World Show and just soak it all in. There is also a crew from Italy which is pretty cool. It's neat that we have a horse that other countries want. I forget that the Appaloosa is an American breed. I am so used to being around all the Warmblood people who import everything. Anyway, the Australian woman shared my sentiments about solid Appys. We had a good, long talk about it, in hushed voices of course, because we didn't want to get beat up (not that an Appy person would do that). I knew I wasn't the only person that felt that way. It was just good to confirm it. It's funny however to watch how the judges place based on color. I can't say for a fact that they are placing on color, but when there is on spotted horse in the class and the judge puts the solid chestnuts in places one through nine and the leopard in tenth, it kind of makes you wonder, especially when the other four judges placed the leopard. Weird. I promised I would not keep harping on that so I am going to attempt to change the subject now before I really get someone mad at me.

I met some truly fascinating people today. That is the great thing about being an equine freelance journalist...I get to talk to horse people. A woman I had interviewed for a story was here, and I got to put a face with a name which is always nice. She was lovely, even more so than I thought on the phone. She took me in to meet her horse and is going to let me watch how they sew in the fake tails before her next class on Wednesday. That is something I haven't really touched on--the use of fake tails. It's not just Appaloosa people, but everyone is doing it now. It looks so good that if you don't do it, you really stand out. It looks fake though, and why we can't just showcase the horse and his ability is beyond me. Apparently it's like sewing extensions into a person's scalp. It's quite the procedure. I am looking forward to watching. Anyway, she introduced me to a man who had a stroke at the World Show last year. He obviously wasn't fully recovered but enough to compete this year and place...very cool.

Today was also horse shopping day. The bug finally took over. I was watching the Junior Hunter Under Saddle Class and there was one horse in there, a big beautiful, roany looking thing, who didn't have his nose to the ground. He seemed to be built uphill, and I was seeing Dressage horse written all over him. I was overjoyed to see one finally move the way I wanted it to. Of course he didn't do well in the class at all, but I followed the rider out of the arena so I could inquire more about him. The owner is in love with him, and he wasn't for sale, but you never know. If he tanks in his next Hunter class, who knows...

Tomorrow morning the jumping classes start bright and early at 730. That's going to hurt in the morning, but to see a bunch of Appaloosas jump (hopefully successfully) I'll do just about anything, including skip breakfast.

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The Utmost in Trust

2008-10-27T00:09:00Z

Sometimes it really amazes me that horses, for the most part, actually do the things we ask of them. I was walking onto the show grounds today and watching in awe as horses passed me by completely unphased by the fact that they were in the middle of a major city with little grass in sight. The fact that they’ll get on a trailer and come hundreds of miles to spend a week on concrete astounds me. How lucky are we that we can ride our horse (well not all of us can do it and live to see it) into a strange coliseum where they’ve never been and compete them. It is truly amazing that they trust us that much, and for the record I do realize it’s not just Appys that are that great.

Today I watched the trail classes for most of the day. Not one horse spooked at the obstacles or got upset if he bumped a rail when stepping over it. It’s pretty amazing what a horse will do for us when we ask correctly and teach them what we want. I could see my gelding just plowing through the rails, stumbling over each one and not caring at all. Obviously we won’t be entering the trail class any time soon.

A few things struck me today. One—how sad it is that the seats at equestrian events never seem to be filled—not even close. It isn’t just one breed or discipline—it’s all of them. I cropped my pictures the best I could so that you don’t see all the empty seats. Why is it that we can’t attract more fans? After all, this event and many others like it are free to the public. There are plenty of exhibitors in the seats along with their families, but that seems to be about it for those present. I am not sure how to change this, but now that I am taking pictures I am much more conscious of the fact that there are empty seats, and I am trying not to allow them to creep into my pictures!

I am learning a lot here. I am learning how very different horses can move when you go from discipline to discipline. I sat in the arena yesterday trying to pick out the winning horse in Western Pleasure. I picked one that I thought looked comfortable, moved well, and would be enjoyable to ride. I ride English, but I think I know what a comfortable Western horse should look like—not so. The guy I picked didn’t even finish in the top ten. We all need to have respect for each others chosen discipline, and I know in the past I’ve probably been judgmental, but watching this gorgeous breed do what it probably does best is teaching me a lot. The Western gaits are much more relaxed than English. I would also like to say they are much slower, but I have a feeling that word might offend some. I have been trained to always ask for and only accept a very forward walk in which the horse is always tracking up. This would be a stretch for me (but maybe it would help come me down a bit). The jog (aka trot for you English folks) is barely more forward then the walk and as a result looks quite comfortable. When the judge asked for a lope (aka canter) he kept asking for a lope with “forward motion”. When I heard that I thought ‘here we go, I am going to see some cantering,” again—not so. The ideal lope is apparently a very slow rocking horse type of movement that again, doesn’t seem to be all that different from a jog. Clearly, I have a lot to learn.

Okay on to the warm-up area. I understand Western riders choose not to wear helmets, heck, a lot of dressage riders don’t wear helmets, but I would think in a strange city with dozens of strange horses rushing past you there might be some concern. I’m past it; I’ll try not to bring it up again. However, two other patterns seem to be emerging in the warm-up arena which surprise me, cell phones and iPods. I know you only need one hand on the reins to ride Western, but is your call really all that important that you have to talk while you are schooling or warming up a horse? I guess that is the difference between an amateur and a professional; I am nowhere near good enough to talk on the phone and ride even remotely competently. It wasn’t like it was just one person on the phone. I was quite a few. Also, I understand that music helps people get in the right frame of mind before a competition. I guess if Michael Phelps does it, it must work. However, do you really not want to hear the call of ‘runaway horse’ or ‘on your left’ or whatever the case may be. There are literally more than a dozen horses of all ages cantering, spinning, sliding, longing, all at the same time and in the same space. It makes me nervous just to watch it all happen, but I’m going to stick to taking the pictures and let them stick to the riding…for now.

The all-around horse is somewhat elusive—the horse that can go from English to Western with a simple tack change. But is it really possible? I am not sure a true English rider OR a true Western rider would agree. I think one horse can be great at one type of riding, but I am not so sure they can master all. That may be a bit much to ask of one horse. I am not going to rule it out, and I’d love to see it here, so I’ll keep you posted. Most of the English riders I’ve seen warming up are warming up in an English saddle and a Western bridle. Yesterday I saw a Western rider with an English bridle. I am not sure what’s going on with that, but I am keeping an open mind, maybe a new trend that the Appaloosas are on the cutting edge of.

--Jeannie Putney

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Seeing Spots

2008-10-26T12:50:00Z

So I have been talking all week about how I can’t wait to go see spots in Fort Worth, how it is the highlight of my year because you almost never see that many Appaloosas in one place at the same time (nearly 1,000 this year). But, as many people may or may not know, there are solid colored Appaloosas out there…many of them. It happens, and they are registerable as Appaloosas “without characteristics.” That’s a tough one for me to swallow since it is a colored breed. Of course you can cross a Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred or Arabian with an Appaloosa and still register it with the ApHC, so we’re bound to see some solid Appys every now and again.

This year it seems like what I’ve seen so far (keep in mind this was only Day Two) was 60% solid and 40% colored. I know this is a hot-button so I won’t go on and on about it, but I am certainly one of those Appy people that likes lots of color, the bigger spots and the more spots, the better. My personal goal this week is to find some very uniquely colored Appys and photograph them throughout the week (on Wednesday my camera and flash will be working overtime during Non-Pro Most Colorful). However, I do try to play devil’s advocate and think what would happen if I bred my gorgeous, loud stallion to a brightly colored mare and got a chestnut or a bay. I am sure I would be heartbroken, but it’s still an Appy inside and would surely have the excellent temperament that all my Appaloosas have. So I do try to remember that from time to time.

Moving on from that sensitive subject (I hope I haven’t offended anyone), I enjoyed watching the spots, and not-so-spotted perform and compete on this second day of World competition. I myself enjoy seeing Appys (and any breed for that matter) excel at non-traditional disciplines. I remember being at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, in 2006 and finding out that there were three Appaloosas there (at least three that I know of). I was beside myself with pride. I believe one was an alternate for the Canadian eventing team, one was competing in endurance for Australia (don’t quote me on that) and actually led for much of the competition I think, and one was a reiner from some obscure country that had not competed in reining before. So I really enjoy seeing Appaloosas perform at something you don’t typically see an Appaloosa do.

Today I enjoyed watching some saddle seat classes, definitely not something I have ever seen an Appaloosa do! It was Non-Pro (I guess that is the ApHC version of ‘amateur’) Saddle Seat Equitation and Non-Pro Saddle Seat Pleasure in the evening. The jumping classes will be my favorite on Tuesday, and I will also enjoy some Appaloosa driving on Monday night. I am really interested in seeing how the World Championship Sale goes on Wednesday night. The economy is tough right now. Some parts of the country are in a drought. All of us are dreading fuel and hay prices. Appaloosas don’t sell like Thoroughbreds do in Kentucky, but these are supposedly the best of the best, and those of us that are here are die-hard Appaloosa fanatics, so my fingers are crossed that the prices are high. I guess if they’re not, I’ll have to do my civic duty to support my country’s economy and bid on a few…maybe not. I’m sure it’d be easy to hitch a ride with someone back to Kentucky, but I barely have the time to love on my own spotted wonders!

Back to today’s competition, it’s obvious when you’re watching a class that is not a ‘typical’ Appy class; the entries are minimal. There’s barely room to move on the rail or in the arena in Western Pleasure, Trail, Western Horsemanship or even Hunter Under Saddle, but there’s plenty of room left in Pleasure Driving, Preliminary Jumping, Hunter Hack and a few others. If you’re reading this and you’ve got an Appaloosa who excels in any of these areas, hurry up and get down to Fort Worth!

I’m off to bed to dream about gray, dun and palomino Appaloosas. They do exist, I swear!

--Jeannie Putney

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Live from the 2008 World Championship Appaloosa Show

2008-10-26T02:22:00Z

The next upcoming blog for ClubEquestrian.com will be from the 2008 World Championship Appaloosa Show. Jeannie Blancq Putney will show us what’s going on from the event in Fort Worth, TX. The blog will begin on October 26 and run through October 29.

Jeannie has more than 12 years of marketing communications experience and more than 20 years of hands-on horse experience. She received her B.A. in journalism with a concentration in public relations from the University of Maine. Ten years later she received her post-graduate Equine Business Certificate from the University of Louisville. In 2006, Jeannie traveled to Germany to cover the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) for the United States Equestrian Federation. Since then, she has freelanced for a myriad of horse publications and written equine articles for national consumer publications as well. She has also covered the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and has worked for Churchill Downs and Blood-Horse Publications. Jeannie is a dressage and eventing enthusiast who is addicted to Appaloosa. In addition to riding horses, photographing them has become her newest challenge.

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It's All About the Horse

2008-10-22T06:08:00Z

Around the grounds at U.S. Nationals, it is common to hear the phrase: “It’s all about the horse.”

Pondering this statement brings something to mind. From the beginning, some 25,000-40,000 years ago, the Bedouins were living proof of this term. And, spending time this week talking to our esteemed and devoted owners, members, exhibitors, I see that it still rings true!

Let me share with you some history on our great Arabian horse breed. It is the oldest pure breed of horse in the world with a desert beginning. The walls of caves clearly illustrate this point by showing the small fine muzzle, pointed ears, deep cheeks, short back, slender limbs and the dished facial profile. Today, these traits continue to be some of the most distinctive features of our horse.

The first and most famous breeders were nomadic Bedouin tribesmen who roamed the deserts of the Middle East. Breeding of good horses was crucial to their survival and prosperity. Only the finest specimens were allowed to reproduce. Breeders concentrated on performance, selecting for stamina, soundness, speed, disposition and loyalty. Strict oral histories of pedigree were kept and passed down through generations.

Mares were prized above all possessions. They didn’t nicker when approaching enemy tribes. They carried their masters into battle with courage and pride, standing loyally by the fallen until forcibly taken away. An Arabian mare became seen as the best gift, which eventually led to tracing the Arabian linage through the dam or female parent. Horses were often named according to the sheik or tribe that bred them.

Close friendship bonds developed between master and horse that gave the Arabian breed an innate desire for human companionship. (I continue to be impressed and amazed by this great companionship still being evident in today’s horses and owners.) Arabians often became beloved members of their nomadic families, gentle enough to share the desert tent.

Like a gifted child, the Arabian is intelligent and sensitive, eager to please and easy to train. (This is evident through the versatile exhibition of our great horses today at U.S. Nationals.) While beauty and proud bearing have inspired poet and artist, it’s the Arabian horse’s stamina, heart, work ethic and versatility that have captured and inspired the attention of horsemen through the ages.

Bedouins bred only the best to the best. Bloodlines were considered precious, and Arabian DNA was “prepotent” or dominant in passing on the trademark characteristics of refinement, stamina, soundness and intelligence.

In the 1700s, three Arabian stallions were imported into England and bred with Barb or Royal mares. The result was the Thoroughbred. More than 98 percent of Thoroughbreds trace to two of these stallions. The tradition of improving a breed through the infusion of Arabian blood still thrives. In fact, most American breeds of horses have Arabian blood in their linage.

Popularization of Arabian horses in the U.S. began at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 with the introduction of 45 Arabian horses from Turkey that were later dispersed to breeders across the U.S. In 1906, Homer Davenport imported 27 Arabian horses, which precipitated the establishment of the Arabian Horse Club of America in 1908 with the first studbook, containing 71 horses published in 1909. The Gladys Brown Edwards’ painting has become the breed standard for Arabian horses.

Today, there are a million Arabians, Half-Arabians and Anglo-Arabians in the Arabian Horse Association registry. Currently, there are about 37,000 AHA members.

To learn more about this historic breed or to request a copy of the Arabian Horse Guidebook, visit www.ArabianHorses.org. You can also watch and experience the 2008 U.S. Nationals live from the 20th Century’s “Oil Capital of the World” on our website.

So from Tulsa, we’re continuing at a “Hand Gallop!”

--Glenn Petty

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Volunteers--Can't Live Without 'Em

2008-10-20T04:11:00Z

The Arabian and Half-Arabian U.S. Nationals was a sea of activity today, but the show still ran smoothly, thanks to our outstanding volunteers. There are volunteers everywhere around the show grounds, many of whom have been following the show from state to state for years—they are the secret to our success. For a show of this magnitude it takes scores of dedicated volunteers who know their duties so well that they make the entire show look effortless to execute.

The group of chief volunteers, who actually produce the show, is the U.S. National Show Commission – a group of six people elected by the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Board of Directors to run the show. Commissioners come from all over the United States – Lance Walters, Chair, from New York; Cindy Clinton, Vice Chair, from Ohio; Tony Connor, Kentucky; Bill Hughes, California; Mike Stewart, Tennessee; and Pat Webb, Georgia. This group sets policy and runs the show, along with AHA staff and other volunteers working under the commission’s direction.

Without the specialized experience and expertise of our dedicated group of over 100 volunteers, who intimately know how to conduct all the specialized divisions within the show, U.S. Nationals would not run so smoothly. Our volunteers hail from all corners of the U.S. and Canada—from California and Florida, all the way up to British Columbia and Ontario. Even though our show is only 10 days long, some of our volunteers are on grounds doing their jobs for a total of 27 days.

Combine AHA volunteers with our paid staff and nearly 200 Commercial Exhibitors who bring people to work in their booths and we have already made a sizeable impact on Tulsa. Then supplement that impact with all the people who come with 1,889 horses, including owners, trainers, grooms and family and suddenly we make about a $30 million dollar impact on the city. Hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and gas stations are only a few of the businesses supported by the show.

All of this activity happens for really one reason—because we love the Arabian horse! You can enjoy the Arabian horse and the show via the internet at www.ArabianHorses.org. Just click on the web casting link. As the show proceeds, we’ll share other activities involving the exhibitors and horses from the “Back Gate,” plus a little history of the Arabian horse.

So from here in Tulsa, we’re continuing at a “Hand-Gallop”!

--Glenn Petty

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We're Off to a Hand-Gallop!

2008-10-18T22:04:00Z

As a show official for over 30 years, I have spent a lot of time at the “back gate” and in schooling rings. It is at the back gate where final preparations are made for entry into the “Grand Ballroom”—our show arena. An observer might see all the last touches executed, like wiping of the muzzle, dusting off of the boots and, of course, the receiving of the all-important final instructions from the trainer or instructor—then it’s through the gate and the horse and rider are on display.

But let’s back up a little. Long before a horse and rider make it to the Grand Ballroom, the horse is taken into the ring just for schooling. During schooling time, the horse can spook as much as it wants, get used to the banners on the wall and all the scary sounds that come from an indoor arena. This schooling time is crucial, especially since all three rings at the US National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship are indoors. Soon after the schooling comes the bathing, grooming and a final trim if needed. With about 1900 horses on the show grounds one can imagine how much schooling, bathing, grooming and trimming is going on each day.

And we mustn’t forget the rider, who also has to look as perfect as possible. One training stable here has taken the perfection of the rider to a whole new level and has converted a stall into a fully-equipped beauty parlor—beauty chairs, mirrors and lights included.

Finally, it’s into the ring and both horse and rider perform at their best.

Ribbons and trophies at this show are the most prized possessions because this is considered the show of the year—the National Championships. Just to receive a ribbon at this show—any ribbon—is prestigious and carries a lot of bragging rights as our exhibitors return to all corners of the U.S., Canada – and even the world. As of today, horses were entered from 45 states, four provinces, and even a couple of countries outside of North America (did I mention a real Prince is coming?). Here at the U.S. Nationals, we place a Champion, Reserve Champion and name a Top 10, instead of placing third through tenth.

Preparation, excitement and ribbons aside, the first day of a big show always proves to be a challenge for show management. It is on the first day that all the kinks are worked out. I spent time working with the U.S. Show Commission, who runs the show, and staff to make needed adjustments so that our first time at our new venue (we used to take turns in Albuquerque and Louisville) can be as successful as possible. Part of coming to a new city also means getting the word out to the public that we are here. In fact, the Arabian Horse Association President, Myron Krause, and I got up especially early to be on a live radio broadcast to talk about the show. Our President never misses a chance to promote the Arabian horse.

Months and years of planning went into moving the show so that our horses can be presented at their best in Tulsa. Exhibitors have had nothing but uniform praise for the reception the U.S. Nationals has had here in Oklahoma—we are happy to be very centrally located within the United States. The Tulsa Convention and Visitors Bureau worked for years to attract the show to Tulsa and they came through with community support. Expo Square, the host of the show, just went through a multi-million dollar face lift and their new facilities are wonderful.

To get a live look at our show, go to www.ArabianHorses.org and find the web casting link.

So from here in Tulsa, we’re off to a “Hand-Gallop”!

--Glenn Petty

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Don't Miss the Happenings at Arabian Nationals

2008-10-17T17:41:00Z

ClubEquestrian.com's "At the Back Gate" blog will showcase the much-anticipated U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show, which kicks off on Friday, October 17, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Arabian Horse Association’s (AHA) own Glenn Petty will bring Arabian enthusiasts the latest in his daily blog from Expo Square.

Petty was named Executive Vice President of the AHA earlier this year and has nearly 40 years of equine industry experience. With more than 30 years as a show manager and 15 years as North Carolina's State Horse Specialist, Petty also put in years of volunteer service with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), serving as a member of the Board of Directors and as a longtime chair of the Competition Management Committee. He was named North Carolina Hunter Jumper Association Horseman of the Year in 1991 and 1994, and was honored with the American Horse Council's National Service to the Industry Award in 1991. He and his wife, Joan, own and operate Triangle Farms, a professional hunter/jumper farm and show facility in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

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The Final Victory Pass for 2008

2008-10-12T13:09:00Z

In years past, we’ve had some absolutely spectacular opening ceremonies complete with fireworks, 8 year olds with the voice of an 18 year old opera singer, American Indian signers translating our national anthem… the list goes on. This year, it was simple, but most importantly it featured a group of four Morgan flag horses who were not only typey, but were perfect and precise in their assignments to boldly present our flags with their talented youth riders aboard. No dancing around, no spinning, no distracting. Each horse and rider stood strong and still while an exhibitor of pure voice and lovely timbre sang a rendition of our anthem that was at once impressive and inspiring. When the lead horse “Hotshot” took a hand gallop around the ring with his Old Glory waving, it was enough to bring a lump to the throat of every person in the arena. This kicked off our final session of this week of Morgan competition at the highest level.

All thoughout the day, I saw sporadic packing and hugging going on in many aisles, along with determined faces getting on their Grand National Champions for the last time this year and heading to make-up rings for their World Championships. There were some upsets and there were a few expected repeat World title winners. This year’s judging panel seemed to turn in cards that were sometimes diverse, but in spite of that provided an outcome that satisfied not only the exhibitors, but the sometimes more demanding spectators as well.

The World Champion Reiners provided an exciting break in the evening session with a little spinning and sliding, much to the delight of the crowd. Our final equitation World Champions were paraded before us, some of them besting between 40-60 other riders to come out on top.

There was not a single class in the final session that did not boast at least two World Champions, which was certainly eye-candy for long time OKC attendees. In one of the toughest Open Western Pleasure world classes we’ve ever seen, it was Minnesota’s Andy Marlett aboard Kristie Strom’s Tracemark Tapestry that provided the ride of her career to win a class over the seemingly unbeatable boys: Firecrest E-Ticket and Daryl Hopson and Treble’s Tanqueray with Judy Nason.

Tony Lee had to be popping his buttons over Astronomicallee’s oldest daughter winning her first big time performance world title in a highly competitive Ladies Park Saddle class with Alyson Nord-Wandtke aboard for mother Cindy Nord, who owns this game and talented mare. Alyson rode the two classes of her life here this week, after winning the World Amateur Park Saddle title the night before. She was followed by Sebring Stables and Copper Beech with Amy Neifert and NDT French Impressionist, who were at once mannerly and brilliant.

There were two relatively new faces in the Roadster division this year, but the crowd seemed to be behind Lynn Peeples and his solid and speedy Arboria Victorious, who tied third to WC Dragonsmeade Maxmara and Luman Wadhams, and Peggy Alderman’s Flairetation, one of only two mares in this big class. All three horses were great fun to watch and each had a different style of speed. Maxmara was beautiful and bridled and was by far one of the most attractive road horses we’ve seen here in years.

A workout would have been welcomed, but apparently wasn’t needed in the Open Pleasure Driving as Tim Arcuri drove the Connor’s Dragonsmeade CarnegieHall flawlessly to win this title over the visually dominating CCR’s Outrajus Corajus and Gerry Rushton for Richard & Nan Cecchetini. CarnegieHall has his world in hand titles behind him to boost him to the top of this class, while OC has a way of going that is simply poetry in motion to watch. Richard Boule drove the class of his life with Jeff Gove’s FRF Seatlle Reign, who took it to the limits and was not going down without commanding the attention of everyone in the coliseum.

The Afterglow Party was simply not able to hold a candle to our last class, The Big One: World Champion Park Saddle. Six amazing entries spawned a three horse workout between former WC HVK Vibrance with Jenny Taylor, Ryan Arcuri and the newcoming 4 year old CRD Bugatti, and Dianna Rannells and the sole chestnut representative, former WC Park Harness junior horse SpiceOLife Present Tense. It was one for the history books as David James Walker's SpiceOLife Present Tense was called out for this important win--the last chestnut horse to win this title was Legacy’s Viking in 1987. In reserve was Arcuri and his big, black young stallion, with the veteran campaigner Vibrance in third. We had not just one, but TWO tough young horses in this class, as Tim Roesink also offered up the powerful four year old mare MEM Bonnie Blue. This class was quality from top to bottom as it was rounded out by SLB Andiamo and Debi Jeppesen and Azeedad’s Lucky Star and Ann Anderson. Sadly missing from our competition was the very popular two-time winner of this class, Stand And Deliver, who was back in his stall after a minor injury in his qualifier kept him from competing. But I'm sure we'll see him return next year, perhaps with his petite and game owner aboard! Pictured at left is our new World Champion Park Saddle horse on his victory pass.

I hope everyone enjoyed my daily ramblings from OKC, and safe travels going home!
--Tami Johnson

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We're starting to see ROSES everywhere!

2008-10-11T14:21:00Z

Friday’s show was filled with the joyful faces of people winning World Championships, and one of our largest classes today was the Western Pleasure Ladies Amateur class with 20 wonderful horses. Pictured at right is Michigan’s Tampa Bay and rider Jessica Marino, the daughter of trainer Lori Marino, who pairs this team. It was a double win for Michigan as Mike Wahl’s entry Cedarfarm Camelot rode right up in the reserve spot with catch-rider Annie Morgan in the saddle. Michigan Morgans really have been doing well here this week, both owners and trainers. Mary Carlton guided Jeff & Lynn Yelton’s spectacular mare Graycliff Miss Liberty to the Open Hunter Pleasure World Championship for the second year against a tough field of 15 to chalk up another title for Michigan. Even the little Michiganders got into the swing of things when little Sara Heidenreich rode M.J. Sklenicka’s Hylee’s Fanflaire to the tricolors in the World Champion Walk-Trot Western Pleasure 11 & Under. And Michigan breeder and ammy exhibitor Ken Martin (whose photos are featured here) even got into the strike zone with his Aljaks Regal Spirit, taking a Reserve World title in the Futurity In Hand Yearling Geldings to Patricia Lloyd’s CBMF Art of War, who went right to the top of his age group earlier in the week. Wondering why I’m so fascinated with Michigan results? Because it’s my home state, so of course I can be biased!

The versatility of our breed has really been showcased today as I ran back and forth between the two show arenas and the coliseum (I hope my scale at home tells me this was a good thing, because my feet are not telling me this). Show Arena 6 was filled to the brim with smartly dressed equitation riders in the UPHA finals and Walk-Trot equitation classes. At the same time, we were watching Show Arena 8 as the Three, Four and Five Year Old Snaffle/Hackamore reiners put on a show for a nice crowd. This exciting division has really been picking up entries the last year or two. We had 9 junior horses competing, 8 in the WC Non-Pro class and 8 in the first and second year green. In the tough World Champion Reining class, 8 horses slid in and it was R-Two Top Dollar with Monty Bruce that slid out with the cooler and roses for owner Sharlene Anderson. If you haven’t stopped over to watch a few of these classes, the best is yet to come in the form of the Free Style finals that are happening at 1 o’clock on Saturday in Show Arena 8. This is a great class that involves music and costumes on these athletes and is simply fun to watch.

Our first evening session of the really big open titles happened on Friday and we were simply WOWED by some of the most competitive classes I’ve seen here in ages. After our 27 rider Leadline Class (redefining the word CUTE here with every entry), the evening high performance opened with a tremendous Amateur Park Saddle World Championship that saw an unbelievable 13 entries come through the gate.

It all boiled down to a three horse workout with two of those horses being sponsored by Broadmoor, who actually had three riders in the class. Dr. Grace Steere and her positively magnetic Lamborghini In Black battled it out with Alyson Nord-Wandtke and CN The Master’s Flyte and Kathy Gutting’s young entry, Get Busy. All three horses are World Champions in the open division and have recently graduated to the amateur ranks. This was a long tough class on the rail before the workout, so it was no small feat for the winner. Alyson rode the class of her life on her mother’s bold and athletic CN The Master’s Flyte to win this incredible class.

We also had a spectacular dual in the Ladies English Pleasure World Championship as Katie Mair and last year’s winner Fait Accompli finally succumbed to the feminine wiles of GLB Perfect Harmony and Stacy Hennessey, who were simply the epitome of a ladies team. Our evening in the coliseum was capped off by welcoming record-breaking Morgan trainer Judy Whitney Harris back to our midst with a standing ovation. Miss Judy was positively beaming as her JW That Special Flaire captured his fourth consecutive World Park Harness Open title with Ken Swanson on the lines for current owner Tara Farm. This amazing horse does not stand to the public, but we’ve heard that there will be one breeding offered in the upcoming AMHA/World Futurity Stallion Service Auction this coming February, so start saving your pennies!As if all that excitement weren’t enough, a large number of Grand National attendees seems to be filling the dance floor at Club Rodeo after the show. If you haven’t been to this place, they entertain the crowd with real bull riding on center stage every hour. Only in Oklahoma City!

--Tami Johnson

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Multiplicity in the Morgan World

2008-10-10T06:00:00Z

What’s better than one Fancsali among us? TWO of course! Sister Beth Fancsali threw a birthday bash for brother Greg Fancsali at Merriehill Farm on Thursday evening to celebrate Greg’s 40th birthday. Both Greg and Beth are longtime Morgan owners and exhibitors and are great sports in the ring. We’ll see what kind of a sport Beth is when Greg throws her a milestone birthday party the next time!

We had the two Kim’s Bellegante sons back to back on Saturday in hand, and on Wednesday we had a duet in the three year old hunter pleasure division. Both Sandra Nelson’s World Champion Renegade Rose, as well as Dwayne Brittell’s Reserve World Champion Kane Creek Clairvoyant are out of daughters of Intrepid Melissa, one of Art Perry and Jim Wigle’s wonderful Bar-T Invader daughters. Another example of good breeding carrying forward!

And in keeping with our doubles theme, Jane Steffenhagen and Jackie Sweeney’s homebred World Champion HyLee’s Goldsmith doubled his roses with the talented young Alyssa Wick when he captured his second consecutive World Champion Park Saddle title, this time in the Youth division following on the heels of last year's Jr. Exhibitor division win. Alyssa comes by her talent naturally, being the daughter of trainers Colleen and Lyle Wick of Hardwood Creek in Minnesota. Even after pulling a shoe at the end of the second trot, the beautiful son of Pot of Gold finished the class and then walked out of the ring proudly flaunting his roses and wares.

Yesterday, we wrapped up the Dressage World Champion High Points, today we crowned the Trail World Champions. And now the Reining horses have decended upon us and things are just slipping and sliding and spinning all over the place in the new Arena 8. The new arena is just the BEST place to watch these terrific athletes, so much better than the old arena where you had to look around the pipe gates and really couldn’t see these horses work. Now we have bleacher seating all down the side and the lighting is great, you can see every horse’s complete pattern with little effort. It also seems a bit closer to the coliseum, for those of us that might need or want to run back and forth to catch classes in both arenas.

We started out talking about doubles, but there was one horse on the fairgrounds this week that can now claim SIX World titles in one of our most competitive divisions, Ladies Park Harness. Lifetime Morgan owner, breeder, exhibitor and judge Helen Crawford has been at the reins for every one of these wins with her phenomenal mare, HVK Ancient Cry (HVK Make ‘Em Cry x Nobelle). Her first title in this division was secured in 2002 and was followed by a duplicate win in 2003. Then she started her next winning streak in 2005 and has worn the title and roses out of the gate here in Oklahoma every year since, making it four consecutive years and six titles over seven years. To make this even more amazing, this incredible mare has also been producing foals for Bill & Helen Crawford’s Boston Morgan Farm this entire time, producing seven embryo transfer foals between 2003 and 2007. Bob Hughes at Blackridge RJH has been the trainer behind this historic mare for all of her west coast career. Congratulations to the Boston Morgan Family!

Not to be outdone by the distaff side, the Ladies Pleasure Driving division also had its own hero in Tom & Stephanie Connors’ Festival Calypso. This typey and effervescent gelding racked up his 10th World title tonight at the age of 13. This amazing gelding started his OKC career as a two year old and has never looked back. Congratulations to the Connors family on their tremendous champion.

When I left the fairgrounds tonight at 11:00 pm, not only was there dancing and drinking in the SkyLoft Lounge (my name for the exhibitor’s lounge over the in gate), but they were still battling it out in the Show Arena with the UPHA equitation riders. They would definitely not be finishing until sometime after midnight, which begs the question, Do their trainers actually train these kids in the evening once in a while? To make sure they can stay awake long enough to perform their patterns? Will see if I can find you an answer for tomorrow’s blog.

- Tami Johnson

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