A total of 19 unshown Western Pleasure contenders battled it out for a $69,800 purse in the 2026 Virginia Maiden 3-Year-Old & Over Open Western Pleasure class held in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Lexington on March 28. When the placings of the six judges were tallied, and high and low cards dropped, Texas trainer […]
After years of heated debate within the equine industry, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) has voted to repeal its controversial “Two-Year Rule,” a regulation that restricted the use of frozen semen and embryos from certain horses. The decision, finalized during the 2026 AQHA Convention in Las Vegas, signals a significant change in how breeders […]
In many instances the term “wild card” refers to something or someone that is unpredictable. But Wild Cardd, the hot young stallion sired by Makin Me Willy Wild out of Ms Miracle Zip, is anything but. “Perhaps his greatest attribute is that he is just a true show horse and always has been,” said Lexie […]
National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) Quarter Million Dollar Club Rider Kenny Lakins says Made Like No Other (Scotty) is like a fine wine – he just keeps getting better with age. “He’s a very special horse,” he said. “You don’t get to have those in your program very often. He has excellent conformation. He’s extremely intelligent […]
With over 59,000 Facebook followers and 29,000 fans on Instagram, First Thingz First may be one of the most followed stallions in the industry right now. But to his owner, social media personality Katie Van Slyke the 2021 stallion sired by RL Best Of Sudden out of VS The First Lady, is a total sweetheart […]
He’s big. He’s beautiful. He’s great-minded. He comes from a family of successful show horses. And now, at just 2 years old, He, himself, has two Quarter Horse Congress Championships and a Reserve Championship to his credit. It’s safe to say that Shannon Walker’s bay stallion by Its A Southern Thing out of Krymsun Belle is […]
Every once in a while, you just need to shake things up a bit. Just ask Florida mother and daughter amateur competitors Brenda Ramirez and Kristen Holmes. For her entire show career Brenda has only ever shown western horses. Holmes, on the other hand, has always gravitated toward Hunter Under Saddle contenders. But that’s all […]
It’s been said that ambition is the path to success but persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. Iowa breeder and Amateur competitor Kari Jewell has both. Although Jewell’s involvement in the show horse industry dates back to the 1990s, she has only competed once or twice in the past five years. In 2019 she […]
Settle is not a word in Liv Jillian Winter’s vocabulary. She may only be 14 years old but when it comes to showing horses, she is mature beyond her years. “My connection to horses runs deeper than just a hobby,” she explained. “It’s the heartbeat of my family, the thread that ties three generations together […]
When sparks start to fly in the two-car garage sized shop attached to Peter Briggs’ Fort Worth home, you can rest assured he’s not just “horsing around.” In the past four years, Briggs has transformed his nearly lifelong passion for welding into an artistic journey. It all started when a dear friend asked Briggs to […]
With three American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Championships, seven Quarter Horse Congress Championships and numerous futurity wins in Western Pleasure to his credit, it’s safe to say Casey Willis knows what it takes for a young contender to be successful in the show pen. That’s why when he describes Feeling Groovey (Pippi), a 2022 […]
Iowa Amateur competitor Teresa Krueger likes to tell people that her addiction to horses is something she just never outgrew. When she was just a child, her sister decided to buy a half quarter/half Arabian mare. “I used to ride double with her everywhere,” Krueger recalled. “I was finally able to get my first 50-inch […]
