For Hailey Brown, life is measured in strides, rhythms and the quiet communication between a rider and a 1,200-pound animal. At just 13 years old, the Escondido, California native has already spent 11 years in the saddle, transforming from a toddler on a pony named Polley into a decorated champion. Born into the industry as […]
The WEC Grand Arena hosted the $5,000 NSBA $25,000 Limited Horse Non-Pro Western Pleasure early Thursday morning, where it was Jan Shepherd Pitman who rode her own Good Miss Lazy to the win. The 2016 mare by Lazy Loper x Good Miss Sunny has proven to be a standout partner for Shepherd. “She’s a great […]
Quarter Horse competition is back at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) with two full weeks of sport, featuring the Orange Blossom Classic (April 8–12) and A Sudden Impulse (April 14–18). The Orange Blossom Classic kicked off Wednesday with two featured classes, including the $15,000 NSBA 4-Year-Old & Over Open & Limited Maiden Trail and […]
Beginning in 2025, The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) lowered the maximum permitted plasma concentration of dexamethasone from the 2024 threshold of 3.0 nanograms per milliliter to 0.5 nanograms per milliliter. The AQHA Executive Committee approved this rule change, which was recommended by the AQHA Animal Welfare Commission, in August of 2024. Dexamethasone is a fast-acting […]
Florida AQHA and NSBA Amateur competitor Kristen Holmes and her husband, Jake, announced the birth of their first child, a daughter, on March 2. The new arrival, named Amelia Sutton Holmes, weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces and was 18 inches at birth.
AQHA and NSBA professional trainers Raina and Erik Parsons welcomed their third child, a girl, on Feb. 25. The new arrival, named Reagan May, joins a brother, Logan and a sister, Tessa. Raina and Erik own and operate Parsons Show Horses in Windsor, Maryland.
By Jordan Strickler Joint injections that contain corticosteroids, such as triamcinolone acetonide, are a common anti-inflammatory in a veterinarian’s toolbox to treat pain and swelling from conditions like arthritis. However, even though the drug goes into a joint, some of it can have an effect outside of the joint. When that occurs, a horse’s blood […]
Most horse owners have a veterinarian whom they trust and rely upon to take good care of their horses. Your “go-to” veterinarian is often responsible for routine wellness, pre-purchase exams, emergency treatment, and everything in between. But what happens when mistakes are made? Can a veterinarian be held legally responsible if his or her error causes damage or […]
With plenty of enthusiasm from pleasure horse fans, the Rail Horse Association is off and running. Since holding an informational meeting at the Quarter Horse Congress designed to establish the level of interest in the establishment of an association that focuses on Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle, organizers have been working on everything from […]
For Molly McElrath, the “horse bug” was not a passing childhood phase but a foundational element of her identity that survived the rigors of law school and the demands of a high-stakes career in global software sales. Now 38, the Mercer, Pennsylvania, native is entering a transformative year. Living on a few acres north of […]
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 […]
Showing horses is often defined by the flash of a silver-adorned saddle or the blue of a championship ribbon, but for Georgia competitor Lisa Wilkes, the true story is written in the quiet moments between the gates and the long-term legacy of a breeding program. In the high-stakes arena of the American Quarter Horse Association […]