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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
