Anyone with even the slightest bit of experience in the show pen knows that there are many variables that go into the making of a champion. Conformation and genetics have big roles. And of course there’s the training aspect. But when you start with an animal that is a natural things just seem to fall […]
March To The Arch organizers Doug and Tara Landon recently announced that the annual American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) sanctioned circuit will be moved to Abilene, Texas in 2025. The show management was notified in August that the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, where the show has been held since 2021 would not be […]
The National Snaffle Bit Association hosted its annual NSBA Markel Insurance Breeders Championship Futurity Yearling Sale on Friday, August 16, during the 2024 NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity. The sale saw 104 yearlings pass through the sale ring. The 2024 sale saw an average of $17,490 per head, and generated a sale […]
Chronic pain and lameness resulting from osteoarthritis (OA) and other musculoskeletal conditions are the most common causes of poor quality of life in senior horses. Priorities for senior horse care include early intervention for health challenges (including OA) and making management changes as needed. This means honing your skills for recognizing pain in an animal […]
The 2024 American Paint Horse Association (APHA) Eastern National Championship Show, Aug. 22–25, generated significant increases, according to organizers. Growth was recorded at 57 percent in total horses and 43 percent in entries over 2023 numbers. This year’s event took place at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, Ohio, which will host the Eastern National […]
Some of the most talented 3-year-old American Quarter Horses will demonstrate their versatility at the AQHA Pleasure Versatility Challenge, held during the 2024 AQHA and Select World Championship Shows in Oklahoma City. Total purse for the event, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, is anticipated to be $50,000, plus prizes again in 2024. […]
They laugh about it now but Gracie Robertson’s parents, Mark and Katie Robertson knew they were in trouble pretty much the first time she ever sat on a horse. Since they themselves showed American Paint Horse Association (APHA) as kids and actually met showing horses, they were careful not to push Gracie in that direction […]
Charging a commission for expertise and time to help buy or sell a horse is a common and accepted industry practice by trainers. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with paying a commission. It goes without saying that it takes a huge amount of effort to ensure that a horse is sold for the right price […]
An emerging area of equine law has been focused on the practice and licensing of equine sports therapy, chiropractic care, and massage. Performance show horses, much like top Olympic athletes, are susceptible to injuries and other conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system. In order to treat and help horses maintain peak physical performance, some horse owners […]
Multiple Congress Champion and Reserve American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Champion producer Hot Diggity Joe was humanely euthanized on Friday in Ocala, Florida, following a brief battle with congestive heart failure. The 1998 sorrel stallion, sired by Blazing Hot and out of Jodie Fivette, was bred by and owned his entire life by Kerry […]
Competition in the pattern classes at top breed shows and futurities has improved so much in the past decade that course designers have had to add maneuvers and to the degree of difficulty just to keep up and make the classes challenging. Some of today’s Showmanship Horsemanship, Equitation, Trail and Ranch patterns can get extremely […]
When she was just a kid, growing up in rural Brill, Wisconsin, Ann Lapacinski was lucky to share a passion for horses and showing with her mother. “When I was in kindergarten I can remember getting picked up by my mom on our old horse Rusty who was a Quarter Horse/Welsh Pony cross and we […]
