Category Archives: Racing Sources

AQHA and Working Ranch Cowboys Association Create Ranch Rodeo Awards

America’s Horse, May 6, 2010 – The American Quarter Horse Association has teamed with the Working Ranch Cowboys Association to recognize top horses at WRCA rodeos across the nation.

To honor the contributions ranch horses have made to the heritage of the American Quarter Horse, AQHA is proud to sponsor a special recognition award to the top horse at every WRCA sanctioned rodeo. The special achievement by these top horses will be placed on the horse’s permanent AQHA record.

Since the earliest days of chuck wagons and roundups, the working ranch horse has earned a spot in the history of the American West. No other animal has contributed more to that history than the American Quarter Horse.

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American Quarter Horse Foundation Receives Record $3 Million Gift

Hall of Fame Member Anne Windfohr Marion and The Burnett Foundation dedicated to preserving American Quarter Horse history.

America’s Horse, April 12, 2010 – The American Quarter Horse Foundation announced during the 2010 Convention it had received an unprecedented gift of $3 million to the Foundation’s operating endowment from Hall of Fame member Anne Marion and The Burnett Foundation.

“It is an honor to receive such a gift,” AQHA Executive Vice President Don Treadway Jr. said of the donation. “It has made a huge impact on meeting the $10 million goal established for the Foundation operating endowment. We are so thankful for the gifts we receive from our members, and this one is incredibly special. Ms. Marion, her family and the Four Sixes Ranch have been extremely influential to our Association and the integrity of our horse. I cannot say enough to express how honored we are by their gift.”

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Slow Down to Go Fast: Part II

Use Bryan Neubert's colt-starting techniques to get your ranch colt ready for the range.
Use Bryan Neubert's colt-starting techniques to get your ranch colt ready for the range.

Cowboy, clinician and horseman Bryan Neubert shares his insight into starting ranch colts.

By Bryan Neubert with Jim Bret Campbell in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Mount Up
Once the horse has softened and accepted the lessons from Part 1, he’s ready for me to prepare him to carry a rider. Remember to stay soft and quiet as you get on. I’ll slowly introduce my weight in the stirrup and just let him get used to the feel before I proceed. (See the photo gallery.) I’m also ready to step back down, draw his head toward me and move his hindquarters away from me to prevent him from pulling away or kicking me. After he accepts my weight in one stirrup, I lean over and rub him on the shoulder and hip on the right side. I might also move the fender of the offside stirrup a little to get him used to the movement. When he’s handling this well, I step into the saddle, remembering to stay soft and quiet.

Once I’m there, I don’t worry about trying to guide him much. I’ll let him adjust to the extra weight. I have a Cheyenne roll on the back of my saddle, and I’ll hold on to that in case he bucks. They almost never do if they are prepared up to this point.

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AQHA Welcomes Dressage

honey_bright_dreamDressage becomes an official AQHA class.

Dressage is now an official AQHA class — one in which you can earn AQHA points, qualify for AQHA Incentive Fund earnings and compete for year-end awards. Beginning at Training Level Test 4, AQHA dressage classes will be held within existing classes at competitions recognized by the United States Dressage Federation or licensed by the United States Equestrian Federation.

The same USDF-USEF judges will preside over the AQHA classes; the only additional requirement is that the judges must be AQHA members. Exhibitors must also be current members of AQHA, and the horse must be a registered American Quarter Horse. A competition license fee of $85, good for the lifetime of the horse, is also required. The shows must be approved by AQHA at least 60 days in advance.

Horses competing in dressage are given scores, expressed in percentages. The Quarter Horse show industry has always been a point-driven system, so AQHA has created a conversion table to change dressage scores into AQHA points. View the conversion table (click on “frequently asked questions”). Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10096