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Q-TALK
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2005 The deadline is tomorrow for Regional Experience entries in Region One and Region Eight. The Region One Experience is August 18-21 in Redmond, Oregon, at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center. Region One includes Washington state, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. Click here for show entry forms and information. The Region Eight Experience is August 18-21 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the Tulsa Expo Square. Region Eight includes Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas. Click here for show entry forms and information. Lyle Lovett Concert to Benefit AQHF Lyle Lovett and his Large Band will perform in Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo during the 2005 Bayer Select World Championship Show. The concert, which is September 2 and is sponsored by the Journal, will benefit the American Quarter Horse Foundation. Tickets go on sale tomorrow and are $100, which includes a barbecue dinner. Lovett is an AQHA lifetime member who rides in reining and reined cow horse events. For information on purchasing tickets to the concert, contact the Quarter Horse Outfitters at (806) 376-5181. ‘Fishy’ Horse Treat Might Help Improve His Health We all know that a diet that includes fish is healthy – from increasing exercise tolerance to boosting the immune system. But can horses also benefit from eating fish? Four scientists at Southern Illinois University Carbondale decided to find out the answer to this question. “We wanted to know how much of this stuff a horse had to eat to get it circulating in its body in high enough concentrations to get those good benefits,” said Sheryl “Sheree” S. King, who runs the college’s agricultural science equine program. “I also questioned whether the horses would eat it. They’re not picky eaters, but they are vegetarians. The first step was to convince horses to eat fish.” The answer: Homemade “horse cookies” made of molasses, oats and powdered fish oil combined in giant mixers at the university’s farms. “They were crunchy, though they still smelled fishy,” King said. “I thought the horses wouldn’t touch them, but they did.” For the project, King and her colleagues Amer AbuGhazaleh, Gary A. Apgar and Karen L. Jones divided 16 mares of different breeds, ages and weights into four groups. Once a day during February 2004, the scientists fed each group cookies made with different amounts of fish oil. They took weekly blood samples during the month and the following three months as well, looking for traces of Omega-3 fatty acids, the active ingredient in fish oil, in the blood plasma and red blood cells, where effects are thought to last longer. “We found that the specific Omega-3 fatty acids that are the most beneficial to health did get into the red blood cells, and their concentrations were roughly equivalent to the amount the horses were eating – the more they ate, the higher the concentration,” King said. “It did take a very long time for the concentration to increase. We didn’t actually see it until after we had stopped feeding the product, but it stayed around much longer there (59 days after the cookies were stopped) than it did in the plasma.” The scientists are now analyzing data from a second fish oil study to see if Omega-3 fatty acids can induce ovulation in mares. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2005The Ohio Quarter Horse Association has put online the lecture and demonstration series for the All American Quarter Horse Congress, and there are some pretty interesting topics. On October 9, June Warren and Carol McWhirter will discuss how you can pair the right horses together to create a champion, while on October 15, Nelson Otero of National Equine Sales will present successful strategies for selling your horse. These are just two of the 11 scheduled lectures. To see the entire list, go online. There are 10 demonstrations this year, including a halter clinic by AQHA Professional Horseman Don Bell and a demonstration of showmanship by AQHA Professional Horseman Darlene Trein. These clinics are also online. Also at the OQHA Web site is the list of 2-year-olds for Congress’ new Masters western pleasure event. There are 40 horses entered in the event including Ask Me Only, the filly featured in a yearling longe line training story in the May Journal. The Masters will be October 22 and will consist of two splits and a finals, or a finals only, depending on the number of horses shown. Ten places will be paid, with first place receiving $100,000, second 26 percent, third 19 percent, fourth 13 percent, fifth 10 percent, sixth 9 percent, seventh 8 percent, eighth 6 percent, ninth 5 percent and tenth 4 percent of the remaining purse. One-hundred percent of the entry fees, which was $4,500 plus a $500 sustaining fee, will be paid back. A $5,000 award will be presented to the highest-placing eligible limited exhibitor. A separate ticket will be required for admission to the Congress Masters. As part of the performance, ticket holders will also have a live entertainment act preceding the class. Tickets will be $5 each and sold through a mail-order system using a form in the Congress entry brochure. The brochure will be mailed out in late July. To be put on the mailing list for a brochure, e-mail qtrhorse@oqha.com with your name and address. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis until September 15. Ticket requests received after September 15 will be refused, and attendees will be advised to purchase any remaining tickets at the Congress on the day of the event. In other Congress news, novice youth exhibitors will have the opportunity to compete against peers of their own age at the 2005 Congress. OQHA will divide any AQHA novice youth class that has 100 or more entries into separate splits for 13 & under and 14-18 exhibitors. Exhibitors will still enter their regular AQHA novice youth events. There is no additional entry fee should the class be large enough to be divided into age divisions. A finals will be offered for each age group, but 13 & under and 14-18 novice youth classes will not be AQHA-approved. Awards, not including the C.R. Morrison bronze trophy, will be provided for each age group. An all-age finals will be offered to recognize the AQHA novice youth winning AQHA points and receiving the regular Congress awards, including the bronze trophy. Congress show management anticipates about six AQHA novice youth classes to be large enough to divide into age divisions. For more on this year’s All American Quarter Horse Congress, click here. Mare Wins NRHA Breeders Derby in Germany For only the second time, a mare has won the National Reining Horse Association Breeders Derby, which is one of two major NRHA events in Germany. Shania Snapper (Snapper Cal Bar x Bretts Tari by Doc Tari) and her rider Morey Fisk of Germany won the prestigious open title after a run-off with Belgium’s Bernard Fonck and Trouble By Frosty (Frostys Chic Olena x Commanders Trouble by Smart And Trouble). Both had scored a 226.5 in the finals. Foncok and Kathelyne Sterckx’s red dun gelding were first in the run-off, turning in an impressive 227. However, Fisk and “Shania” put in such a breathtaking ride that the crowd gave them a standing ovation. They marked a 229.5, making the pair the open champions. Shania is owned by Johanna Binder of Germany, and is only the second mare to win the open derby title. The first was Sabrina Schwab’s Timmys Future (Magic Otoe x Tims Desire by Tim O Lena) in 1998. Winning the non-pro Derby was Italy’s Claudio Risso aboard his chestnut stallion RS Great Jac Feona (McJac Flash x Feona Pine by Great Pine). The pair marked a 224.5, a half-point more than reserve champions Tina Kunstner-Mantl of Austria and Heza Sure Whiz (Topsail Whiz x Im Not Blonde by Catalyst Too), who is owned by Jac Point Quarter Horses. There was a tie for the NRHA Bronze Trophy open championship with Italy’s Uli Kofler and Belgium’s Bernard Fonck both scoring 223. Kofler rode the 1996 stallion Bobs Manolla (Bob Acre Doc x Billy Lu Rio by Doc Quixote), who is owned by Christine Berndorfer of Austria. Fonck was astride the 1998 stallion SR Lil Peppy Sprat (Little Chickasaw x Jae Bar Hoppie by Doc’s Jack Sprat), who is owned by Piet Mestdagh-Vandoorne of Belgium. The non-pro Bronze Trophy went to Germany’s Josef Penker and his 1996 stallion Another Topgun (Elite Eldorado x Somethin Stylish by Somethin’ Sonny). He marked a 216. For results of the Derby, go to www.nrha.de. New Meaning for ‘Pig-Eyed Horse’ Robin Turner of the Western Mail in Wales wrote a cute little story about a pig that escaped the slaughterhouse and is now living a new life as a horse. When the pig was 3 months old, it escaped as a herd of piglets was being unloaded from a trailer into a field in mid-Wales. The little guy survived for six weeks in the wild before wandering into the Lluest Horse and Pony Trust, which is a sanctuary for unwanted horses in Llanddeusant. Turner writes that the piglet in the past two weeks has bonded with the horses and is often seen playing and running around with them. And because of his “horse-size” appetite, the employees at the trust have dubbed the pig “Mr. Greedy.” "It's a really touching sight to see the ponies standing over Mr. Greedy when he sleeps. It's almost as if they are guarding him," Lluest manager Stephanie Banks told Turner. "The horses and particularly the ponies love him. We have to get him properly registered now and hopefully he'll have a long and happy life with us here." TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2005The American Horse Council released figures this morning that show the horse industry has a large impact on the U.S. economy. The study, which was conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLC last year, shows the horse industry contributes $39 billion in direct economic impact and supports 1.4 million jobs on a full-time basis. When indirect and induced spending are included, the economic impact reaches $102 billion. The study also put today’s U.S. horse population at 9.2 million with the Quarter Horse the most popular breed at 3.3 million. Nearly 2 million Americans own horses, with Texas having the largest number of horses at 929,000. "This study confirms what many of us in the Congress already knew, that the American horse industry is a vital contributor to the U.S. economy while bringing pleasure to millions of people," said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. The American Horse Council Foundation commissioned the study with funding coming from many organizations, including AQHA. Go to the Horse Council’s Web site to view the full report. The Associated Press also put out this story on the study. Jake Gorrell Wins NRCHA Derby Aboard Quick As Einstein Jake Gorrell won his first National Reined Cow Horse Association major event on Sunday at the NRCHA Derby. His composite score of 656 (217 herd, 215 rein, 224 cow) aboard Joe and Bobbie Stone’s Quick As Einstein (As Smart As The Fox x High Brow Jose by High Brow Hickory) bested NRCHA veteran John Ward by 1 point (219, 217, 219). Ward won the reserve title aboard Jennifer Gamel’s Mister Smoking (Mister Dual Pep x Miss Smoking Leo by Mr Gun Smoke.) Gorrell said “Albert” showed promise early, winning the Fresno Futurity in 2004. However, the 2001 gelding kicked out of a lead change at the 2004 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity and missed the finals. After the Reno event, Gorrell showed Albert to a finals slot at the 2005 Idaho Futurity, and placed at the recent NRCHA Hackamore Classic. “He’s the best in the cow work,” Gorrell said. “He could have been a cutter. He’s so gritty down the fence, and he runs hard and turns hard every time.” In the non-pro Derby, Michelle Cowan rode her 4-year-old stallion Stylin Elan (Docs Stylish Oak x Playboys Classy Chic by Freckles Playboy) to the title with a composite score of 649 (215, 220, 214). Anne Reynolds was reserve on her mare Shirley Shine (Shining Spark x Shirley McLain by Ima Cougar) with a composite score of 645.5 (214, 215, 216.5). FEI Medication Advisory Group has First Meeting In April, the General Assembly of the FEI set up a Medication Advisory Group to examine detection times of commonly used therapeutic substances, laboratory sensitivity and how to best meet the needs of veterinarians responsible for horses in international competition. The group is to review data on substances specified as medication that may be reasonably requested for treatment of a horse close to competition and to provide meaningful detection times. Knowledge about these substances, collectively known as `the Medicine Box`, should ensure that a horse needing veterinary treatment close to an event receives it, but without providing any unfair advantage in competition or compromising existing medication control objectives. That group met for the first time Monday in Lausanne, Switzerland. At the meeting, two working teams were created: one to concentrate on the harmonization of the four FEI laboratories and the second to study detection times for substances in the “Medicine Box” as listed by the Task Force on Anti-Doping and Medication Policies. The Medication Advisory Group members are Jean-Maurice Bonneau (France), Chef d’Equipe of the French show-jumping team; German team veterinarian Dr Bjõrn Nolting (Germany), Dr Kent Allen (USA, United States Equestrian Federation); Dr Marianne Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan (Netherlands) and the Directors of the Paris and Hong Kong forensic laboratories, Dr. Yves Bonnaire (France) and Dr Terry Wan (Hong Kong). For more information on the group, contact the Head of the FEI Veterinary Department, Dr. Frits Sluyter, at +41 21 310 4747. Vandals Destroy Show Horses’ Locks and Looks George Hesselberg of the Wisconsin State Journal reported this morning that vandals hacked off the mane and tail of one horse and the tail of another. “The vandalism occurred at a crucial time, the beginning of the summer horse show circuit. For Christa Lockwood, 17, this was to be a key summer of 4-H club and open shows for her prize-winning horse, Hamp, a 5-year-old Quarter Horse she has raised from a colt. For Brenda Lockwood, this was to be the summer of showing her horse, Ebb, a newly acquired rare Arabian pinto, alongside her daughter on the circuit.” Hesselberg wrote that the vandals gave a “crewcut” to one horse and cut both horse’s long tails to the tip of the tail bone. The hair was not stolen and was left in the barn near the horses, leading authorities to rule out theft. The Lockwoods and Dane County 4-H officials told Hesselberg they are worried the real motive was professional jealousy. "’If the act was done out of pure jealousy and greed for the sake of me not showing, it makes me sick to think of what's next to come,’ Christa wrote in a note to friends.” Area police are seeking information on the case. If you have information, contact the Dane County Sheriff's Office at (608) 284-6900. MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2005One of my favorite people is receiving a very special honor this fall.
Top AQHA amateur competitor Ann Call is among the 2005 inductees for the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. She will join 172 honorees who exemplify the pioneering spirit of the American West on October 27 during the Hall of Fame’s annual induction luncheon at Will Rogers Memorial Center.I first met Mrs. Call at last year's World Show and was immediately impressed. What drew me to her was her spunk. You see, Mrs. Call is not your typical cowgirl. The 60-year-old horsewoman has a partially amputated leg due to her diabetes, but she continues to go out and show in AQHA pleasure driving classes. At the World Show, I interviewed Mrs. Call about how a wreck while she was at the All American Quarter Horse Congress nearly sidelined her. The wreck broke her partial leg. She had to have a rod placed in it and was in the hospital for about a week. When she was finally able to return home from Columbus, Ohio, to Fort Worth, Texas, she didn’t sit around feeling for herself. She told her physical therapist that she had the World Show to get to in about three weeks. After a lot of hard work and excruciating pain, Mrs. Call recovered enough to show her gelding and become the reserve world champion in amateur pleasure driving. Now, if that “can-do” spirit isn’t the definition of a cowgirl, I don’t know what is. Other 2005 Inductees are:
Brother Meets Brother in Quarter Horse Race I don’t usually mention Quarter Horse racing here in Q-Talk ,but I just couldn’t pass this one up. For the first time ever, two full-blood siblings raced against each other in a futurity race. One Corona and Two Corona Special are full brothers, sired by Strawfly Special and out of Corona Cash, who captured the Ed Burke Memorial Futurity and the $2 million All-American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in 1997. Strawfly Special died in August 2004 at 17, and is the fifth-leading sire in AQHA history in earnings by his progeny. The 2-year-olds competed Saturday in a nine-horse field for the $1,145,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos Race Course. One Corona finished fourth and his brother came in sixth. The family of the late Jens List paid breeder Henry Brown of Mesa, Arizona, $265,000 for One Corona. Felix Gonzalez paid $60,000 to own Two Corona Special. He also trains the colt. The brothers’ full sister, Corona Three, ran in the qualifiers for the Ed Burke but didn’t make it into the race. She is owned by Nancy McCoy of Wichita, Kansas. The three also have a 2-year-old half sister, SDP Spoonful Of Cash, who is by Hes A Peptospoonful, a son of the great cutting sire Peptoboonsmal. She is owned by Buffalo Ranch in Farmington, Utah. The Orange County Register had an interesting story about the siblings and the arrival of embryo transfers in Quarter Horse racing. Bottom line is that although this was a first, with the registration of multiple embryos, this won’t be the last race that features full siblings. Nominations to Open for MD Barns Silver Spur Award AQHA will begin accepting nominations for the MD Barns Silver Spur Award July 15. This special award is a way to honor American Quarter Horses that affect the lives of humans through outstanding training, contribution or accomplishment. The nominee must be a living, registered American Quarter Horse, and AQHA ownership records must be current at time of entry. In addition, the owner of the nominated horse must have a current AQHA membership. You can download a nomination form now, though. Along with the entry form, please send one clear photo of the horse and an essay limited to 500 words to MD Barns Silver Spur Award Nomination, American Quarter Horse Association, P.O. Box 200, Amarillo, TX 79168. No binders, VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs or letters of recommendation will be accepted. For more information on the award, go online, call (806) 376-4811 or e-mail AQHA Manager of Communications and Media Relations Kellye Fondy. Arkansas Park Gets a New Horse Trailhead A new trailhead for horses opened at the Pea Ridge National Military Park near Rogers, Arkansas, this past weekend. The trailhead, which was built by the park’s Youth Conservation Corps, is on the park’s tour road near the site of the Winton Springs House, just past Tour Stop No. 1. The park’s other trailhead closed Friday and will be used only for future special events. Pea Ridge National Military Park commemorates the March 1862 Civil War battle in which Union forces gained control of the Missouri River. The park is about 10 miles north of Rogers on Highway 62. The entrance fee is $3 per adult or $5 per carload. View Rugged Lark Memorial Online I mentioned a few weeks ago about the memorial for Rugged Lark and the dedication of his new bronze, which was placed atop his grave. You can now view a videotape of the memorial online. At the service, AQHA Executive Vice President Bill Brewer read a touching poem, “A Million Bay Horses.” You can also view it online, as well as read Rugged Lark’s rendition of "To All the Girls I've Loved Before." Now the Horse that Goes to Vegas, Can Stay in Vegas Early next year, a new hotel is opening in Las Vegas that not only has accommodations for humans but for their horses as well. Resting on 60 acres in the southern part of Las Vegas, South Coast Las Vegas, a $500 million project, will feature a 25-story tower, 1,350 rooms along with 25 suites, gaming, entertainment complex and a complete equestrian center. The South Coast Equestrian Complex will be an indoor horse facility with a 4,400-seat arena and 1,200 climate-controlled horse stalls as well as a 250-foot-by-125-foot show arena. The center is hoping to host some of the most prestigious equestrian events in the world.
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