The Michigan Quarter Horse Association kicked off their 2016 show season with a bang over Easter weekend, March 23-27. With six judges and over 7,000 entries, the show was one for the books.
The show was held in East Lansing, Michigan at the Michigan State University Pavilion. The venue included an indoor show arena, and two large outdoor practice arenas. As usual for Michigan, Mother Nature gave a taste of every season starting with rain, a few snow flurries, and a beautiful sunny day on Easter.
Special classes that were offered included Pleasure Driving, Reining, Ranch Riding, Trail, Small Fry 12 & Under, and Amateur/Youth Rookie all around events. Participants came from around the United States and Canada.
MQHA Vice President Elect, Meggen Morrow Baynes, said, “This was the first year that we offered the Ranch Riding at the Easter EggStravaganza and I was beyond excited about the turnout for this event!”
Ranch Riding is a growing success in Michigan with 15 in Open and 12 competing in Amateur. Congratulations to Jeanne Hugo for winning the event under all six judges.
The Youth classes reached 7-8 points and the Amateur reached 3-6 points. This year MQHA ran a split-pen format during the showmanship, allowing exhibitors to show the pattern twice and move the show along in a time efficient manner. Halter was shown to all six judges on one day.
All around and reserve all around awards were given to every division and circuit awards were given to each class.
The Michigan Quarter Horse Youth Association was busy with fun filled activities and fundraisers that were appropriately Easter themed. An Easter egg hunt was held and had kids and their baskets searching the grounds for candy-filled eggs. The youth board also sold Easter eggs filled with surprises as a fundraiser for their future events.
An exhibitor pizza dinner was held on Friday night, and an Easter breakfast was provided on Sunday morning. MQHA strives to further member appreciation and extend thanks to the many participants at their shows.
The MQHA office staff handled the craze of the horse show activities with grace. It’s never an easy task, but between them, the many volunteers and ring stewards, Donnie and Leah Recchiuti, the show ran smoothly with entries increasing daily.
A big thank you to the sponsors of the Easter Eggstravaganza: Toledo Ticket Company, J & J Oakdale Animal Clinic, A&W Restaurant Manistee, Baldwin Quarter Horses, Zeitler Quarter Horses, Absolute Equine Services, Lenhart Show Horses, McCarthy Warda Performance Horses, Noble Hill Farms, Yvonne Miller (Rivertown Reality), and Chris’ Custom Creations.
CLICK HERE to view the candids taken by Morgan McCarthy Warda for GoHorseShow and sponsored by The Rock Stallion.
