After watching Brittany Barker crowned Congress Queen, I put on my GoHorseShow.com reporter hat and
set out to see just what the path to Congress Queen entails.
My first stop was an interview
with the fabulous new Queen.
Brittany and I have quite a history together, so I was filled with
emotion for her big win!
Hey it's Dakota and my "Must Haves" list for the Congress last year
landed me a real job with GoHorseShow so I’m back again this year to
bring you the hottest trends that you can't leave the Congress without.
Trust me, I have
scoured every corner of Congress Hall and the Annex to bring you my 2010
“Must
Haves” and I’ve got something for everyone and every price point. So all
husbands boyfriends,
wives and girlfriends, I've taken the pain out of it all so take
notes!!!
As the hometown girl, I would
like to welcome each and every one of you to the 44th Annual All
American Quarter Horse Congress!
This year, I wanted to start early by helping ya’ll out with a Columbus
A-Z list of businesses, entertainment, shopping and restaurants that may be
useful and make your visit more enjoyable.
As
the World Equestrian Games kick-off in Lexington, Kentucky, I had the unique
opportunity to attend a major horse event which hosted many of the top WEG
bound international and Olympic show jumping riders this past weekend. Held right in my own backyard in a
northeast suburb of Columbus, Ohio, The New Albany Classic has
become an important date on the Grand Prix circuit.
I have been following
Cracky’s career since Jessica Johnson won the All Around Amateur at the AQHA
World Show in 2009. This is the perspective from someone who brought a lucky troll doll to their
very first Quarter Horse Congress and I won three classes that year. The question is, “Was it me, or
the troll that did the winning? I never gave it much thought, so I decided to
dig a little deeper and find out more about the Cracky Effect.
“Cuz every girl’s crazy ‘bout a
sharp dressed man.” Young or old, who doesn’t love
that ZZ Top song circa 1983, and let’s face it the lyrics are soooo true. People talk about loving a man in uniform,
and the horse industry is no different. Nothing
sexier than a crisply pressed pair of jeans and a great shirt on a hot cowboy!
A Monday Morning Quarterback is traditionally someone who after the event, offers advice or criticism concerning decisions made by others. In this case, however, GoHorseShow.com contributor and Sport Consultant, Kirsten Farris of The Equestrian Athlete, praises 2010 AQHYA World Champion Carey Nowacek and observes why her pre-game strategy put her on top.
At first glance, 19-year-old Cassidy Miller
is a beautiful California girl, and I knew she and I would be fast friends at
“hello”. Sparkling from head to toe in “bling”
this girl had it “goin’ on” and I couldn’t wait to learn where she had
purchased her fabulous accessories.
After a few minutes of friendly “girl talk”, I sat down with Cassidy and her equally beautiful
mother, Kellie, to learn about their story of perseverance, determination, love and HOPE.
Between my duties as AQHYA
President, awards presenter, lunger, halter and hunter under saddle competitor,
and cheerleader (long story!) one might think this girl doesn’t have any time to shop
while at the World Show. Wrong! How could I possibly resist a trip across the
street from the stalls for a little retail therapy?
You put
thousands of miles on your truck and trailer to get qualified and now you are
sitting in the chute waiting to start your pattern at the World Show. You have a few
seconds before the person in front of you finishes their pattern. They finish,
the crowd starts clapping, and then it gets quiet. The judges nod, you hear your
name and you start your pattern…
Synchronicity is a term sometimes
referred to in riding; but in this case, it has nothing to do with
getting
together with your horse. Have you ever
had a series of coincidences and occurrences with another person which
make you
wonder if it is déjà vu, or you were simply separated at birth? I
recently have experienced this odd phenomenon and it’s with All That Show
Clothing’s owner, Tammy Schuster-Benes.
As
summer approaches there are so many things to look forward to, the
longer days,
warmer weather and all the different Youth World Championships for each
breed.
As temperatures rise, sometimes the stress and pressure of competition
will
have tempers flaring up faster than a Johnsonville Brat on a charcoal
grill.
Here’s a newsflash - it doesn’t have to be that way!
Western Pennsylvania Quarter Horse Association (WPQHA) has enjoyed
extraordinary growth at their AQHA
shows and GoHorseShow.com was there to bring you candids presented by Hot Ones Only. Based out of their home facility
in Harlansburg, PA, the 2010 Memorial Day circuit boasted over 500
stalls
sold for
the 4 show event. I liken this show to the little engine that
could. With strong local support, the
numbers seem to be improving even in this difficult economy.
For those of you who haven’t heard, Roy Halladay
pitched a perfect game on Saturday, May 29 for the Philadelphia Phillies, only
the twentieth in Major League Baseball history. After having the honor of
interviewing Roy and his wife Brandy Halladay at the Congress last year for
GoHorseShow.com, all of us at GHS are huge fans! Ironically, I was attending a
show in Harlansburg, Pennsylvania with a bunch of ecstatic Phillies fans
Saturday night when he made history.
I spoke directly with Trey’s
sister, Tena Collier today who is well known to many for the wonderful
work
that she does to help horses, animals, and people in need in our
industry
through her large network of friends and industry notables. Tena could
not believe
how promptly the horse show "family" and community have responded to
this tragedy. She is very grateful for the support. I have also
received emails of love and support for the family. This is truly heartwarming and overwhelming.